Sexton to slot 'em: Toby takes the tee for 2022

Toby Sexton may be a rookie half in the NRL, but there's nothing new about his ability to kick.

Tasked with the responsibility of adding the extras this season, the Gold Coast Titans playmaker is relishing the opportunity to fill the void of being the club's full-time goal-kicker, learning how to slot them from a young age.

"In the under 7s and 8s back in the day, we used to go through the numbers… so No. 1 would kick first, then No. 2 would have the second kick and I couldn’t wait for my turn to kick the footy and it just become a habit afterwards," Sexton said.

"I used to always love going down to the park and kicking footballs and I used to put all these situations in my head.

"Like it’s 16-16 and this kick is to win the game. It’s something I’ve loved ever since.

"I was no good as a kid. I always had a big strike but I was never accurate, but I guess practice over time has really helped out and I love doing the goal-kicking."

The hours and hours spent finessing his craft paid off for the 21-year-old last season, slotting 16 goals from 20 attempts in his first four games for the Titans, and he was also the primary goal-kicker for Tweed in the Hostplus Cup, kicking at 91 percent across his 13 appearances.

Improving his accuracy as a kid might have had something to do with his backyard setup, dreaming of being the next JT, kicking them from the sideline.

"With my two brothers growing up, we used to always have this little corner and we used to do the old Johnathon Thurston kicking from the corner and smash that many lights. "We’d blame it on my older brother and he’d get in trouble," Sexton reminisced.

"But every time we could... after-school or whenever, we’d go down to the park and just practice kicking and I loved it."

His kicking technique hasn't changed much over time. The Currumbin Eagles junior said it's all about keeping it simple and composing himself before striking. 

"I normally go two steps back and two steps to the side, and then I kind of swing my arms to get a bit of oxygen back in the lungs and focus on my breathing for a little bit," Sexton explained.

"I then look up and talk to myself. I say I’ll aim for a spot in the crowd… whether it’s a chair or a person and that’s normally the spot I’ll aim for.

"I’ll then go back down and take a little a couple of other little breaths and then follow through with my kick.

"I think it’s pretty simple. I’ve kept it pretty similar my entire career, but just made small tweaks to improve."

The Palm Beach Currumbin alumni has had a few crucial kicks already in his budding career, including one from the sideline that was the catalyst to winning the Australian Schoolboys National Championships.

"I had one at schoolboys level where we played Queensland versus New South Wales and we were down by 12 and we scored a try right on the touchline and I kicked the goal from the sideline," Sexton said.

"At the time, I didn’t think it was overly big, but it brought it back to just six points and we scored a try right on the buzzer in the corner and I needed to kick to level the game.

"This was only early on in the competition and I slotted it and we ended up going on to win the whole thing.

"I think that kick was a big part of going all the way."

Should the playmaker be unavailable to grab the tee, the Titans have plenty of depth in the goal-kicking ranks, but Sexton has warned against giving the duties to one of his fellow backs.

"Patty Herbert is obviously a pretty quality goal-kicker, but Jayden Campbell is doing a lot of practice at the moment on his goal kicks. I think he’s a very handy replacement," Sexton said.

"Corey Thompson thinks he’s a kicker. He’s the old part-timer who comes in every fourth or fifth session and thinks he can kick goals, but he’s clueless to be honest.

"Don't give the duties to him."

The No. 7's advice to any young junior wanting to kick goals... don't overcomplicate it.

"Just keep it as simple as possible... simply kick the footy," Sexton said.

"The more you practice and the less you think about it, the better you’re going to be."

Think you can slot them as good as Sexy?
Well, you could win $100,000 thanks to Corpsure.

Head to the Corpsure inflatable on the precinct at selected home games for the chance to be kicking for $100,000 at the Titans' final home game this year.