Ricky90
Club Legend
- Mar 31, 2011
- 1,820
- 1,616
- AFL Club
- Collingwood
Actually, it doesn't. Richmond won a premiership being absolutely smashed in the free kick count week in week out.You know when the umpiring of a match was fundamentally broken when the team that won by 66 points got 9 free kicks to the oppositions 22.
If you're the one making all the play, kicking all the goals, posessing the ball the most, how do you give away more free kicks? It actually defies logic and is logistically impossible lol.
The logic is that when you give away a free, that's okay, hold the play up, take your time getting off the ground, throwing the ball back etc. Every second counts towards setting up defensively, and then proceed to score from a turnover. Free kicks only matter when there's a 50m penalty applied, or it equates directly (not even indirectly because there's then fault on not spoiling) into a shot on goal. Statistics at the moment show, and no I can't prove this as I don't have access to them - heard them in a podcast that I forgot the name of, that teams that lose the free kick count have a greater chance of scoring. Which essentially means you're more likely to win.
In fact, at the end of round 9 I did some quick maths and found that of the 81 games played, more teams had won the match when they'd lost the free kick count. I don't expect that trend has changed since then.
Sorry if this comes across smart assed, just hoping to express some nerdiness around stats where possible. I hope we continue the manic pressure that resulted in so many free kicks given. If nothing else we'll create more turnovers, surely.