Your Clubs Free Kick Differential

[Fyfetheknife]

Saw a table on Facebook of each clubs free kick differential from this year. A bit interesting, a few surprises and a few obvious ones. First number is how many frees the team has had compared to their opposition, the second is their average differential per game:

1. Carlton +33 +3
2. Hawthorn +27 +2.45
3. Adelaide +20 +1.81
4. North Melbourne +11 +1
5. Melbourne +9 +0.81
6. Geelong +6 +0.54
7. West Coast +3 +0.27
7. Western Bulldogs +3 +0.27
9. Richmond +2 +0.18
10. Port Adelaide -1 -0.09
11. GWS -7 -0.63
11. St Kilda -7 -0.63
13. Essendon -11 -1
14. Collingwood -12 -1.09
15. Sydney -14 -1.27
16. Brisbane -19 -1.72
17. Fremantle -22 -2
17. Gold Coast -22 -2

I know it means nothing and even more so with teams with a differential less then 10, but quite an interesting look at who's getting frees and who's not. Bit strange to think that a team can have 3 more free kicks every game or 2 less. Also interesting that 6 of the bottom 9 are interstate teams and 7 of the top 9 are Victorian.

 

[Parasite]

All I'm getting from that is the umps feel sorry for the Blues too.

 

[D-N-R]

There's too much emphasis placed on free kicks.

Things that can affect free kicks can be how much possession a team has, how many tackles they make, how good they are at tackling, discipline, who they played. It doesn't show the free kicks missed or the wrongly adjudged ones. This is all before calls of 'favouritism' by umpires and home crowd advantage in it.

From what those stats show, ladder position and free kicks don't match up.

And with the difference being 3 more or a couple less per game, it's basically giving a player an extra couple of marks per game - in other words, not much.

 

[BruceFromBalnarring]

What would be interesting would be a differential of frees for/against interstate clubs playing home/away.

 

[blue harvest]

I know it means nothing and even more so with teams with a differential less then 10, but quite an interesting look at who's getting frees and who's not. Bit strange to think that a team can have 3 more free kicks every game or 2 less. Also interesting that 6 of the bottom 9 are interstate teams and 7 of the top 9 are Victorian.

What's interesting about it?
I'd expect GWS and GC to be in the bottom half.

 

[base615]

But, reading the game day threads, I thought the umpires always favour us in some sort of mass bias conspiracy

 

[Engimal]

There's no real bias towards teams from umpires. Teams that give lots of free kicks away are often undisciplined or tackle poorly and those that gain a lot of free kicks often have a player or two that intentionally draw them such as Selwood or Thomas.

 

[Fyfetheknife]

There's too much emphasis placed on free kicks.

Things that can affect free kicks can be how much possession a team has, how many tackles they make, how good they are at tackling, discipline, who they played. It doesn't show the free kicks missed or the wrongly adjudged ones. This is all before calls of 'favouritism' by umpires and home crowd advantage in it.

From what those stats show, ladder position and free kicks don't match up.

And with the difference being 3 more or a couple less per game, it's basically giving a player an extra couple of marks per game - in other words, not much.

Yeah I understand this, it just annoys me how much people will drag on about umpires causing the result of the game and what not, you wouldn't believe how often fans claim that they were robbed by the umps, even if they lost by 5 goals+

 

[Upgrayedd]

Yeah I understand this, it just annoys me how much people will drag on about umpires causing the result of the game and what not, you wouldn't believe how often fans claim that they were robbed by the umps, even if they lost by 5 goals+

Really matters in the context, I remember a game where while hawks were on the positive side of free kicks two nothing free kicks really killed momentum. Sometimes stats lie.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Like most statistics, these figures prove/disprove nothing.

 

[MilhouseVsEvil]

Like most statistics, these figures prove/disprove nothing.

Unless Sydney was number 1... Then we would be reading a thread about it every week.

 

[telsor]

Unless Sydney was number 1... Then we would be reading a thread about it every week.

Like how Sydney fans like whine about being victimised when people point out their unfair advantages?

 

[DeadlyAkkuret]

Unless Sydney was number 1... Then we would be reading a thread about it every week.

Hawthorn second. I think we need an inquisition.

 

[kickazz]

There's too much emphasis placed on free kicks.

Yep. Pretty sure when Champion Data or whoever it was 'Moneyballed' the games stats to find out which ones led to wins, free kicks was one of the first things eliminated as making a difference. Something like long kicks and running bounces finishes very high.

 

[SSSSSS]

Do the figures exclude out of bounds?

