COULD the secret to addressing Port Adelaide's slide down the ladder be as simple as straightening up its goalkicking?

The Power have lost two of their past three matches, dropping from third to seventh on the ladder over the past month.

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Their expected score from shots at goal has slumped to -48.8, meaning they've scored eight goals fewer than Champion Data would expect over the first two months of the season.

The 'expected score' measurement is based upon previous results from shots taken from the same spot on the field, the same type of shot (e.g. set shot, on the run), and the same type of opposition pressure (e.g. corralling or a physical shove).

Brisbane is a clear outlier this season, sitting a further five goals behind Port Adelaide. Both teams have had at least one game heavily affected by injury and subsequent minimal rotations, adding fatigue into the mix.

Expected score

Unsurprisingly, the top four sides on the ladder are excellent at converting shots on goal, but the winless North Melbourne has at least been taking full advantage of its chances.

The Kangaroos have over-achieved when it comes to both kicking difficult shots and converting goals in general, but the forward line's performance has not yet resulted in a breakthrough victory.

But if the Roos' goalkicking starts to drop off, the losing margins could easily balloon out.

Melbourne slips down the ranking when it comes to general goal accuracy, sitting 10th, meaning the Dees relish the difficult opportunities - think Bayley Fritsch's dribbling match-winner from the boundary against Geelong), but are blowing more standard chances.

The Western Bulldogs don't compare as well when it comes to maximising their expected shot scores (10th), but they have generally been more accurate than the average team (fifth).

Shot at goal accuracy

When it comes to individual players, the Giants' Callum Brown is currently the competition's best set-shot kick (among the top 50 for total shots), converting an astonishing 86.7 per cent of the time. Teammate Jake Riccardi sits third, the Giants sandwiching rising Docker Josh Treacy.

Kyle Langford may have fluffed his lines at the end of Anzac Day, but there's none better when it comes to shots from general play (80 per cent).

Curiously, two ballistic small forwards who have had their challenges on the run – former teammates Jack Higgins (69.2 per cent) and Shai Bolton (68.8) – sit third and fourth in the category.

At the other end of the scale, Hawthorn has struggled both in controlled set shots (Jack Gunston is the most inaccurate at 21.4 per cent) and on the run, with draftee Nick Watson having the worst accuracy at just 11.1 per cent and Jack Ginnivan fourth-worst with 23.1 per cent.

Brisbane's stars have struggled in front of goal this year – Joe Daniher is equal-fourth for lowest general play shots (23.1 per cent), while Charlie Cameron is third for overall worst accuracy (36.7 per cent).

And watch out if Christian Petracca finds his radar – the Melbourne superstar is currently only converting 25 per cent of his shots, the worst accuracy of those with a total of at least 50 this year, but often goes for the all-or-nothing kick from 50m.