Media Serial Stats: S33 List Assessment and Posting Stats - End of Season Report

serial_thrilla · May 30, 2022

Hello and welcome all to the end of season summary of the match thread activity for each of the Sweet FA teams for this season.

The usual caveat applies here, where it's stated that this data is purely a measure of quantity...not quality. These numbers are however a good indicator of the health of the league, and may give us an indication of which clubs are in greater need of new posters going forward for the good of the league.

As a reference, here are the previous articles authored by WaynesWorld19, Ant Bear and myself:
Season 24 Analysis
Season 25 Analysis
Season 26 Analysis
Season 27 Analysis
Season 28 Analysis
Season 29 Analysis
Season 30 Analysis - Mid-season Snapshot
Season 30 Analysis
Season 31 Analysis
Season 32 Analysis

I'll start off with the activity trends over the recent seasons, and some comparative data between each of the teams. Then over the next few days I'll do a club-by-club analysis. Now let's dive straight into it.

First up: the dreaded match thread activity by round graph. Every season it crashes like this as the season progresses (although something spicy must have happened in Round 11), and every season the admin is blamed for plummeting interest in the league. So instead - let's compare it to last season in the next graph.

So the speed of match thread activity decline is on par with most other seasons, with Seasons 28 and 29 the only ones in recent history to show stability or growth in the back end of the season during the reverse fixtures. For the past four seasons activity has generally declined steadily as the season progressed, followed by a sharp drop after Round 11. It must be noted that the decline this season matches up very strongly with what happened in Season 31 (another Q1 + Q2 season), and despite starting off with some of the highest levels of activity in league history, it fell of a figurative cliff from Round 12 onwards. Rounds 15 and 17 were the least active this league has been since mid-S28 (2019).

This total match thread post x season graph is usually the one thing that gets isolated in this analysis, and NaturalDisaster will be able to hang his hat on the fact that the three seasons with him at the helm were all in the Top 5 most active seasons of all time. The trend for Q1 + Q2 seasons being slightly less active than the corresponding ones at the back end of the calendar year continues, and S33 ranks third for match thread activity in the history of the league.

We can also look at the average weekly posts per week graph to take into account the alternating 16 / 17 round seasons. For the record, seasons 26, 29, 31 and 33 were 17 rounds, whilst the other three in this graph were 16 rounds.

Next we see the average number of posters who post in a match thread each week. The league continues to grow on this front, with an average of 196 match thread participants each week this season: a new league high. That averages out at over sixteen per team!

And the change in the number of match thread posters per week across the season - compared to previous seasons. In great news Season 33 had far and away the highest number of match thread participants in the league's history for the first eleven rounds, before cooling during the reverse fixtures.

But as I have said previously, I think this graph here is the true representation of the evolution of league match thread health. The number of active match thread posters per week...with an active poster constituting someone who averages over five posts a week across the season. Season 33 had 180 active posters over the 17 rounds - comfortably the highest in the history of the league.

Next up, team comparative data:

serial_thrilla · May 30, 2022

So first up we have the total match thread posts by each of the teams in the league. The Bombers once again led the charge with a whopping 14,410 match thread posts, significantly ahead of the Furies (11,156), Roys (11,070) and Dragons (10,153) who all exceeded 10k posts for the season. It was then a steady drop off down to the Wonders (9,338), Bears (8,853), Demons (7,825), Gumbies (6,821), Royals (6,582) and Swamprats (6,304) - before the Warriors (5,044) and Phoenix (4,879) brought up the rear. In the past the twelve clubs have managed to separate themselves into three or four tiers of posting activity, but this time with the exception of the Bombers way out in front there is an even spread between most of the clubs.

Ultimately these are all healthy numbers. In recent history (S27-28) teams have failed to reach 3,000 posts for the season, and most teams are comfortably double that now.

What is generally considered a better indicator of the health of the league is the number of posters who are active in match threads each week - that is, making at least one post in their team's match thread. It is always curious to find relationships between total posts and the average weekly number of posters. Three of the five most prolific clubs (Bombers, Roys and Wonders) all still perform well in this category - the Roys especially so with 19.12 posters turning up per week - but the Furies and Dragons drop fairly low in the average posters (13.76 and 14.53, respectively) relative to their total posts- this suggests that the Furies and Dragons have great buy-in from their limited number of posters, whilst clubs such as the Royals (17.94 participants per week) and Swamprats (16.82 participants per week) have less posts from more players, indicating they are ticking along with smaller contributions from a number of theirs. The red flag in this category are the Phoenix with a mere 13.24 posters per week for a total of 4,979 match thread posts (last in both categories) - not terrible in isolation, but it certainly indicates an imbalance in the league relative to the stronger clubs.

As for the total number of posters to make an appearance this season, for the second time in four seasons we have a club with less than 20 posters appearing in match threads for the season - the Phoenix only managing to get 19. The other teams are comfortably over 20 posters, although the numbers can be inflated by trades and players retiring mid-season. The Wonders were particularly impressive in this category, with 25 players in match threads this season.

The table on the left shows what the average percentage contribution each side has had in Season 33 match threads. This is with all neutral posts disregarded. A percentage of 50.00% would indicate even discussion between them and their opponents, whilst a higher number would suggest that the team likes the sound of their own voice or are prone to a bit of insular discussion. A range of 45-55% would probably be considered acceptable, so this would indicate that the Bombers and Roys love to chat amongst themselves (this is consistent with the last two seasons), whilst the Phoenix and Warriors are struggling to keep up with the pace of the match threads (once again consistent with last season). The Gumbies were in this latter category last season, so they would be pleased to see the jump from 40.32% up to their currently acceptable 47.60%.

Then we have the contentious "match thread wins" category that doesn't really mean too much and is a relic from earlier seasons. It does line up fairly well with the % of match thread table though. This season the Roys "won" the most match threads, with the only "loss" being against the Bombers in Round 10. Whilst the Warriors and Phoenix had a much harder time of it - the Phoenix never out-posting their opponents all season.

The table of the right shows what percentage of a team's match thread posts come from their Top 5 posters (by quantity). The higher the number, the more reliant they are on their five best to keep their numbers up. Of course this is proportional to their output, it would be much more surprising if a one of the more prolific teams was higher up this list - the Dragons at 75.68% suggests some big posting numbers from a small number of players. The best spread of contribution beyond their Top 5 participants were from the Swamprats and Royals - but it was even more impressive from some of the more prolific clubs such as the Bears and Bombers.

