AFTER being stuck for ideas this week, we thought it was a good time to turn to Melbourne fans for this week’s Stats Incredible.

What better way to cure a bad case of writer’s block than to turn to the Twitter community.

Here are some of the best stats & technology questions from @StatsIncredible followers.

Where are we ranked in terms of marks inside 50 as a percentage of total inside 50s?

This is an interesting one. The Demons rank eighth for total marks inside 50, but 13^th for inside 50 totals. When you look at our marks inside 50 as a percentage of our entries, however, the Demons are fifth behind Geelong, Hawthorn, Carlton and Fremantle.

Obviously the challenge is to create more inside 50s, which is easier said than done. But when we do get it into our forward line the conversion into marks is quite positive.

One of Melbourne’s great strengths throughout the year has been our ability to create and convert turnovers through the midfield. Before the weekend, the Dees were ranked third for converting their turnover opportunities into scores - behind only Collingwood and Geelong.

Unfortunately we slipped a couple of spots after our round 22 match against the Tigers, but it’s good to see some great progress in this area over the past few years.

Do the stats show we are efficient at scoring once we get the ball inside 50?

In short, yes. After the first eight rounds, the Dees led the competition in scores per inside 50s, with a 53.7 per cent success rate. Since then the numbers have fallen slightly to leave us eighth overall this season, but this is still a significant figure, especially considering the top five sides on the ladder are basically leading the way in this area.

A lot of these figures are highly dependent on winning stoppages through the middle of the ground. If you manage to get first use of the ball and send it in your direction you are able to lock it into your forward half. If you don’t, then the opposition can put pressure on your defense and gain the upper hand.

What are the major statistical differences between our good and bad games this year?

If you take our wins vs losses, there are no real surprises statistically in terms of what is different.

In the wins this year, the Demons average 59.4 Inside 50s compared to 41.8 in our losses. This is common across all 17 clubs, with all teams naturally averaging far more inside 50s in their wins. The inconsistency across Melbourne’s season has them nearer to the top in terms of the difference, but this can often happen with a wavering formline.

The Cats have the closest difference between their wins and losses, with only a 3.6 differential. Consistency has definitely been a strength of theirs this season.

Looking at other key stats, the Demons contested possession tally drops in our losses compared to our wins - more than any other side. But it is something the coaches and players have started to put an even greater emphasis on for the rest of this year and beyond.

Can you explain the rotation technology you use, which was highlighted on Channel Seven’s coverage of the Hawthorn v Carlton game last Friday night?

@StatsIncredible Twitter followers would’ve read this Technology Manager become a little upset that Tom Harley mentioned the Hawks’ rotations software as one of the reasons why they are “one of the elite teams in the competition”.

It’s a great time to set the record straight, because the Demons have been using this software for years among a handful of other clubs. But each team is different, and all of them use something that suits their needs to manage their rotations.

The “elite” aspect of a club revolves around how well they use their football software, rather than the fact they simply own it.

The software itself is a great tool for managing the demanding job of interchange rotations. It allows clubs to track how long players have been on the ground/bench, display the next planned rotations and monitor the game times of each individual. This can all be relayed to the coaches’ box via a network so everyone is kept informed throughout the match.

The rotations software is only one of a handful of programs we run on match day, but is definitely one of the most vital.

How big will stats, football technology and football departments become in the next 5-10 years?

This one is hard to predict, but there will definitely be significant advancements in the technology side over the next few years.

In a previous article we mentioned the move toward high-definition footage, more camera angles and the rapid success of GPS technology, so along with those improvements the football technology departments will need to expand.

Will we see a similar model to the professional basketball teams in the NBA, where each coach is assigned an analyst to work side-by-side with them as they scour video, look at the figures and try to convey strategies and messages to players?

The trend recently has been a move away from simple raw statistics and towards a greater emphasis on video analysis. But with advancements such as the new pressure statistics available to all clubs, we will most likely see the providers and the technology departments becoming smarter with the figures in order to gain an edge.

In terms of the football department as a whole, well, the sky’s the limit really. Watch this space.