When looking back at the season thus far, we seem to have had it all already - big wins, classic thrillers, devastating injuries, loads of upsets and plenty of off-field dramas.
What we haven’t had, however, is a big umpiring controversy. Thankfully the men in white (and various other colours) have been able to stay out of the limelight and keep the players under control.
So which teams have managed to catch the attention of the umpires this season? And which teams have been penalised more than the rest?
Usually we aren’t too happy when the Demons rank 16th in a particular statistic. In this instance, it’s a positive result that the Dees are 16th for free kicks against. With 282 free kicks against them this year, the Demons are behind only Carlton (268) in that category.
Interestingly, when looking at free kicks given to each team, the Demons rank 17th overall, having received only 270 for the season. This means that Melbourne’s difference between free kicks for and against is -12, basically a break even for the year.
Port Adelaide has the biggest free kick difference so far this season, with a +72 figure to lead the competition. St.Kilda sits at the other end of the spectrum with a -45 free kick differential.
With fewer free kicks than the rest of the competition, the Demons rank 16th for goals from free kicks with only 14, again behind Carlton (12).
Essendon (34) and Sydney (32) have scored the most goals from free kicks thus far.
While rarely used for any particular coaching or strategic purpose, clubs also get access to the free kicks broken down by type.
These numbers will never influence any important decisions but they’re often quite fun to look at throughout the year. And the figures can throw up some interesting results.
Our opponents this weekend, the Hawks, have earned only 42 free kicks for holding the ball so far this season, ranked 17th overall. Hopefully they find the Demon players equally as hard to catch on Sunday.
On the flip side, we can’t give the Hawks any unnecessary advantage. The Dees are ranked 4th in 50 metre penalties against with 22 for the year, while Hawthorn sits 16th with only 10 this season.
It also looks like the hours spent on the training track trying to perfect our tackling technique are starting to pay off. Melboune has had the least high tackles (64) paid against them this year, far fewer than the likes of Sydney (106) and Geelong (102).
One very interesting free kick statistic is the push in the back. Melbourne ranks 17th overall in this category, having received only 46 for the year. Both North Melbourne (90) and Port Adelaide (100) have received over twice as many!
But the overall positive this year is that umpiring has hardly figured in any match, particularly those involving the Dees. They’ve been able to go unnoticed while we get to see the real stars in action.
Here’s hoping they fire up again this Sunday (the players, obviously, not the umpires).
See you all there.
Stats Incredible is suffering writer’s block! Send through your comments and suggestions to @StatsIncredible on Twitter.
What we haven’t had, however, is a big umpiring controversy. Thankfully the men in white (and various other colours) have been able to stay out of the limelight and keep the players under control.
So which teams have managed to catch the attention of the umpires this season? And which teams have been penalised more than the rest?
Usually we aren’t too happy when the Demons rank 16th in a particular statistic. In this instance, it’s a positive result that the Dees are 16th for free kicks against. With 282 free kicks against them this year, the Demons are behind only Carlton (268) in that category.
Interestingly, when looking at free kicks given to each team, the Demons rank 17th overall, having received only 270 for the season. This means that Melbourne’s difference between free kicks for and against is -12, basically a break even for the year.
Port Adelaide has the biggest free kick difference so far this season, with a +72 figure to lead the competition. St.Kilda sits at the other end of the spectrum with a -45 free kick differential.
With fewer free kicks than the rest of the competition, the Demons rank 16th for goals from free kicks with only 14, again behind Carlton (12).
Essendon (34) and Sydney (32) have scored the most goals from free kicks thus far.
While rarely used for any particular coaching or strategic purpose, clubs also get access to the free kicks broken down by type.
These numbers will never influence any important decisions but they’re often quite fun to look at throughout the year. And the figures can throw up some interesting results.
Our opponents this weekend, the Hawks, have earned only 42 free kicks for holding the ball so far this season, ranked 17th overall. Hopefully they find the Demon players equally as hard to catch on Sunday.
On the flip side, we can’t give the Hawks any unnecessary advantage. The Dees are ranked 4th in 50 metre penalties against with 22 for the year, while Hawthorn sits 16th with only 10 this season.
It also looks like the hours spent on the training track trying to perfect our tackling technique are starting to pay off. Melboune has had the least high tackles (64) paid against them this year, far fewer than the likes of Sydney (106) and Geelong (102).
One very interesting free kick statistic is the push in the back. Melbourne ranks 17th overall in this category, having received only 46 for the year. Both North Melbourne (90) and Port Adelaide (100) have received over twice as many!
But the overall positive this year is that umpiring has hardly figured in any match, particularly those involving the Dees. They’ve been able to go unnoticed while we get to see the real stars in action.
Here’s hoping they fire up again this Sunday (the players, obviously, not the umpires).
See you all there.
Stats Incredible is suffering writer’s block! Send through your comments and suggestions to @StatsIncredible on Twitter.