These three green tables expand upon how well balanced a team's list is, and it is interesting to see the rankings change as the contribution criteria changes. A perfectly balanced list would see 20 posters each contributing 5% of their team's match thread posts, so I feel the second table is the best one to work off - once you see a larger number of posters on the 10+% contributions there is an implied reliance on those posters. The Demons are always an interesting example in this category, as we can see here with a league-high 14 posters chipping in for 2+% of their posts, and a league-low 1 poster (Headless) contributing over 10% - although the Bears, Royals and Warriors are not too far behind them. On the converse, the Dragons and Phoenix have less players contributing with 2+% of their posts, with more of their players making up a larger proportion of their activity.

I feel that these tables in blue give one of the best indicators of team activity though, and the posting threshold that one would put greater importance on would vary from person to person. There have indeed been requests for higher thresholds in the past, and I have made sure to once again include a 40+ post category. Personally I feel that 10 posts per week indicates good engagement in a match thread, but I can see reasons for 20+ being the better one. The Roys and Bombers performed well in both these metrics, as did the Bears, whilst the Warriors and Phoenix were the lowest in these categories.

Now this is an interesting one. Back in the "olden days" of the league, it was considered a good indicator of activity if a club could produce 300+ match thread posts a week. Then by about Season 30 it was almost a fait accompli that every club would achieve that, and 600+ posts turned into the new standard. So much so that the 900+ posts table on the right was added onto the seasonal analysis to try and separate the teams out a bit further. But then last season a few clubs once again dropped down to the sub-300 range somewhat regularly: only five clubs hit this number every round, and two clubs did it on less than ten occasions. This season however, only one club posted 300+ posts every round (the Roys), and three could only do it just over half the time (9/17), whilst three clubs never passed 600 match thread posts all season (Warriors, Swamprats, Phoenix)! The drop-off in 300+ post weeks could partly be explained by the steep drop off in activity during the reverse fixtures this season - but the fact that three clubs could not generate the exceed 600 match thread posts all seasons is slightly worrying. Oddly enough, eight clubs posted in excess of 900 posts at least once this season...the most in league history.

Next up, club by club analysis:

serial_thrilla · May 30, 2022

Links to Club by Club Analysis (now complete):

BAGHDAD BOMBERS
CONEY ISLAND WARRIORS
MOUNT BULLER DEMONS
DRAGONS FFC
EAST SIDE PHOENIX
GOLD CITY ROYALS
GUMBIES FFC
FIGHTING FURIES
LAS VEGAS BEARS
ROYS FFC
SIN CITY SWAMPRATS
WEST COAST WONDERS

Oh, and let's not forgot to include this borky little rankings table that uses some secret calculation that AB or Wayne concocted. It's probably the most useless aspect of this whole project, but for completion's sake here it is.

And finally, the individual match thread posting numbers, ranked by total number of posts for the season.

Individual Match Thread Participant Numbers:

