MUCH has been said about interchange rotations and the impact they have had on the game.
Players can now sustain a level of intensity never seen before, due to the fact that most of them are given a rest at least once per quarter.
But what if we look at it differently? What happens when you adjust the numbers as if every player played 100 per cent of the match?
This process, known as “normalising”, alters the statistics for each player based on their game time.
For example, if Brent Moloney had 15 disposals but played only 50 per cent of the match, his normalised disposal total would be 30 disposals.
It is rare for any player to play less than 50 per cent of the match unless injured. Gone are the days of bench players sitting on the pine for entire quarters. These days most players are unlucky if they are off the field for longer than 10 minutes.
Back when interchange numbers hovered around 30 or 40 for an entire match, the normalised figures threw up some interesting numbers.
Melbourne midfield coach Scott West was always near the top of the list in disposal averages.
When normalised he stayed there, because even as recent as six years ago, elite midfielders used to spend most of the game on the ground.
In 2004, West played 94 per cent game time over a season, a figure unheard of in recent times for an onballer.
In that same year, however, other players emerged as extremely valuable to their team even though they had limited game time.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick played in Port Adelaide’s 2004 premiership side. In his final year of football, Hardwick played 14 games and averaged only 39 per cent game time. Used sparingly off the bench, his disposal average for that season was 11.9.
Looking at the normalised figures, it became clear that Hardwick was extremely valuable when he made it onto the field. His disposal average became 30.8, ranked first in the competition.
Impact players were a prized asset in the days before high rotations and Hardwick was up with the best of them in his later years.
Anyone remember Collingwood’s Luke Shackleton?
His career average disposal figure was 27 when normalised, courtesy of six possessions over 26 minutes in round 18, 2004.
This was the only game he ever played for Collingwood. Normalised figures can throw up some bizarre ones like that.
In modern footy, the numbers don’t change nearly as much, with most midfielders hovering around 75 to 85 per cent game time.
Dane Swan has averaged almost 33 disposals in 2010, the figure rising to 41 when normalised.
Obviously Swan would never reach those kinds of numbers due to the fatigue factor, but it can often show a player’s true worth to their team while they’re on the ground.
Players can now sustain a level of intensity never seen before, due to the fact that most of them are given a rest at least once per quarter.
But what if we look at it differently? What happens when you adjust the numbers as if every player played 100 per cent of the match?
This process, known as “normalising”, alters the statistics for each player based on their game time.
For example, if Brent Moloney had 15 disposals but played only 50 per cent of the match, his normalised disposal total would be 30 disposals.
It is rare for any player to play less than 50 per cent of the match unless injured. Gone are the days of bench players sitting on the pine for entire quarters. These days most players are unlucky if they are off the field for longer than 10 minutes.
Back when interchange numbers hovered around 30 or 40 for an entire match, the normalised figures threw up some interesting numbers.
Melbourne midfield coach Scott West was always near the top of the list in disposal averages.
When normalised he stayed there, because even as recent as six years ago, elite midfielders used to spend most of the game on the ground.
In 2004, West played 94 per cent game time over a season, a figure unheard of in recent times for an onballer.
In that same year, however, other players emerged as extremely valuable to their team even though they had limited game time.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick played in Port Adelaide’s 2004 premiership side. In his final year of football, Hardwick played 14 games and averaged only 39 per cent game time. Used sparingly off the bench, his disposal average for that season was 11.9.
Looking at the normalised figures, it became clear that Hardwick was extremely valuable when he made it onto the field. His disposal average became 30.8, ranked first in the competition.
Impact players were a prized asset in the days before high rotations and Hardwick was up with the best of them in his later years.
Anyone remember Collingwood’s Luke Shackleton?
His career average disposal figure was 27 when normalised, courtesy of six possessions over 26 minutes in round 18, 2004.
This was the only game he ever played for Collingwood. Normalised figures can throw up some bizarre ones like that.
In modern footy, the numbers don’t change nearly as much, with most midfielders hovering around 75 to 85 per cent game time.
Dane Swan has averaged almost 33 disposals in 2010, the figure rising to 41 when normalised.
Obviously Swan would never reach those kinds of numbers due to the fatigue factor, but it can often show a player’s true worth to their team while they’re on the ground.
Melbourne’s own Jordan Gysberts was a prominent figure in the normalised numbers over rounds 10 and 11.
With 26 and 27 disposals in his first two matches and an average game time of 70 per cent, the young Demon had a normalised disposal average of 35.8, up among the elite midfielders in the competition.
With a cap on rotations seemingly inevitable, how much will that impact recruiting and game day strategies? Will we see a return of the impact player, who can turn a game with only limited minutes on the field? Or will it spell the end of players without a decent “tank”, unable to soak up game time in order to minimise the need for rotation?
Only time will tell…
With 26 and 27 disposals in his first two matches and an average game time of 70 per cent, the young Demon had a normalised disposal average of 35.8, up among the elite midfielders in the competition.
With a cap on rotations seemingly inevitable, how much will that impact recruiting and game day strategies? Will we see a return of the impact player, who can turn a game with only limited minutes on the field? Or will it spell the end of players without a decent “tank”, unable to soak up game time in order to minimise the need for rotation?
Only time will tell…
