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Hi mate, how are you? Hi, you okay? Good, how about you? Good to meet you. Yeah, you too. Welcome to Melbourne, mate. Go meet the other boys and show you around. Nice to meet you. Sounds good. Let's go. Right, mate. First drill we're going to do is the boys are going to show you how to hit the shield. This is just a drill that is simple technique, bend your back, get under the ball carrier, and win the tackle. So, three hits on Lazy, and then we're going to see you how you go hitting the pad. So, actually get those shoulders warm.
Usually I bump him off. That's how I tackle mentally. Well, you got to explain where you trying to hit it? Shoulders got forward. Where are you trying to hit it? Is it for the shoulder? Yeah, it's it's all about your tackle technique, so. Tackle technique, go on, mate. So, so essentially like yeah, which where the marking on the pad is, Shane's trying to get the top part of his shoulder just to hit that. Yeah, and you're trying to just drive up. So, you think of a ball carrier is carrying the ball out, you actually want to hit him under there.
Come on, just step into him. And then here we go. You got to explain the technique to him, mate. No, no. Yeah. I can't tackle though, see? My job's not to tackle. That's it. That's their job. What, so you don't tackle at all? I don't. So, like I'm the touchy's best mate. I try and stay far away from it. Um, but in all seriousness, these two and like our middles do a really good job. All right, so I think the idea is you're going to make three tackles on Shano. Here we go. No pressure then. Here we go.
Just start close, or it. Walk him through it. Walk him through. No, I think I might need a run up at you, to be honest. He's a big redhead, he'll probably smash me. You got your right shoulder first. So, just go through slow. Go through it. I think I'm with my Why you holding it like that? He's putting the fear in me. Okay, all right. You ready? Yeah. I'm not.
Just walk through it first. That was all right, that. It was good. Good tackles. So, with that, just bring your left leg through after you step in, and then the next step forward, yeah. Okay. Yes, mate. Get him signed up. I think I'll get concussions. I'm going to try, but this is probably my weaker side. Ready? Yeah, get into it. That's it. He's a big boy, this fellow. One more and then I'll be done. The left one didn't feel right.
Yeah, that was actually class. That was class. Done. Nice, mate. Well, you nailed that part. That's the first part. All right, bro. So, that was the tackle shields. We're going to bring in our fullback, Tristan, now. We're going to do some kicking and catching. Uh this is his domain, and this is what he excels at, so let's go catch some bombs, hey? You can put some up for him. So, like there's a couple of kickers in the comp that have like are experts at either making the ball spiral or making the ball float. Now, the advantage to making it spiral is it comes down really quick. So, like obviously pressure's on you, and the advantage of it floating is it could go anywhere. I could aim over here, and
because it's doing that, and how light the ball is, it could end up over there, so Is that just holding it like that? Uh well, people do it different. People try and hit it front on like that and smack the belly like that. I go side on. I tend to get more luck with that. Hey, you ready? This could go anywhere. They're the way harder to catch. See how that's floating and moving? See how it's coming back towards me? And you got to think, so he started there. It's a 15-m kick sprint.
Yeah. And by the time it's in his eye line as soon as his fingertips says, "Good day." As soon as his fingertips touch it, it's free game to dish him up. Yeah, yeah. So, like as a fullback, like we prac- me and him practice these because like it's worst-case scenario if a kicker is a really good kicker, but I'm pretty impressed that I could do that on camera. There we are. Yes, he's got it. THAT'S IT. YES, THAT'S THAT IS dead set it, bro. Like I'd be happy to just be going, [snorts] "Oh, that's so good." But, that's literally That's the outcome you want. You want it to You don't You
it to go straight to him. You want him have to move to it. And then you want the ball to move away from him. Let's have one more. Stop him. He wants one more. He said you won't catch this. Oh, yes. He's got it. That is Nice, mate. Fair play. It's a goal kicking um This is the most pressurized part of our game, obviously, and How many points for It's only two. So, four for a try, two two for conversion, and Yeah, I still I've been kicking for 10 years, and I still like get so nervous. Even in front, like the ones where Even this close.