Rank	Player	Team	AVG	MED	TOT
1	BLUEALLTHRU	BOM	150	141	2549
2	Mobbs	ROY	142	160	2421
3	serial_thrilla	DRA	132	75.0	2237
4	Pick	FUR	125	55.0	2132
5	damicky	WON	105	104	1788
6	Headless	DEM	102	75.0	1726
7	CrimsonViolet	FUR	101	62.0	1714
8	Brenton Davy	WON	96.5	98.0	1641
9	Pugsley	BOM	95.4	103	1622
10	Suns Supreme	LVB	93.4	77.0	1588
11	Wosh	ROY	91.9	77.0	1563
12	Bonz	DRA	91.0	48.0	1547
13	DragoDelph	DRA	89.4	62.0	1519
14	RobR	BOM	88.5	74.0	1504
15	Noidenous	BOM	86.1	62.0	1463
16	Tonga Bob	CIW	81.3	76.0	1382
17	Kilroy	BOM	73.1	70.0	1243
18	ImissFrosty	FUR	72.1	75.0	1226
19	T2B_	DRA	70.5	69.0	1199
20	Braklet	DRA	69.5	60.0	1182
21	Cap	LVB	68.8	48.0	1170
22	Dingster	ROY	66.4	65.0	1128
23	Strigoi	DRA	64.8	62.0	1102
24	philreich	SCS	64.5	62.0	1096
25	Moz	WON	64.4	62.0	1094
26	The Greatest Ava	BOM	59.9	56.0	1018
27	Bastyy	FUR	58.5	23.0	995
28	TJASTA	FUR	57.6	33.0	980
29	Dominic03	FUR	57.4	30.0	975
30	DenieD	GUM	56.1	48.0	953
31	kdavva	FUR	53.5	41.0	910
32	Zevon	ROY	53.2	25.0	905
33	TedDougChris	ROY	52.8	53.0	898
34	Jabba73	BOM	51.9	45.0	882
35	omgfridge	GCR	51.5	46.0	875
36	Ned_Flanders	GUM	50.4	49.0	856
37	Millky95	LVB	48.0	28.0	816
38	Metalcrusher	BOM	56.1	47.0	786
39	NinjaSwan	WON	46.1	34.0	783
40	CursingFijian	BOM	45.9	40.0	780
40	Cats_R_Cool_4_Ever	ROY	45.9	42.0	780
42	Senor M	LVB	45.8	22.0	778
43	sante	DEM	45.0	32.0	765
44	Barrybran	GUM	44.8	39.0	761
44	GWS Goose	GUM	44.8	38.0	761
46	Bovo	BOM	44.6	43.0	759
47	Kennedy Parker	SCS	44.4	43.0	754
48	JoshWoodenSpoon	LVB	44.1	33.0	750
49	sausageroll	DEM	43.9	43.0	747
50	dogs105	WON	43.8	28.0	744
51	Proper Gander	DEM	43.3	13.0	736
52	Chipmunk	ESP	43.2	35.0	735
53	nahnah	GCR	42.8	33.0	728
54	MannumPower	ESP	39.0	29.0	663
55	thewizardmelon	ESP	38.4	37.0	652
56	The Filth Wizard	GCR	38.3	32.0	651
57	okeydoke7	SCS	42.9	34.0	644
58	TheInjuryFactory	CIW	37.6	35.0	639
59	krakouers	GCR	36.9	35.0	627
60	Test Tickle	LVB	36.1	33.0	614
61	MWPP	LVB	36.0	32.0	612
62	Tony Lynn 15	BOM	42.6	31.0	597
63	beez	GUM	34.5	35.0	587
64	MC Bad Genius	ESP	34.2	43.0	581
64	CatToTheFuture	GUM	34.2	35.0	581
66	Agent93	ESP	33.7	27.0	573
67	por_please_ya	ESP	33.2	30.0	564
68	SSwans2011	WON	33.1	12.0	563
69	ClarkeM	WON	32.9	11.0	560
70	Mike	ROY	32.6	8.0	555
71	hotchilli	ROY	31.9	36.0	542
72	Callums_Guns	DEM	48.5	46.0	534
73	manangatang	DEM	31.2	27.0	530
74	U2tigers	FUR	30.9	27.0	526
75	ShaunDuggan	SCS	30.9	30.0	525
76	Riviat	GUM	30.6	37.0	520
77	GreyCrow	GCR	29.5	25.0	502
78	Ulahoopski	GCR	29.3	6.0	498
79	cooney	DEM	28.8	29.0	490
80	Power Raid	SCS	28.5	26.0	484
81	Catsnlakers	SCS	27.6	27.0	469
82	NaturalDisaster	CIW	27.2	20.0	462
82	Muddiemoose	LVB	27.2	14.0	462
84	PMBangers	GCR	26.7	13.0	454
85	Falconista	GUM	36.9	35.5	443
86	James Colorado	FUR	25.9	17.0	441
87	A Swallow	CIW	25.5	26.0	433
88	CakeEater	GCR	25.4	25.0	431
89	Tigerturbulance	FUR	25.3	12.0	430
90	Grav	SCS	25.2	24.0	428
91	eth-dog	ESP	25.0	21.0	425
92	Ligma	GCR	24.9	18.0	424
93	jackster83	SCS	23.8	23.0	405
94	tony	LVB	23.2	24.0	395
95	crazywildhorse	FUR	22.5	19.0	382
96	Electronic_Renaissance	LVB	21.9	21.0	373
97	Brick Loosener	GUM	21.1	18.0	359
98	Party Gull	LVB	20.2	12.0	344
99	SM	WON	20.1	15.0	341
100	GremioPower	SCS	20.0	15.0	340
101	Firestarter	SCS	19.5	7.0	332
102	Mooch	ROY	19.3	17.0	328
103	Elton Johns Wig	CIW	19.1	17.0	325
104	tigs2010	ROY	18.7	15.0	318
105	Tarkyn_24	DEM	18.6	11.0	317
106	Grand Uncle Horace	WON	30.9	28.5	309
107	Marlowe	GCR	18.1	17.0	308
108	moginie	DEM	17.5	15.0	297
109	Frothies McVeigh	WON	17.2	17.0	292
110	Hate	DEM	16.8	15.0	285
111	TheCoach16	BOM	16.2	14.0	276
112	spookism	GCR	15.8	16.0	268
113	Pie 4 Life	DRA	15.3	12.0	260
114	Hatchy1992	DRA	15.2	11.0	259
115	pantskyle	CIW	15.1	12.0	256
115	I Dont Care	LVB	15.1	11.0	256
117	kickthething	BOM	14.8	4.0	251
118	Elmer_Judd	ROY	14.7	11.0	250
119	haydo	DEM	14.4	4.0	244
120	DemonJim	DEM	14.3	6.0	243
121	cats2rise	DEM	14.2	7.0	241
122	Dinsdale	CIW	14.0	12.0	238
123	Bulldogs85	GUM	45.2	38.0	226
123	Sterge	ROY	13.3	9.0	226
125	JackNah_8	ROY	12.8	8.0	217
126	FootyGuy13	CIW	12.4	13.0	211
126	Allikat	ROY	12.4	11.0	211
126	Soggy2112	WON	12.4	9.0	211
129	Ljp86	DRA	12.1	11.0	206
130	Bluelegs	DEM	11.8	10.0	200
130	zackah	ROY	11.8	10.0	200
132	King_Steele	LVB	11.7	0.0	199
133	Matera92	LVB	10.8	9.0	183
133	GotTheGoodes	SCS	10.8	5.0	183
135	fitzroybowiedog	ROY	10.7	8.0	182
136	croweater 41	WON	10.6	6.0	180
137	Ant Bear	SCS	10.5	8.0	179
138	Rodney Dangerfield	GUM	10.5	10.0	178
139	Here2tellyouwhy	BOM	10.2	5.0	174
139	Jack the Godfather	ESP	10.2	4.0	174
141	Bradesmaen	DRA	10.1	6.0	172
141	AnUltimateRessie	WON	10.1	6.0	172
143	Knifey Spoony	DRA	10.1	5.0	171
144	Toump Ass	FUR	9.6	6.0	164
145	Mesc	CIW	9.4	3.0	160
146	Piggy Smalls	CIW	9.0	4.0	153
147	Freofalcon	CIW	8.8	4.0	150
148	Yakker	DEM	8.6	7.0	146
149	Itsmyshow	ESP	8.4	7.0	143
150	The Jesus	BOM	8.4	2.0	142
150	Volbeat	CIW	8.4	5.0	142
150	grumbleguts	GCR	8.4	8.0	142
