04 April 2003 Herald Sun
By GEOFF POULTER
FORMER AFL goalkicker Richard Osborne says he can fix Matthew Richardson's goal-shooting problems, which he believes are mental rather than technical.
Osborne, who kicked 574 goals in 283 games with four clubs, has worked with the likes of Chris Grant, Corey McKernan and Test cricketer Justin Langer in areas "dealing with negative influences".
"When it's a mental issue, you can't encapsulate it until you speak to the individual because we are all different in the mind," Osborne said yesterday.
"If it was a technical issue they could have fixed the problem years ago.
"It is like with golf. Ian Baker-Finch, Greg Norman, these guys that get the putting yips over the years, it is not a technical issue because they practise.
"If a player has got the yips, they say we need to get him out on the training track and kick for goal. But that doesn't fix the mental problem that he goes through, like the pressure in front of 80,000 people. There is no way of fixing that on the training track.
"If I were to work with a player on goalkicking, I wouldn't even get him out on the training track. I would get his mind right first."
Osborne said "without a shadow of a doubt" Richo's technique wasn't correct.
"But with a poor technique you can still kick them from outside 50," he said. "Last Friday night, playing on from 20m out in front of goal, that is a mental block. It becomes that painful for him he thinks, 'I just have to play on and get this done with very quickly'.
"I watched him last Friday night. I went to the game, specifically to watch Matthew Richardson. I have never seen a player spend so much energy or frustration on a football field.
"He just wastes too much energy on the mental side of the game. He just gets so frustrated and he doesn't have to.
"I don't know how he kicks until I talk to him ... then we can work out a mental solution."
By GEOFF POULTER
FORMER AFL goalkicker Richard Osborne says he can fix Matthew Richardson's goal-shooting problems, which he believes are mental rather than technical.
Osborne, who kicked 574 goals in 283 games with four clubs, has worked with the likes of Chris Grant, Corey McKernan and Test cricketer Justin Langer in areas "dealing with negative influences".
"When it's a mental issue, you can't encapsulate it until you speak to the individual because we are all different in the mind," Osborne said yesterday.
"If it was a technical issue they could have fixed the problem years ago.
"It is like with golf. Ian Baker-Finch, Greg Norman, these guys that get the putting yips over the years, it is not a technical issue because they practise.
"If a player has got the yips, they say we need to get him out on the training track and kick for goal. But that doesn't fix the mental problem that he goes through, like the pressure in front of 80,000 people. There is no way of fixing that on the training track.
"If I were to work with a player on goalkicking, I wouldn't even get him out on the training track. I would get his mind right first."
Osborne said "without a shadow of a doubt" Richo's technique wasn't correct.
"But with a poor technique you can still kick them from outside 50," he said. "Last Friday night, playing on from 20m out in front of goal, that is a mental block. It becomes that painful for him he thinks, 'I just have to play on and get this done with very quickly'.
"I watched him last Friday night. I went to the game, specifically to watch Matthew Richardson. I have never seen a player spend so much energy or frustration on a football field.
"He just wastes too much energy on the mental side of the game. He just gets so frustrated and he doesn't have to.
"I don't know how he kicks until I talk to him ... then we can work out a mental solution."
