The art of the field goal: Sharpshooters ready to kick their teams to glory

Jame Soward knew the ball was sailing through the posts the moment it had left his boot.

It’s the 2010 preliminary final and Soward has just kicked the Dragons into the grand final.

The five-eighth had spent an entire set of six organising his team, ensuring the final play the ball was exactly where he needed it to be.

And then Soward sent more than 70,000 fans at Accor Stadium into raptures, etching his name into St George Illawarra folklore in the process.

“I knew it was going in straight away,” Soward told ljmpta.com. “Sometimes you just hit them flush.

“Lote [Tuqiri] had gone down and then Benji kicked it out on the full. I knew that was the set I was going. I didn’t get involved in the set at all. A lot of young halves think they have to get their hands on the ball instead of just pushing people into place.

“The pass is underestimated. Nathan Fien got the pass to me where I needed it, then I did what I’d practiced and what I was trusted to do for the team.”

Soward’s field goal remains one of the biggest moments in NRL finals history and sits alongside a host of others in rugby league folklore.

Fans will never forget Johnathan Thurston’s golden point strike in the 2015 grand final or Darren Lockyer’s 27-metre kick with a broken cheekbone to sink the Dragons in 2011.

Just 12 months earlier Braith Anasta kicked a dramatic field goal to send the Roosters clash with the Tigers into golden point.

Fifteen years on and field goals remain just as important leading into another NRL finals series.

Multiple big games this season have been decided by a late field goal attempt, none more so than the Miracle in Mudgee when Nathan Cleary’s kick bounced off the post and the Raiders returned it 100 metres for a spectacular win.

A host of sharp shooters are set to line up this weekend, with Braydon Trindall the NRL’s field goal king this year.

The Sharks five-eighth has kicked three throughout the season, with Knights playmaker Jack Cogger slotting two. Cleary, Sam Walker and Ryan Papenhuyzen are among a group with one field goal in 2025.

Trindall had never kicked a field goal before this year, with halfback Nicho Hynes Cronulla’s primary one-point kicker in past seasons.

Recent rule changes, however, have highlighted the importance of having two options to cast doubt into the minds of defenders rushing to put pressure on kickers.

“Nicho and I do a lot of work out here on the field,” Trindall told ljmpta.com. “It’s always good to have a couple of different threats so we’re prepared and have options when the time comes.

“We’ve done a lot of work with it throughout the year so hopefully if it comes to field goals we can nail a couple.”

The Sharks don’t need to be reminded of the importance of field-goal kicking in finals games, with the 2023 loss to the Roosters lingering long in their minds.

Sam Walker nailed a 73rd-minute field goal to hand his side a one-point lead before Hynes missed two late attempts to level the scores.

The two teams will face off at Sharks Stadium in an elimination final on Saturday night, with the Roosters eyeing another upset.

Walker was forced to miss last year’s finals series after tearing his ACL late in the season but isn’t feeling any pressure ahead of his post-season return.

“The boys got everyone in a really good position,” Walker said of his 2023 field goal. “They did all the work to get me into position and I was able to just focus on my job.

“You’re not feeling much pressure in that moment. Your mind's just in the game and you’re in the moment. Your instincts take over and there’s not much of a thought process going.”

Field goal kicking has changed significantly over the years.

Soward was able to benefit from strategically placed blockers. Those players are now banned and defenders have a clear run at the kicker.

That, according to a host of playmakers, has increased the importance of the set up.

The ball needs to be close, but not too close to the try-line. Slightly to one side of the goalposts is preferable for most kickers. A quick play the ball is crucial and the dummy half must get the pass perfect to ensure the kicker has as much time as possible to step up and nail the shot.

“The set up is huge,” Walker said. “I can’t do it unless they get themselves in the right positions and they get a quick play the ball. Without them, I’m not able to do it.”

Melbourne hooker Harry Grant has long finetuned his role in the art of the field goal, with dummy halves expected to produce a perfect pass for their playmaker.

The big shift he’s seen has come in the role of the players around him. Forwards must remain switched on and aware of their positioning at a time in the game when fatigue is high and concentration can be challenging.

“You’re not allowed to be in that area in front of the kicker anymore,” Grant said. “That’s the most challenging part. It’s not for the dummy half or the kicker, it’s more about the guys around the play the ball, their role and where they end up.

“We’ve practised those scenarios numerous times over the past year so the guys are educated around it.”

While the reward for a field goal attempt can be a match-winning lead, the risks remain just as high.

A seven-tackle set for the opposition follows if the kick sails dead, while we all saw what happened in Mudgee if the ball clatters into the upright.

Cleary is well aware of the stakes throughout the next month and declared he's ready to reclaim his moniker as the 'Ice Man'. 

"Every point counts in finals games," Cleary said. "I have no doubt all the games are going to be tight so field goals and goal kicking are going to be important. 

"I try to limit my thoughts and let my instincts take over, let the training take over and have faith in that. Sometimes the more you overthink it and get too much in your head, the worse it gets."