Jordan Dawson’s after-the-siren Showdown heroics couldn’t help but creep into Callum Wilkie’s mind just before he threaded his maiden major after 66 senior games.
While Marvel Stadium didn’t quite erupt to the same degree that Adelaide Oval did on Saturday night, the newest member of St Kilda’s goalkickers’ club is quick to point to the similarities between the two, all the while with a cheeky grin plastered on his face.
Both were wonky-looking kicks which shaped horribly off the boot – “not my best kick”, Wilkie chuckles while glancing down at his shin – before correcting against all odds to slide from right-to-left through the middle.
“I just let the wind take it!” Wilkie told saints.com.au with a big laugh, acknowledging Marvel Stadium's pristine conditions with the roof closed.
“I saw Jordan Dawson’s kick the other night from the Showdown and thought ‘yeah I’ll just do that’, channel a little bit of inspiration there.”
After the Tigers fired through two goals within the opening 90 seconds of play on Sunday afternoon, fate had it that the unlikeliest of goalkicking heroes in Wilkie would be the one to put a stopper on the yellow and black’s hot start.
As the stalwart defender charged from the centre square to cut off Dylan Grimes’ rebounding kick out of defence, his eyes lit up as he realised a potential spoil had turned into a rare shot on goal.
“I knew I could probably get there and impact when I first took off, I didn’t realise I was going to mark it until I was nearly there,” Wilkie said.
“I took the mark and thought ‘oh crap, I’ve got to have the shot here!’.
“Not much was going through the head to be honest. I was just trying to remember what my goalkicking routine was from about 10 years ago. It had been a while!
“I started the count of that – those six to eight steps when running in – and lost count, kicked it off my shin and luckily enough it went in.
Prior to Sunday’s 33-point win against Richmond, Wilkie was behind only Port Adelaide’s Tom Clurey (110 games) and Fremantle’s Joel Hamling (87) for the current player with the longest streak without a goal.
Geelong’s Jake Kolodjashnij, who previously held the oddly revered top spot, finally struck his name off the list late last season after 127 goalless games.
Although Wilkie jokes that he would have been more than happy to have take the number one ranking one day, he was never going to let slip a proper chance to put one through.
“I was always going for it!” Wilkie laughed.
“I was never going to pass it off because the boys would have given it to me, even if I did kick it to someone in a better position.
“I’d probably never get another chance after that, so it was probably my one and only shot to get a goal.
“I knew as soon as I kicked it that it was off the instep and it was going to curve, but I didn’t realise it was going to curve that much.”
Wilkie’s goalkicking – or lack, thereof – has been a well-worn, but still humorous talking point during St Kilda’s pre-game routines.
The accountant-turned-Saint had just one shot on goal in his previous 65 matches, with the same left-to-right magic not quite transpiring in Round 18 last year against Port Adelaide.
“Simon Lethlean, James Gallagher and everyone like that, every warm-up or before the game they always say ‘today’s going to be the day’ where I kick it and I never do," Wilkie said.
“No-one said it at the game on Sunday, so it was a pretty good feeling when it went through.
“I was a bit rattled, I didn’t know what to do after. I just ran to the first person, I think it was Hilly, and they all swarmed in. It was a good feeling.
“I reckon I might try to push forward a fair bit now, but Ratts probably won’t be too happy if he sees me getting past halfway again.”