I get nervous because like obviously you should kick it the other man. And like this it's the equivalent to a penalty, obviously, with no one trying to save it, but this end is usually full of away fans that obviously don't want me to kick it. Yeah. So, you're getting booed. You can see your big fat head on the Not yours, but big screen. And you've also got to knock it over, so um Yeah, there's a bit that goes into this. Obviously, everyone that takes a penalty at your club would do it different, but for me with the ball, uh where the pump is always got your left index finger. I just tap me shoes just cuz I'm a bit of a freak. And then my whole thing is I line up the seam
of the ball just inside the right post. So, like naturally for a right footer, if the rule of thumb is if you are to miss, miss to the right. Okay. So, if you're left footer, rule of thumb, if you miss, miss to the left. So, like naturally on the angle that we come in, if you aim inside the right post, it gives you that natural sort of arc. My kicking retains like dead basic. Like there's a guy in the NRL called Adam Reynolds. He literally walks back on the angle he's going to kick the ball, and that's all I do. Some people go four back, two to the side, one back
again, and make it really difficult. I just thought like there's enough going on in the game to not worry about stuff like that. So, I literally just not line up my right big knuckle of my big toe. I just go four and a half back on an angle. I just For me, to center myself, I just tap my toes like that. It just brings me back to where I am. Puts me in a like state of right out. This is the most important thing right now. The whole idea, what you get taught off kicking coaches, is to be tall. Um I don't know if it's the same as you, but to be tall as you approach the ball. So, I go two just like little calf raises.
Just tell myself head down, follow through, head down, follow through. Just I'll take two steps like that, walk, and I'll have one final glance at the ball. Just to be like, right, that's the point I'm going to hit. As I said about getting tall, I lift like left leg comes higher, walk in. And then I'll just follow through. So, So, like ideal spot for you everyone wants to hit the middle, right? But like we used to use black dot to right pole. In between. And then, yeah. [snorts] And obviously don't try and kick the cover off it. Just natural swing through I don't know. I'm trying to hit the bottom of the ball.
I reckon right there's the sweet spot. And then like they always talk about finishing through the ball. I'm sure that you would have heard that heaps of times, but like as you kick that right foot comes through and your first the first step kind of wants to be at the direction of the where like football differs a little bit. So, what unnatural like for me to like follow through with the ball. Exactly. Yeah. So, I'm they ended me all the time about that, but I tend to like when I kick I stop a lot. Like I definitely do. Every time I shoot the ball, that's my technique is just to stop.
Right. So, So, head over low, strike, but then I'm not really bringing any kind of Are you going to kick this like you would I don't know. I'm trying to copy what you're doing and then use my own technique at the same time. No, I reckon just kick it out you'd kick it, but like the whole secret is just not to try and kick the cover off it, really. Okay. So, just be a bit more relaxed when you shoot. Just yeah, just natural swing, especially from this far out. Okay. Oh, that's easy. We're going to have to put you on an angle here, eh? So, all that's going through my head is
if I don't miss this, people are going to laugh at me. There's no pressure. There's no pressure, really. No. So, even like the way you stand like this, that's so unnatural for me. Yeah, right. So, So, if you're taking a Well, I would be like this quite a lot of the time. Is there any reason why you'd stand like that? No. No? Just done as a kid? Probably saw David Beckham do it or something. So, that's why I probably do it. So, the funny you say that, I used to stand like that as well. And then I found like because I like to
go back first, I felt like I was almost crossing my legs over. Whereas, I stand like that, it's just a natural walk for me into the ball, if you know what I mean? So, do you step out with your left foot first as well? So, like yeah, I'm like that and I'll go one back, but then I'm walking in like that. But, as I said, yeah, I do like weird stuff. Like my left knee comes up high because I want to stay tall. But, the way you kick because you obviously way better natural kicker than me, your swing's real nice and fluent. Whereas, I feel like I have to force myself to Okay. Let's see. This might not look much more natural. mate.
