ST KILDA midfielder Jack Steven has improved nearly every aspect of his game this season, but there is one hurdle he is yet to clear before he can join the competition's elite.
Steven ranks No.12 in the AFL for average disposals (28.1) and he has sent his team into attack more than any other player this season, averaging 5.5 inside 50s a game.
As a two-way runner who can win the ball but then pressure the opposition when possession is lost, there are few players who can rival the 25-year-old, who averages 7.1 tackles a game.
But a combination of factors have seen Steven's kicking efficiency drop to a six-year low of 56.7 per cent this season, preventing him from joining Nat Fyfe and Dan Hannebery as elite young midfielders.
Steven provided one of the highlights of St Kilda's round 16 loss to Richmond when he spun out of a contest, burst free and hit Nick Riewoldt on the lead with an inside-out kick on his right foot.
So what has held him back from making that a more consistent standard in his eighth season, which has seen his kicking efficiency waver from a high of 76.5 per cent in round eight to a low of 38.5 per cent in round 15?
"He's worked hard on his kicking and there's a few things with his effectiveness," assistant coach Adam Kingsley told AFL.com.au.
"Is he biting off more than he can chew? Is he running too quickly? He has that tendency to sprint and be 100 miles an hour and try kick.
"And then being a midfielder getting tagged, quite often he's under pressure.
"So I think all three of those areas impact his ability to be effective with the kick."
Of the AFL's top 12 possession-winners, only Swan Josh Kennedy has a lower disposal efficiency than Steven. On the positive side of the ledger, only West Coast's Matt Priddis has laid more tackles.
It would be fair to assume David Armitage is the only player that could be leading Steven in the Saints' best and fairest this year, so there has been significant improvement in the explosive midfielder.
Kingsley said the main focus for Steven had been improving his bodywork at stoppages and turning possessions into disposals.
"When you look at the reason Gary Ablett is so good, every time the ball touches his hands it turns into a disposal," Kingsley said.
"Whereas with Jack I think he fumbled a bit too much early in his career.
"He had opportunities to get possessions, but because of fumbles or the ball getting knocked out in the pack, he didn't turn that into disposals."
Growing accustomed to heavy attention from taggers will take time, but decision-making and steadying before kicking can be trained, Kingsley said.
The Saints are balancing the desire to improve Steven's kicking and look after his body after it has been battered during matches.
"During the days we don't run flat out and practice our kicking," Kingsley said.
"We've got some things in place in our facility where we can practice our decision-making, then it just comes down to training and training at the level you play at.
"We try and overload the decisions they have to make so on game day it seems easier." Hannebery and Fyfe are two players the Saints have compiled a library of footage of to use in their education of players like Steven.
Significant improvement, however, would only come from time on the track.
"You can watch players as much as you want and do as much analysis as you want, but ultimately if you're going to improve something you've got to get to work and do it," Kingsley said.
"That's more where our efforts lie with Jack. You don't become a better golfer by watching great golfers on the TV."
