CHRISTIAN Petracca is not only kicking the ball better than at any stage of his illustrious career, he's kicking it better than anyone in the AFL.
And it's no fluke.
To say the Gold Coast midfielder has hit the ground running at his new club would be an understatement, with the former Demon playing a significant role in all four Suns victories this season either side of a hamstring injury.
Whether it's general field kicking or - more importantly - kicks going inside 50 or even kicks at goal, Petracca was cumulatively rated the best kick in the competition by Champion Data through the first seven rounds of the season.
But to get an understanding of how it's happened, you have to turn the clock back to his final year at Melbourne.
After seeing his work with other AFL players on Instagram, Petracca slid into the DMs of Enhanced Football founder and owner, Ben Stanley.
Based on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, Stanley organised a face-to-face meeting when he was in Melbourne to discuss how he might be able to help the 2021 Norm Smith medallist.
"He said he really wanted to improve his kicking and wanted to see my theories on it," Stanley told AFL.com.au.
"Over last year and this year, we've done at least eight to 10 lengthy sessions and have changed a fair bit with his kicking.
"The way Christian holds the ball is the complete opposite to what he used to.
"He used to hold it completely upright, like Jack Gunston, but we've gone the opposite, open grip with more relaxed shoulders and hands. Less robotic.
"It gives him great hand control with the ball drop. It works for some and not others."
Christian Petracca's kicking
| Season | Average goals | Accuracy % | Score involvements |
| 2016 | 0.7 | 34.3 | 5.2 |
| 2017 | 1.2 | 68.4 | 5.7 |
| 2018 | 0.8 | 39.6 | 6.7 |
| 2019 | 1.0 | 48.9 | 6.0 |
| 2020 | 0.9 | 44.1 | 6.4 |
| 2021 | 1.2 | 40.8 | 8.3 |
| 2022 | 0.8 | 27.5 | 8.3 |
| 2023 | 1.1 | 32.2 | 8.4 |
| 2024 | 1.1 | 40.0 | 7.9 |
| 2025 | 0.8 | 31.6 | 7.3 |
| 2026 | 2.5 | 66.7 | 11.5 |
Stanley said Petracca had made big improvements last year with the Dees, but like any dramatic changes, sometimes it takes time to show in practice.
The pair, along with Suns draftee Zeke Uwland, linked up regularly over the off-season in Noosa to refine Petracca's skill.
"The other one is timing," Stanley said.
"We've all seen the size and power in his legs. He never has to over-kick the ball. It's a bit like a golf swing."
The early results in 2026 have been stunning.
Petracca has kicked 10 goals, many from long range, from 15 shots to rank top five in the League for players with that many attempts.
But it's his field kicking that has caught the eye.
Champion Data uses a statistic called 'Kick Rating' to determine a player's kicking effectiveness by comparing their actual hit rate to an "expected hit rate" based on kick difficulty. This factors in pressure on the kicker, kick location, target location, and intended distance.
Petracca is the best kick in the AFL with a rating of +20.4 per cent. His expected hit rate is 53.4 per cent, but he is actually hitting 73.8 per cent.
Christian Petracca's kicking accuracy
| 2026 | 2016-2025 | |
| Shot at goal accuracy | +24.5% | -4.2% |
| Kick rating | +20.4% | -0.5% |
| Field kicks | +18.1% | +0.5% |
| Field kicks - inside 50 | +25.1% | -1.4% |
He has been rated elite for goalkicking, field kicks and kicks inside 50.
Gold Coast midfield coach Shaun Grigg said Petracca, despite his experience in the game, remains "curious" to improve.
"He doesn't think he's the finished product. It's a great trait," Grigg said.
"When he plays his best, he plays with a lot of speed and power to give him time to execute with lower pressure.
"We got to work over the pre-season and trained a couple of things with how to get him in those situations, to use that speed and power.
"The hardest kick in footy is that kick inside 50 and he's done a lot of work on footwork and his stance (to help that)."
Stanley is in regular contact with Petracca, assessing any vision from training or a game he wants critiqued.
And the Suns star is not the only top-level player to have tapped into Stanley's knowledge, with North Melbourne pair Harry Sheezel and Colby McKercher, Essendon midfielder Elijah Tsatas and a host of AFLW stars among those to have also done work with him.
Petracca is in his 11th season in the AFL, with Stanley saying there is no reason why other players can't continue to improve skills later in their career.
"A lot of coaches believe they can't change habits … but I disagree," he said.
"Tiger Woods changed his swing. You can do it. People learn how to walk again after serious accidents. Steph Curry changed his shot coming out of high school into college.
"Petracca has that open growth mindset and work ethic to change it. He's your prototype to do it."