153	Aristotle Pickett	GUM	8.1	6.0	138
154	Dory_77	GUM	8.1	6.0	137
155	Van_Dyke	DEM	7.7	8.0	131
156	weltschmerz	GCR	7.5	3.0	128
157	MrPremiership	GCR	6.8	5.0	116
157	royboy2	ROY	6.8	7.0	116
157	ant555	SCS	6.8	4.0	116
160	Blaze Storm	DRA	6.6	6.0	113
161	JustaBattler	BOM	6.6	4.0	112
162	BRAB	GCR	6.4	2.0	109
162	JT_the_Man	WON	6.4	5.0	109
164	akkaps	ESP	6.2	1.0	105
165	jezzajay	WON	6.1	3.0	103
166	Art Vandelay_	LVB	5.9	4.0	101
167	LukeParkerno1	WON	5.8	3.0	99
168	BEEG	CIW	5.8	5.0	98
169	Azarole	DEM	5.6	4.0	96
170	Loonerty	WON	5.5	2.0	94
171	KohPhi	BOM	5.5	2.0	93
172	TubbsFarquhar	CIW	5.4	4.0	92
173	Lore	ROY	5.4	2.0	91
174	SarahSmiles	GCR	5.3	5.0	90
175	Chief	DRA	5.2	4.0	89
176	Golumless	WON	5.2	3.0	88
177	Le Grille	ESP	12.4	6.0	87
177	Rioli8217	FUR	5.1	1.0	87
179	Lord_Flashheart	CIW	4.8	0.0	81
180	boncer34	GCR	4.6	1.0	79
181	3KZ is Football	ROY	10.3	11.0	72
182	Raveneyes	CIW	4.2	0.0	71
183	Sab22	FUR	5.8	0.5	69
184	Cubs2Lions	WON	3.9	3.0	67
185	Grockadoc	FUR	3.9	0.0	66
186	ossie_21	GUM	3.8	3.0	64
187	BallaratBulldog	WON	3.7	2.0	63
188	Mofra	CIW	3.6	3.0	62
189	Jezmiester40	LVB	3.5	0.0	60
190	HaroLad	BOM	3.4	3.0	58
190	Smartys Power	GCR	3.4	3.0	58
190	RPCB	SCS	3.4	1.0	58
193	jmoo wan	DEM	3.2	0.0	55
193	Broken	LVB	3.2	0.0	55
193	sataris	SCS	3.2	1.0	55
196	Quadzilla	SCS	3.2	3.0	54
197	eDPS	GUM	3.1	1.0	53
198	StFly	GUM	2.9	0.0	49
198	darthmann	SCS	2.9	2.0	49
200	toxic	CIW	2.7	2.0	46
200	BlueE	GUM	2.7	1.0	46
200	Ticky009	SCS	2.7	0.0	46
203	MITS	BOM	2.5	0.0	43
204	RookiePick	LVB	2.5	0.0	42
205	bone2468	GUM	2.4	2.0	40
206	Blacky	GCR	2.3	0.0	39
207	Shermy	ESP	2.2	2.0	38
208	kane249	LVB	2.0	2.0	34
209	daddy_4_eyes	ESP	1.8	2.0	31
210	Zoops	ESP	1.8	1.0	30
211	DJ75	DRA	1.7	1.0	29
211	raskolnikov	ESP	1.7	0.0	29
211	Memphis	GCR	3.6	2.0	29
214	TheDarkDwarf	SCS	1.6	1.0	28
215	miggs	GUM	1.6	0.0	27
215	windyhill	ROY	1.6	1.0	27
217	PaythePerryman	DEM	1.5	0.0	25
217	NSWCROW	GUM	1.5	1.0	25
219	HirdsTheWord	SCS	1.4	0.0	23
220	larrikin	ESP	1.3	1.0	22
221	Paddles_	GCR	1.2	0.0	21
221	RU_	ROY	1.2	0.0	21
223	Drunkgoliath	ESP	1.2	0.0	20
224	Stoods	DRA	1.1	0.0	19
224	Ashman OG	DRA	1.1	0.0	19
226	iDon	BOM	1.1	1.0	18
226	snozulu	BOM	1.1	0.0	18
228	Ambrose Burnside	CIW	1.0	1.0	17
229	Marklar_33	SCS	0.9	0.0	16
230	Wacky Tiger	FUR	0.9	0.0	15
231	Scythe94	FUR	1.8	0.0	14
231	un_eggs	WON	1.1	0.0	14
233	Beandip	ROY	0.8	0.0	13
234	Kirkswan	SCS	0.7	0.0	12
235	PhatBoy	CIW	0.6	0.0	11
235	craffles	WON	0.6	0.0	11
237	Osc1	BOM	1.4	1.0	10
237	WaLkEr_ThE_StAr	GUM	0.6	0.0	10
239	La Dispute	BOM	0.5	0.0	9
239	Snuffaluphagus	CIW	0.5	0.0	9
239	Matt_352	DRA	0.5	0.0	9
239	Campaigner for good	LVB	0.5	0.0	9
239	TheTick	LVB	0.5	0.0	9
244	Heardy_101	DEM	0.5	0.0	8
244	Blackhawk42	FUR	0.5	0.0	8
246	HawkAussie	DRA	0.4	0.0	7
246	Shadow Man	FUR	0.4	0.0	7
248	Moo	CIW	0.4	0.0	6
248	Quivorir	DEM	0.4	0.0	6
248	Krazy Kris	ESP	2.0	1.0	6
248	Supercheapgiants	GUM	0.4	0.0	6
248	edgie	SCS	0.4	0.0	6
248	PVF	WON	0.4	0.0	6
254	paraaaa	DRA	0.3	0.0	5
254	BringBackTheAnchor	DRA	0.3	0.0	5
254	Edmund hunt	FUR	0.3	0.0	5
254	rfctigerarmy	FUR	0.3	0.0	5
254	brahj	GCR	0.3	0.0	5
254	Chezzalenko Reborn	ROY	0.3	0.0	5
260	Cactus_	WON	0.2	0.0	4
261	Citroin	BOM	1.0	0.0	3
261	Oddhawk	DEM	0.2	0.0	3
261	tigland	FUR	0.2	0.0	3
261	terrybull	LVB	0.2	0.0	3
265	Nool Carpenna	DRA	0.1	0.0	2
265	Stevi_Tigers	FUR	0.1	0.0	2
265	Jewelsbon	SCS	0.1	0.0	2
265	Kangaroos4eva	WON	0.5	0.5	2
269	Mooresome	DRA	0.1	0.0	1
269	VandoHawk	DRA	0.1	0.0	1
269	Milera2Betts	ESP	0.1	0.0	1
269	Spuddd	GUM	0.1	0.0	1
269	Runk	ROY	0.1	0.0	1
274	HereComesJuddy	BOM	0.0	0.0	0
274	Dadda Dave	BOM	0.0	0.0	0
274	Bearded Carpenter	BOM	0.0	0.0	0
274	LicoriceAllsorts	BOM	0.0	0.0	0
274	Bamboo Harvester	BOM	0.0	0.0	0
274	The Half Back	CIW	0.0	0.0	0
274	Frankston Rover	CIW	0.0	0.0	0
274	adogsfan5	CIW	0.0	0.0	0
274	Stronzo	CIW	0.0	0.0	0
274	Smoooothy	CIW	0.0	0.0	0
274	DERO	DEM	0.0	0.0	0
274	Cayz	DEM	0.0	0.0	0
274	lanky_wes	DEM	0.0	0.0	0
274	Cold Sober	DRA	0.0	0.0	0
274	Maylandsman	DRA	0.0	0.0	0
274	Sunsphere Parker	ESP	0.0	0.0	0
274	SaintBilly	ESP	0.0	0.0	0
274	11kgm	ESP	0.0	0.0	0
274	Red mist	ESP	0.0	0.0	0
274	TY24	ESP	0.0	0.0	0
274	jackenny	ESP	0.0	0.0	0
274	Brunswick Trap King	FUR	0.0	0.0	0
274	JackBero	FUR	0.0	0.0	0
274	Carson Dial	FUR	0.0	0.0	0
274	Fitzey	GCR	0.0	0.0	0
274	Dancing Potato	GCR	0.0	0.0	0
274	Engimal v3	GCR	0.0	0.0	0
274	Halorad	GCR	0.0	0.0	0
274	NTRabbit	GCR	0.0	0.0	0
274	Easty	GCR	0.0	0.0	0
274	Grimesy87	GUM	0.0	0.0	0
274	Ned Ryerson	GUM	0.0	0.0	0
274	EagleOz	GUM	0.0	0.0	0
274	saintkildaman	GUM	0.0	0.0	0
274	Dayts	GUM	0.0	0.0	0
274	Tommycash	LVB	0.0	0.0	0
274	AngryRanga	LVB	0.0	0.0	0
274	CarterS	LVB	0.0	0.0	0
274	Fizzler	LVB	0.0	0.0	0
274	Freo_4eva	ROY	0.0	0.0	0
274	MoscowHawk	ROY	0.0	0.0	0
274	Roylion	ROY	0.0	0.0	0
274	Near Kern	SCS	0.0	0.0	0
274	powerrrrrrrrrrrr	SCS	0.0	0.0	0
274	mike123	WON	0.0	0.0	0
274	SweetD	WON	0.0	0.0	0
274	bomberlegend2007	WON	0.0	0.0	0
274	Sab22	WON	0.0	0.0	0