Oh, hey. Hey, you're too good, bro. He's too good. Oh, we'll put a bit of pressure on him then. If he doesn't get this, he's got to shout us all a coffee. Hey, don't worry about kicking coaches. We'll just bring him down. I'm I'm finishing on that. I don't need to do no more. He used to kick like that. Don't test me anymore. He used to kick like that. Anything harder? Yeah, I said that's the hardest kick you're going to do, bro.
Oh, man. Beginner's luck. I tell you what, I knew he was going to be able to kick, but that floater, bro. Hey, have we got that floater on film? We do, hey? I need that. I need that footage. Yeah, but what about the difference between like us kicking compared to what if I was to If I was If I go away from you and just strike one. Jeez, I can't kick too hard. I've got no idea what I'm doing. So, like when you're saying follow through, my technique is never follow through. My main thing that I want to do is keep my head over the ball a lot. Otherwise, if I'm up like this it's always high, floaty, maybe a little bit misdirection. Whereas, if I'm over the ball and striking it, and always I
want my arm involved. I always find that when my technique's going, this arm's just like a little bit loose and everywhere. is this ball coming across the ground at me or in the air? We'll see. I've got a bad touch today. I've got a to put it on the is to be driving it on the floor. All right, I will. There you go, bro. Thank you. Nice. See that, boys? That was on purpose. Oh, nice. Very good. Oh, look at that, bro. Mark Viduka. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Stay there, mate.
What is the secret behind this like cuz I try and do it and I've I've obviously got no idea, so What, to bring it down? Let's have a go. Are you going on me? I'm just going to send it up and we'll see where it goes and I'll call someone over. Oh, not bad. Oh, me again? You're picking ON ME HERE. NICE, MATE. My record of penalties isn't very good. Wait, is that where they take it from? Is that the mark? Well, yeah.
Is that how close it is, really? It looks close as soon as the goalkeeper in there. It looks more How much bigger would your post be to that? A little bit? So, it's like that, yeah. It must be, It would be what? Another Probably 2 m? Nah, not m. Probably half a yard. So, what do you So, like is there Do you have a Oh, don't give it away, but Most of mine have always gone the left center. Recently, I've gone a bit more inwards and gone more power. Right. I took penalties at Brentford for a couple of years. And I found that under pressure, I used to just start dragging them too far.
Yeah. So, I brought my line in a bit more. Right, yeah. It's just because the technique of striking it as a right footer that way, I just feel like it's harder to guarantee where you're going to put the ball. Whereas this side, I feel like I've got a bit more I'm more comfortable keeping it this side of the net. Do keepers I know keepers run on that bottle and stuff, which way that you would go, but do they give you cues as well? Some So, uh the common thing now is that the best ones watch the keeper Right. to see where they're going to go, but I wouldn't be comfortable running up to the ball keeping my head that way.
Oh, I'm not going to You're going to go there. I'm not even going to try and save it, but I'll I'll try. I'm not going to save it. I'm just going to get out of the way. Oh, god. Oh, yeah. You're not saving that. Yeah. I'm saying that's roof of the net. I'm quite happy with that one. How good's that? He's happy with that. Duncs and lads, thanks for having me. Appreciate the lessons. Nice to meet you all. A little gift from the Toffees. Here's some shirts for you all. So, I think these have been put in order, right?
Awesome, brother. Appreciate that, mate. Here we go. How good's that? You're very welcome. [snorts] Hopefully, get down to the Hill Dickinson soon and watch the boys. Thank you very much, mate. Very much. Likewise, thank you for coming down, mate. Obviously, someone of your stature, it's massive for players like us for you to come down and spend an hour with us. Uh our captain's going to present you with a shirt, too. Yeah, just a jersey, mate, to say thank you for your time. Really appreciate you coming down, so Thanks very much, mate.
Love this on my Jubilee weekend. Thank you very much. Thanks a lot, mate. Appreciate it. Cheers, guys. Thank you, mate. Thanks, guys.
