HISTORY says Josh Kennedy can't kick 100 goals this season but it is not beyond his capabilities, according to former West Coast captain and 1983 Brownlow medallist Ross Glendinning.
No player has kicked 100 goals in a season since Lance Franklin did it for Hawthorn in 2008.
Franklin had kicked 60 goals through 12 rounds that season with Kennedy currently on 46 goals to lead the Coleman Medal race by 11.
In the previous 20 seasons there have been nine instances of a player kicking over 100 goals in a season.
Tony Lockett did it three times (1995, '96, '98), Matthew Lloyd twice ('00, '01), and Jason Dunstall ('96), Gary Ablett snr ('95), Fraser Gehrig ('04) and Franklin once apiece.
Of those players only Lockett (43) in 1995 and Dunstall (46) in 1996 had kicked fewer than 50 goals after 12 rounds.
Kennedy would need to kick 54 goals in 10 games to reach the milestone before the end of the home and away season. But with the Eagles well placed for a top-four finish, he could have at least another two games.
Kennedy kicked 36 goals in the last 10 games last year and 26 in the last 11 of the 2013 season.
"That's pretty tough," Glendinning told AFL.com.au.
"You're going to need a seven or eight-goal bag, maybe two or three of those in these last home and away games.
"To kick five per game is bloody hard because the depth of defences and the way the game is played you just don't get the share of lead-mark opportunities that the likes of Dunstall and Lockett received.
"It just doesn't happen anymore with the congestion and pressure.
"It's not beyond his capability. He's in really good form. He's kicking well.
"I just don't know that the game would allow it. Not necessarily West Coast's game. It's just the way the game is played. You just don't get a clear enough zone to have delivery come to you."
Kennedy has shown he is capable of kicking big bags with hauls of seven or more on six occasions in his career.
He's kicked 10 or more three times, including in round two this season against Carlton and he is the first player since Lloyd to kick three bags of 10 or more.
He is also the No.1 player for marks inside 50 per game this season, averaging 4.2.
"He is a chance because he doesn't play as far out as a Travis Cloke does or a Nick Riewoldt," Glendinning said.
"He does a lot of running but he tends to stay around 50 or 60m to goal. He doesn't get caught on the wings too often. So he keeps himself within range but it's really just opportunity.
"There'd be nothing better if he did. But I reckon if he finished up with around 70-80 goals he's had a ripping year."
The other hindrance is Kennedy's mindset.
"He isn't someone who will be thinking 'geez I'm a chance to get to 100' and I don't know that many that would," Glendinning said.
"He's a terribly unselfish player.
"The other thing too is with Jack Darling being back, his ability to kick twos and threes and be a secondary target probably takes a bit of the focus off Josh. Which is a very good thing from a team perspective. But that will probably detract from him to be able to get the numbers to get even close to 100 I would think."
Peter Sumich is the only Eagle to kick 100 goals in a season with the two-time premiership player kicking 111 in 1991.
Glendinning said the thought of kicking 100 never crossed his mind when he won the Eagles' goalkicking award in 1988 with 73.
"No, because I kicked too many points," Glendinning said.
"I hadn't looked at it until someone said to me at the start of the year, 'you had a few shots at goal'."
He kicked 73.47 for the season.
West Coast's remaining 10 games
Melbourne (TIO Stadium)
Adelaide (Domain Stadium)
Collingwood (Etihad Stadium)
Sydney Swans (Domain Stadium)
Gold Coast (Metricon Stadium)
Hawthorn (Domain Stadium)
Fremantle (Domain Stadium)
Western Bulldogs (Domain Stadium)
Adelaide (Adelaide Oval)
St Kilda (Domain Stadium)
