Opinion About Statistics

[76woodenspooners]

Something I've found curious for a while now is what I see as Buck's heavy reliance of statistics for explaining things or justifying an argument.

Of course, that's only in the context of press conferences. Statistics can provide a convenient and quick way to justify a point of view to answer reporters' questions.

But the way he reels them off the top of his head - unlikely he's memorising stat sheets as homework for press conferences!

Of course statistics can be a useful tool. But there's also the old adage of "Lies, damn lies and statistics".

Can the game can be so easily distilled down into a bunch of numbers?

How much do you rely on statistics when assessing a game? (Obviously, apart from the 'points for' and 'points against' stat)

 

[shizzle]

Not so much about stats but I don't even watch his pressers anymore, and if he speaks like that to the players it's no wonder they look dosed up on valium half the time, it's just so cliched and emotionless.

 

[mike123]

If we are getting flogged in a certain statistic it's probably a problem but if its only minor difference it probably means nothing.

 

[Maggie5]

The only two stats I am interested are clearances and the score at the end .

 

[Captivating]

Only two stats matter, and they are on the ladder:

points and percentage.

Everything else is a part of the process.

 

[PhiloBeddoe]

I don't mind the stats, especially the clearances. Although they may look impressive, the real story is what happens after the ball is pumped forward. Winning clearances and yet losing a game may suggest a problem with players up the field as well as the player who has cleared it.
How players set up forward of the ball is paramount. Geelong worked it out and had the discipline to close up the space in 2011 so our clearances against them meant the ball just came straight back and over our heads or through the guts where we had no one.

 

[Buckley is my hero]

Only two stats matter, and they are on the ladder:

points and percentage.

Everything else is a part of the process.

Continuing on from your theme, the individual stats that matter are those acts committed on behalf of the team that result in a goal kicked at your end of the ground and just as importantly, those individual acts committed at the other end of the ground which prevented the opposition from kicking a goal at their end of the ground. Until they award goals and behinds for every mark you take and every kick and handball you make, all other stats are useless. Taking the 2010 first GF as an example, the handball that Dawes gets out to Cloke in the goal square in the last quarter resulting in a goal, represents a single stat on a stat sheet. But that single stat is the difference between losing the GF or drawing the GF, which enables Collingwood to fight another day. A stat sheet is at best a sheet of paper that you glance at in the smallest room of the house before placing it behind you.