 

[RizzoTheRat]

It shows the umps Victorian bias, which every non-Vic supporter intrinsically knows.

 

[Pessimistic]

What would be interesting would be a differential of frees for/against interstate clubs playing home/away.

You have buddy now

 

[MF]

Saw a table on Facebook of each clubs free kick differential from this year. A bit interesting, a few surprises and a few obvious ones. First number is how many frees the team has had compared to their opposition, the second is their average differential per game:

1. Carlton +33 +3
2. Hawthorn +27 +2.45
3. Adelaide +20 +1.81
4. North Melbourne +11 +1
5. Melbourne +9 +0.81
6. Geelong +6 +0.54
7. West Coast +3 +0.27
7. Western Bulldogs +3 +0.27
9. Richmond +2 +0.18
10. Port Adelaide -1 -0.09
11. GWS -7 -0.63
11. St Kilda -7 -0.63
13. Essendon -11 -1
14. Collingwood -12 -1.09
15. Sydney -14 -1.27
16. Brisbane -19 -1.72
17. Fremantle -22 -2
17. Gold Coast -22 -2

I know it means nothing and even more so with teams with a differential less then 10, but quite an interesting look at who's getting frees and who's not. Bit strange to think that a team can have 3 more free kicks every game or 2 less. Also interesting that 6 of the bottom 9 are interstate teams and 7 of the top 9 are Victorian.

Just highlighting this for Hawthorn fans who constantly complain about the "armchair ride" we get from the umpires.

 

[Pessimistic]

Just highlighting this for Hawthorn fans who constantly complain about the "armchair ride" we get from the umpires.

That would be the first time we havent been at the other end for a decade at least.

And even though they get pinged more than most. Sydney get off very lightly the way they seek out the dead ball or boundary line at almost every opportunity

 

[Blind Turn]

Yeah I understand this, it just annoys me how much people will drag on about umpires causing the result of the game and what not, you wouldn't believe how often fans claim that they were robbed by the umps, even if they lost by 5 goals+

These stats only give a small indication of ump favouritism. What about the obvious frees missed ( eg Monfries HTB), where on the field the frees are given/not given, the number of frees against given/not given etc.

 

[basashi]

I don't think know there is any doubt that the umpiring of the North Melbourne vs Port Adelaide game in Hobart last year changed the result of the game. It was not only the free kick count, it was the fairness of the frees that were given and what was let go.

 

[hk89]

Just highlighting this for Hawthorn fans who constantly complain about the "armchair ride" we get from the umpires.

Improving their frees against stats has clearly been something Hawthorn has actively worked on. Most top teams have better free kick differentials (Geelong definitely had 'arm chair ride' like stats back in 2007/2008 - I'm sure being very very good drove that). Back in 2008, despite also being quite good, Hawthorn did not. Probably largely due to too many frees against, and probably a tendency for less frees for due to a perception of us being thugs and instigators of any contact. We've tried much harder to stay within the rules since then, and even players like Lewis now given away a lot less undisciplined frees. Our free kick differentials have benefited as a result. If your team is near the top of the ladder, but further down the free kick differential, you really need to ask yourself if the style your team is playing leads to more free kicks being given away. In terms of Sydney's free kick differential, as other's have pointed out, passing Buddy on to you may well have helped ours, and hurt yours.

 

[FastLane]

There's no real bias towards teams from umpires. Teams that give lots of free kicks away are often undisciplined or tackle poorly and those that gain a lot of free kicks often have a player or two that intentionally draw them such as Selwood or Thomas.

lol-
I held off commenting on last nights game- for fear of being labelled one-eyed (ironic-considering the lopsided freekick count)- but after watching todays game I cannot contain myself.

I have never in my life seen 2 games that have been umpired with such blatantly different rules for each team.

It is cheating- nothing more nothing less.

Stevic- last night (and in bascially every game he umpires) picks a side and gives them a ride.

Schmitt (sp?) today was responsible for giving 8- that's right 8 free agisnt Collingwood- in the first quarter alone.

It is beyond absurd.

I am aware ranting about it on the internet is useless- yet my wife doesnt care and I need to rant!

 

[Sydney Bloods]

Like how Sydney fans like whine about being victimised when people point out their unfair advantages?

negative 14 yeap ump's love us.

 

[Andrew Mc]

That would be the first time we havent been at the other end for a decade at least.

And even though they get pinged more than most. Sydney get off very lightly the way they seek out the dead ball or boundary line at almost every opportunity

I'm not sure how anyone who supports a team with Luke Hodge in it can say that with a straight face. He kicks for touch more than any player in the AFL.