Kane Cornes has named who he thinks are the best field kicks in the AFL.
For an overall user by foot, Cornes has Western Bulldogs Bailey Dale standing above the rest, particularly when it comes to using the ball out of defence.
“I’m not sure there is the ideal answer for the best kick in the AFL, there are so many variations,” Cornes said on SEN Sportsday.
“Personally, the best field kick I think is Bailey Dale from the Western Bulldogs, he’s an expert from full-back.”
When the pressure is turned up though, Cornes believes Marcus Bontempelli and Lance Franklin are standouts, especially in terms of finding a target inside 50 whether on the run or from a standing start.
“But the hardest kick in the game is the kick inside 50 because there’s so many numbers, teams pack their defensive 50, trying to get back and protect holes and fill up space,” Cornes explained.
“So, I always think Marcus Bontempelli is an excellent choice when going inside 50, whether on the run or from a standing start, he makes good decisions and he’s also a very good kick.
“You’ve got the tall players and Buddy (Franklin) is a very good kick inside 50 and I think that’s been noted for a period of time.”
Looking back to his 300-game career with Port Adelaide, Cornes was asked by Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy who was the best kick out of his former teammates.
“Stuey Dew, he was a great kick,” Cornes replied.
“It wasn’t by accident, every training session, he’d hang out there for 10 or 15 minutes with Roger James who is also a very good kick.
“They just did it more than anyone else and there was no surprise they were better at it than anyone else.
“Long, penetrating and accurate was Stuart Dew.”