*player numbers who people who played for two clubs were not combined.

serial_thrilla · May 31, 2022

(Season 32 Numbers HERE)

IN: omgfridge (Gumbies), SarahSmiles (Swamprats), Ligma (rookie), weltschmerz (rookie), Memphis (rookie).

OUT: ShaunDuggan (Swamprats), MC Bad Genius (Phoenix), Noobz0r (delisted), Danger In Texas (delisted), Dancing Potato (delisted).

ROOKIES
There were three new rookies at Gold City this season, with the highly rated Ligma (24.9 posts per week) the stand out as she made a name for herself across the league. Joining her was weltschmerz (7.5 ppw) and Memphis (3.6 ppw), who were slower burns, but will as fresh blood will be critical to the Royal's future.

GAINS
Whilst the acquisition of omgfridge (51.5 ppw) was massive for the Royals, surely there must be some disappointment at what they got out of the highly regarded SarahSmiles (5.3 ppw). With rumours of both leaving next season questions must be asked about the club culture.

LOSSES
The only loss of significance over the off-season was that of MC Bad Genius (55.4 ppw in S32).

TEAM TRENDS

Total MTP: 8,988 6,582, 9th (27%)
Sum of weekly median posts: 479 295, 10th (38%)
Match thread participants per week: 13.82 17.94, 3rd (30%)
Total match thread participants: 25 22, 8th ()
Match thread share: 53.93% 47.17%, 10th ()
Top 5 participant reliance: 63.30% 51.40%,1st ()
Participants with >5% of MTP: 8 9, 3rd ()
Participants with 10+ ppw: 11 11, 7th (-)
Participants with 40+ ppw: 6 2, 10th ()
Weeks with 300+ MTP: 15 9, 10th ()

THE CORE
Whilst (now former) skipper PMBangers must have been happy with the level of engagement he got from his squad with such a high number of participants per week, there was a clear reduction in activity from their big name players. krakouers (86.8 to 36.9 ppw), PMBangers (83.8 to 26.7 ppw), The Filth Wizard (66.4 to 38.3 ppw), Marlowe (63.3 to 18.1 ppw), GreyCrow (49.4 to 29.5 ppw), CakeEater (36.9 to 25.4 ppw), spookism (30.3 to 15.8 ppw) and Smartys Power (20.8 to 3.4 ppw) all were much quieter this season, as the Royals continued their trend of only being up and about when their team is high up the Sweet ladder. nahnah (21.3 to 42.8 ppw) and Ulahoopski (2.4 to 29.3 ppw) were the only Royals to revel in their on-field mediocrity.

Overall it's not panic stations given the number of Royals showing up each week, but whatever leadership group forms in the absence of PMBangers will have their work cut out reinvigorating this squad and livening up their match threads.

GRADE: C-

serial_thrilla · May 31, 2022

(Season 32 Numbers HERE)

IN: DenieD (Warriors), Aristotle Pickett (Roys), Ned_Flanders (Furies), eDPS (returning), CatToTheFuture (rookie), Dayts (rookie), Supercheapgiants (rookie), Bulldogs85 (rookie), ossie_21 (rookie), Falconista (rookie).

OUT: omgfridge (Royals), Party Gull (Bears), TalkingFootyNow1223 (delisted), wherearemykeys (delisted), Jivlain (retired), peterss (delisted), Bulldogs85 (retired).

ROOKIES
The Gumbies invested heavily in rookies this season, with six of them joining them for S33. Quick out of the blocks was early Rising Star favourite Bulldogs85 (45.2 ppw) who unfortunately didn't go the distance, whereas the likes of CatToTheFuture (34.2 ppw) and Falconista (36.9 ppw) became mainstays of the Gumbies lineup. ossie_21 (3.8 ppw) posted nearly every week, but Supercheapgiants (0.4 ppw) wasn't sighted after Round 8 and Dayts (0.0 ppw) holds the prestigious honour of being one of three listed Sweet players never to have posted on the Sweet forum.

GAINS
Former Warrior DenieD was parachuted in as captain, and his 56.1 ppw was a team high as he led from the front. They also got good service from soon-to-be Old Boy Ned_Flanders (50.4 ppw), although his output declined markedly after the expansion bid was approved. Aristotle Pickett (8.1 ppw) was hot and cold across the season, whilst returning player eDPS (3.1 ppw) chipped in here and there.

