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Essendon seek goalkicking expert to guide spearhead Joe Daniher

Essendon are on the hunt for a goalkicking expert to guide spearhead Joe Daniher as the Bombers attempt to improve their forward potency.

Coach John Worsfold told a media briefing on Tuesday that the key forward was working closely with forwards coach Hayden Skipworth to find a suitable mentor for the occasionally wayward kick.

"'Skippy' is helping Joe put a plan in place to make sure he improves all aspects of his game," Worsfold said. "But goalkicking is a critical part of what he's going to get measured on as a player, so they're going to find a goalkicking expert for him. Joe was pretty clear on how he wanted to go about it, so I'm letting them run that process."

Worsfold threw up long-time AFL assistant and specialist coach David Wheadon as a potential candidate, but hinted the search may not be restricted only to the football world, Worsfold having successfully used English rugby kicking coach Dave Alred during the Eagles' premiership year of 2006.

"There's a few guys they're exploring," he said.

Daniher worked closely with former champion spearhead Matthew Lloyd in 2015, but Lloyd stepped away from the role last season because of his media commitments.

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While Daniher's goal returns have continued to climb during his career, his 43 goals in 2016 easily his best effort and Essendon's best since Lloyd himself kicked 62 goals in 2008, Daniher's conversion rate has hovered between only 57 and 58 per cent accuracy.

Lloyd, one of the most accurate kicks for goal the game has seen, converted at 68.6 per cent. West Coast full-forward Josh Kennedy, winner of the past two Coleman Medals, last season had a strike rate of 68.9 per cent.

Worsfold had Alred mentor former West Coast goalkicker Quinten Lynch in 2006, the rugby specialist having worked closely with English rugby legend and 2003 World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson.

"When Wilkinson was at his best, he coached his technique and kicking," Worsfold said. "The principles around technique are the same [as Australian football], and some of it is about performance psychology, visualisation and how you deal with noise and nerves and getting your mind right."

Lloyd said in September he had identified five key flaws in Daniher's goalkicking technique when he worked with him, but had noticed others since stepping away from the role.

"I've picked up a few more things that he could possibly do differently again next year," Lloyd said. "The one thing I couldn't quite nail was his ball drop, his hand flops out. We trialled a number of different things.

"I see goalkicking as a real area that they don't coach properly, so I had different ideas of how I would coach, with fatigue and putting players under pressure."

Worsfold is making a more potent forward line a key focus for next season, Essendon having finished last for scores in 2016 at a measly average of just 65.3 points per game. In the two previous seasons, they had also ranked only 15th and 12th for points scored.

But he said he was hopeful of greater returns next season with Cale Hooker coming back into the mix from his 12-month CAS suspension, alongside new recruits James Stewart from Greater Western Sydney and former Brisbane small forward Josh Green.