- Jan 21, 2013
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- Western Bulldogs
Gardner is averaging a higher kicking/disposal efficiency, fewer clangers, fewer turnovers and more score involvements than Keath. Keath may be intercepting more but it isn't necessarily being turned into scoring opportunities. Their one-on-one numbers are pretty similar as well (less than 10% difference.
The big difference between Gardner and Keath though is fitness, Gardner is averaging 95% time on ground to Keath's 81% which is extremely low for a key position player. Ideally KPPs especially defenders should be well over 90%.
Ah' the beauty of small numbers.
Just marginally higher efficiencies, a couple of percentage points, and based on small numbers, means such a difference could be changed by a statisticians call on a single contest\disposal. BTW Liam Jones has a slightly lower disposal efficiency than both of them, should he be dropped?
So many stats also lack important context. You consider Gardner's High TOG % as a positive but considering he gets so little of the ball could it also be considered a negative? How does a guy spend so much time on the ground and not touch the ball more? Is Keath's TOG stat impacted by him getting hurt a few times and/or potentially because he worked himself to exhaustion a little more often?
Keath is still averaging ~30% more effective disposals and ~245% more intercepts per game than Gardner, yet he has been dropped.
It's a familiar story though. Zaine Cordy was well ahead of Gardner in most statistical categories over an extended period of time but was still displaced to accommodate his lesser performing team mate. History has an annoying habit of repeating.





Is that you, Eric?