LOSSES
The two big losses last off-season were Party Gull (27.1 ppw in S32) and omgfridge (59.8 ppw in S32). Beyond that they had a sorely needed cleanout.

TEAM TRENDS

Total MTP: 5,470 6,821, 8th (25%)
Sum of weekly median posts: 305 403, 10th (32%)
Match thread participants per week: 12.38 15.82, 8th (28%)
Total match thread participants: 18 23, 5th ()
Match thread share: 40.32% 47.60%, 8th ()
Top 5 participant reliance: 82.12% 57.44%, 3rd ()
Participants with >5% of MTP: 5 9, 3rd ()
Participants with 10+ ppw: 8 11, 7th ()
Participants with 40+ ppw: 4 5, 5th ()
Weeks with 300+ MTP: 9 11, 6th ()

THE CORE
After seemingly being on death's door last season, the Gumbies outfit managed to turn things around in Season 33. Despite the loss of omgfridge and Party Gull, and big output reductions from Riviat (from 75.5 to 30.6 ppw), GWS Goose (from 64.9 to 44.8 ppw) and Barrybran (from 53.5 to 44.8 ppw) they still managed to increase their total match thread activity substantially - which is incredible given those five players virtually propped the club up by themselves last season. Where did it come from? In addition to their recruits, there was surges in activity from beez (from 12.8 to 34.5 ppw), Brick Loosener (from 12.3 to 21.1 ppw), whilst players such as bone2468 and WaLkEr_ThE_StAr were seen much more often.

It was a great recovery from the Gumbies, and although there is work still to be done, they'll be very happy with what they have achieved so far. 2+ more participants per week than any time in Gumbies history - a big tick. But the loss of Ned_Flanders will need to be addressed, in addition to the half dozen inactives at the bottom of their squad list.

GRADE: B

serial_thrilla · May 31, 2022

(Season 32 Numbers HERE)

IN: MC Bad Genius (Royals), SunsphereParker (rookie), Jack The Godfather (returning), Le Grille (returning), Krazy Kris (returning).

OUT: SM (Wonders), NinjaSwan (Wonders), andleanback (delisted).

ROOKIES
Just the one rookie for the Phoenix this season, and SunsphereParker (0.0 ppw) failed to post in a match thread.

GAINS
MC Bad Genius joined the Phoenix for one season en route to the formation of the Old Boys, and his 34.2 ppw was a solid effort - despite disappearing after Round 11 once the expansion bid was approved. Jack The Godfather (10.2 ppw) was steady, as were late-season additions Krazy Kris (2.0 ppw) and Le Grille (12.4 ppw)

LOSSES
The exit of club mainstays SM (43.7 ppw in S32) and NinjaSwan (23.3 ppw in S32) was always going to hurt given the already fragile state of their list.

TEAM TRENDS

Total MTP: 5,948 4,879, 12th (18%)
Sum of weekly median posts: 330 247, 11th (25%)
Match thread participants per week: 13.75 13.24, 12th (4%)
Total match thread participants: 21 19, 12th ()
Match thread share: 42.99% 41.95%, 12th ()
Top 5 participant reliance: 60.98% 65.67%, 11th ()
Participants with >5% of MTP: 9 7, 6th ()
Participants with 10+ ppw: 11 9, 11th ()
Participants with 40+ ppw: 6 1, 11th ()
Weeks with 300+ MTP: 11 9, 10th ()

THE CORE
With SM and NinjaSwan out the door and no rookies of note it was up to the existing Phoenix player base to keep their match threads ticking over. It appears that things had grown stale down at East Side though, with big reductions in output from eth-dog (from 52.8 to 25.0 ppw), Agent93 (from 45.3 to 33.7 ppw), akkaps (from 27.6 to 6.2 ppw), Itsmyshow (from 19.4 to 8.4 ppw) and por_please_ya (from 41.0 to 33.2 ppw) - leaving it up to Chipmunk (from 44.0 to 43.2 ppw), MannumPower (from 47.6 to 39.0 ppw) and thewizardmelon (from 20.9 to 38.4 ppw) to shoulder the load.

The downward trend following the peak of Season 30 for the Phoenix continues. The loss of two key players and the reduction in output from their core was not replaced by a one season stopover player. More rookies are needed at this club more than any other after a rather dry spell. Rumours of a couple of key signings in addition to some fresh blood is essential to arrest the decline. Perhaps a rebrand can fix this mess?

GRADE: D

serial_thrilla · Jun 1, 2022

(Season 32 Numbers HERE)

IN: Suns Supreme (Roys), Senor M (Furies), Party Gull (Gumbies), King_Steele (returning).

OUT: Cuzz09 (delisted), bl4ke (delisted), Lemon Boi (delisted), guero (retired), Ok Boomer (retired).

ROOKIES
No rookies in Season 33 for the Bears.

GAINS
Three big signings really altered the dynamic of the Bears this season, with Suns Supreme (93.4 ppw), Senor M (45.8 ppw) and Party Gull (20.2 ppw) all making huge contributions through Season 33. Returning player King_Steele (11.7 ppw) was looking the good too until he disappeared after Round 7.

LOSSES
Nothing of note.

TEAM TRENDS

Total MTP: 7,404 8,853, 6th (25%)
Sum of weekly median posts: 433 370, 6th (15%)
Match thread participants per week: 15.19 16.24, 7th (7%)
Total match thread participants: 23 22, 8th ()
Match thread share: 49.00% 52.28%, 3rd ()
Top 5 participant reliance: 65.94% 57.63%, 5th ()
Participants with >5% of MTP: 9 8, 5th ()
Participants with 10+ ppw: 10 14, 2nd ()
Participants with 40+ ppw: 5 5, 5th (-)
Weeks with 300+ MTP: 16 13, 5th ()

THE CORE
Three massive ins and no player losses was a great start for the Bears, and for the most part their existing player base maintained their output. It was interesting to note that a few of the old guard did fade, such as Cap (from 92.8 to 68.8 ppw), Electronic_Renaissance (from 61.2 to 21.9 ppw), MWPP (from 56.7 to 36.0 ppw), I Dont Care (from 53.4 to 15.1 ppw) and Broken (from 31.4 to 3.2 ppw) - whilst the next generation Bears Muddiemoose (from 30.9 to 27.2 ppw), tony (from 32.4 to 23.2 ppw), Millky95 (from 41.0 to 48.0 ppw) and returned hero JoshWoodenSpoon (from 27.9 to 44.1 ppw) were up and about. Perhaps a change of culture at Las Vegas has prompted a changing of the guard? One expects opposition LGs to be sliding into Bear PMs this off-season... For the last few seasons the Bears have been notorious for having a lot of dead weight down the bottom of their squad list, so it was pleasing to see they only had five players with less than nine posts this time - down from nine players last season.

