WORDS of encouragement from veteran forward Adam Schneider helped first-year Saint Jack Lonie quickly move past an errant kick on Saturday that cost St Kilda the lead for the final time against Carlton.
Lonie, who impressed in his fourth AFL game, erred in the third quarter when he kicked across goal and the ball went straight to Carlton utility Andrejs Everitt.
Everitt booted a goal from point-blank range and the Blues were in front. They went to record a comfortable 40-point win.
As Everitt was letting Lonie know all about his error, Schneider intervened before giving his young teammate some quick-fire advice.
"He just said to forget about it and move on to the next contest, there's no point dwelling on it because in the next contest you've got to be harder and better and just move on," Lonie said on Sunday in Wellington.
"You never want to kick across goal and give them a goal but you've just got to move on.
"We do a lot of work in mind training throughout the pre-season and things like that you've just got to forget and move on and go to the next contest.
"That's footy sometimes."
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Lonie said it was that kind of support that had made it so easy to settle in at the club after he was drafted in November last year.
"The boys looked after me, which is great," he said.
"They've been really good so far and have looked after me since I've been here so I wouldn't expect anything more."
Lonie's errant kick caused one of 11 goals the Blues kicked from turnovers in their big win at Westpac Stadium.
Coach Alan Richardson said a string of such errors could spread negativity throughout the team.
"Four of those we can do nothing about defensively. When you kick it straight back to them 40 metres out from goal, that can be quite demoralising," Richardson said.
But the Saints coach was pleased with the tackling pressure his team applied throughout the game, and with Lonie's contribution as a small forward.
The 18-year-old kicked two goals and laid five tackles in his most promising performance to date.
"I'm still trying to cement my spot in the team and I've just got to keep going about my business, play my role, and I thought yesterday I was able to do it better than previous," Lonie said.
"I felt like I got in better spots and got a bit more of the footy.
"I was lucky enough to kick a couple of goals but I just felt I played my role and tackled a lot better than previous.
"I've just got to keep building and learning and bringing that consistency as well."