So a season of improvement for the Bears, with many metrics improving or stabilising. But will they be able to withstand the off-season intact after the inevitable raid?

GRADE: B+

serial_thrilla · Jun 1, 2022

(Season 32 Numbers HERE)

IN: damicky (Demons), SM (Phoenix), NinjaSwan (Phoenix), AnUltimateRessie (rookie), Cubs2Lions (rookie), un_eggs (rookie), Grand Uncle Horace (returning).

OUT: haydo (Demons), Elmer_Judd (Roys), BlueMaster1 (delisted), mike123 (delisted), Sab22 (delisted), bomberlegend2007 (delisted), Kangaroos4eva (retired).

ROOKIES
The Wonders swooped on three rookies for this season, with AnUltimateRessie (10.1 ppw) the pick of the bunch. Cubs2Lions (3.9 ppw) and un_eggs (1.1 ppw) were present without being prolific.

GAINS
Moz's rebuild of the Wonders continued this off-season with high profile signings NinjaSwan (46.1 ppw), damicky (105 ppw), SM (20.1 ppw) and a (finally) returning Grand Uncle Horace (30.9 ppw) making up a significant portion of the Wonders match day experience in Season 33.

LOSSES
The Wonders have been known in recent seasons to chop away dead wood mid-season in the hunt for more active players, and this time was no exception. Of those culled, only mike123 (16.3 ppw) had done anything of note last season. Beyond that they also faced the losses of Elmer_Judd (11.4 ppw in S32) and haydo (15.9 ppw in S32) to the Roys and Demons respectively.

TEAM TRENDS

Total MTP: 8,412 9,338, 5th (11%)
Sum of weekly median posts: 447 452, 3rd (1%)
Match thread participants per week: 18.75 18.59, 2nd (1%)
Total match thread participants: 25 25, 1st (-)
Match thread share: 51.05% 51.28%, 4th ()
Top 5 participant reliance: 71.23% 64.79%, 10th ()
Participants with >5% of MTP: 5 7, 5th ()
Participants with 10+ ppw: 14 13, 5th ()
Participants with 40+ ppw: 4 5, 5th ()
Weeks with 300+ MTP: 16 16, 2nd (-)

THE CORE
With damicky joining the club to balance out the domineering Brenton Davy (from 149 to 96.5 ppw) the Wonders were a little less top-heavy in Season 33. There was a drop-off from some of the key names such as Moz (from 87.3 to 64.4 ppw), ClarkeM (from 59.9 to 32.9 ppw), croweater 41 (from 45.0 to 10.6 ppw), Soggy2112 (from 37.6 to 12.4 ppw), Loonerty (from 22.8 to 5.5 ppw) and LukeParkerno1 (from 12.0 to 5.8 ppw) - but it was countered by the new players and the likes of dogs105 (from 12.2 to 43.8 ppw), Frothies Mcveigh (from 5.7 to 17.2 ppw) and JT_the_Man (from 4.6 to 6.4 ppw) having somewhat of a revival.

The Wonders have some of the best squad depth in the league due to their aggressive recruiting and unforgiving culling of inactives. With Moz seemingly positioning for a leadership handover it will be interesting to see if the man in the shadows (you all know who he is) continues to pull the strings.

GRADE: A

serial_thrilla · Jun 1, 2022

(Season 32 Numbers HERE)

IN: Kennedy Parker (returning), ShaunDuggan (Royals), Kirkswan (returning), Grav (returning), Jewelsbon (rookie), okeydoke7 (returned).

OUT: Sarahsmiles (Royals), compact72 (delisted), Sparkle (delisted), mike ross (delisted), powerrrrrrrrrrrr (delisted).

ROOKIES
After a plethora of rookies last season the Rats appeared to look for experience instead this time around, and rookie bust Jewelsbon (0.1 ppw) was their only attempt in Season 33.

GAINS
The big fish for the Swamprats at the start of this season was the returning Kennedy Parker (44.4 ppw) who came in to share the captaincy with philreich. Along with him came esteemed Sweet veterans okeydoke7 (42.9 ppw), Grav (25.2 ppw) and ShaunDuggan (30.9 ppw) - with these four players all in the top seven most prolific Rats this season. Kirkswan (0.7 ppw) also had another dabble at Sweet, but lost interest by Round 3.

LOSSES
There was a bit of a clean out of the inactive Rats this off-season, and only the exit of SarahSmiles (41.7 ppw in S32) to the Royals would have hurt.

TEAM TRENDS

Total MTP: 5,774 6,304, 10th (9%)
Sum of weekly median posts: 348 316, 9th (9%)
Match thread participants per week: 15.06 16.82, 6th (12%)
Total match thread participants: 22 24, 2nd ()
Match thread share: 48.03% 50.20%, 5th ()
Top 5 participant reliance: 72.53% 55.57%, 2nd ()
Participants with >5% of MTP: 5 10, 1st ()
Participants with 10+ ppw: 9 12, 5th ()
Participants with 40+ ppw: 6 3, 9th ()
Weeks with 300+ MTP: 9 11, 6th ()

THE CORE
With part of the captaincy burden lifted off his shoulders, philreich (from 75.8 to 64.5 ppw) was able to tell ten less dad jokes per week. There was also a decrease in output from Catsnlakers (from 56.4 to 27.6 ppw), GremioPower (from 43.4 to 20.0 ppw), jackster83 (from 44.3 to 23.8 ppw) and ant555 (from 16.1 to 6.8 ppw), whilst club legend Near Kern (from 53.4 to 0.0 ppw) once again disappeared. However this was more than compensated by the recruits along with the re-energised Power Raid (from 7.6 to 28.5 ppw), Firestarter (from 6.5 to 19.5 ppw) and Ant Bear (from 0.7 to 10.5 ppw).

The Spamrats days of the Season 26 ilk are long gone, and the current Rats are more well known for high squad engagement without being too prolific. This continued in Season 33, but it was clear to see Kennedy Parker's deft hand in balancing the squad a little whilst continuing to stimulate activity well down the squad list. Still - a few more posts couldn't hurt. Will this be damicky's new home in Season 34?

GRADE: B-

serial_thrilla · Jun 1, 2022

(Season 32 Numbers HERE)

IN: haydo (Wonders), PaythePerryman (rookie).

OUT: Pickitt (Furies), pantskyle (Warriors), damicky (Wonders), Toump Ass (Furies), Callums_Guns (delisted).

ROOKIES
Not known for nurturing Sweet rookies, the Demons were seemingly gun shy after the trauma of recruiting Pick and ImissFrosty last season. Given that it was no surprise they were not planning on bringing in any rookies this season until PaythePerryman (1.5 ppw) fell into their lap.

GAINS
After being rated the top squad once again last season the Demons weren't too active last trade period. Their sole acquisition haydo (14.4 ppw) was great until he disappeared once the expansion vote came through.

LOSSES
The prolific Pick (130 ppw in S32) and damicky (115 ppw in S32) departed Mount Buller in the off-season, and they were joined by pantskyle (18.2 ppw in S32) and Toump Ass (1.8 ppw in S32) at the exit. That's a lot of match thread activity lost, particularly when combined with Callums_Guns (48.5 ppw) well publicised departure mid-season. The prospect of quieter match threads made Headless pleased.

TEAM TRENDS

Total MTP: 10,882 7,825, 7th (28%)
Sum of weekly median posts: 701 352, 8th (50%)
Match thread participants per week: 19.88 17.12, 5th (14%)
Total match thread participants: 26 22, 8th ()
Match thread share: 55.76% 49.50%, 6th ()
Top 5 participant reliance: 58.69% 57.61%, 4th ()
Participants with >5% of MTP: 7 7, 6th (-)
Participants with 10+ ppw: 17 14, 2nd ()
Participants with 40+ ppw: 6 5, 5th ()
Weeks with 300+ MTP: 15 11, 6th ()

THE CORE
With such a departure and no interest in seeking replacements it was going to be interesting to see how the existing Demons players acted in match threads, particularly in what turned out to be a disappointing season on the qooty field. One thing we can say with certainly is that Headless (from 11.2 to 102 ppw) reveled in his new-found freedom. His off-sider sante (from 17.4 to 45.0 ppw) also bobbed to the surface, as did perennial rookie sausageroll (from 35.6 to 43.9 ppw), cats2rise (from 3.1 to 14.2 ppw) and drunken IGA patron Proper Gander (from 12.2 to 43.3 ppw). Beyond that however, there was a some reduction in individual match thread activity at Mount Buller: skipper manangatang (from 37.3 to 31.2), league full back legend Tarkyn_24 (from 47.9 to 18.6 ppw),DemonJim (from 22.8 to 14.3 ppw), Azarole (from 18.7 to 5.6 ppw) and cooney (from 67.2 to 28.8 ppw) all dropped away.

Even so, the Demons still have a strong list, with many contributors: 16 players with over 100 match thread posts is behind only the Roys across the league. Their numbers last season were so good that even with the dramatic reduction in output they still perform well across most metrics. They may want to be a little more proactive this off-season though.

GRADE: B+

serial_thrilla · Jun 1, 2022

(Season 32 Numbers HERE)

IN: JustaBattler (rookie), Bamboo Harvester (returning), La Dispute (returning), Noidenous (returning), Bearded Carpenter (rookie), Osc1 (returning), HereComesJuddy (returning), Citroin (returning), Dadda Dave (returning).

OUT: VeinGlorious (retired), mochacinolatte (delisted), Dadda Dave (delisted), Osc1 (delisted), Andronicus (delisted), Tony Lynn 15 (delisted), Metalcrusher (delisted), HereComesJuddy (delisted).

ROOKIES
Two rookies joined the Bombers this season: JustaBattler (6.6 ppw), who popped into match threads on most weeks - and Bearded Carpenter (0.0 ppw), who is still yet to post on the Sweet forum.

GAINS
The Bombers did not look towards other Sweet clubs last off-season, instead preferring to entice some of their own former players back to the club - a tactic they redeployed during the player suspension crisis over the last few rounds. Most seemed to prefer to stay within the confines of the Bomber PM however, with the likes of Bamboo Harvester (0.0 ppw), Dadda Dave (0.0 ppw), Osc1 (1.4 ppw), La Dispute (0.5 ppw), HereComesJuddy (0.0 ppw) and Citroin (1.0 ppw) barely sighted. They did nail one recruitment though, with Noidenous (86.1 ppw) becoming a huge presence across match threads and the league in general.

LOSSES
Losing league-favourite and former captain VeinGlorious (30.9 ppw in S32) to retirement would have hurt, but otherwise the Bombers LG were able to do a bit of a clean out during the off-season. The in-season site bans to Metalcrusher (56.1 ppw) and Tony Lynn 15 (42.6 ppw) were losses that felt irreplaceable though.

TEAM TRENDS

Total MTP: 17,058 14,410, 1st (16%)
Sum of weekly median posts: 959 748, 1st (22%)
Match thread participants per week: 18.88 17.12, 4th (9%)
Total match thread participants: 26 24, 2nd ()
Match thread share: 59.66% 59.97%, 2nd ()
Top 5 participant reliance: 62.02% 58.16%, 6th ()
Participants with >5% of MTP: 7 10, 1st ()
Participants with 10+ ppw: 14 14, 2nd (-)
Participants with 40+ ppw: 10 11, 1st ()
Weeks with 300+ MTP: 16 16, 2nd (-)

THE CORE
Skipper BLUEALLTHRU (from 186 to 150 ppw) remains the lynchpin of Bomber match threads, but he was the only Bomber to average more than 100 match thread posts per week this season. RobR (from 145 to 88.5 ppw), Kilroy (from 97.7 to 73.1 ppw), Jabba73 (from 71.6 to 51.9 ppw), CursingFijian (from 49.3 to 45.9 ppw) and kickthething (from 19.0 to 14.8 ppw) all reduced their activity to varying degrees this season, and it was up to The Greatest Ava (from 43.2 to 59.9 ppw), Bovo (from 39.5 to 44.6 ppw) and Here2tellyouwhy (from 6.3 to 10.2 ppw) to fill the gap.

You can fault the Bombers about many things, but they have had and continue to have a prolific and deep list. The combination of a league activity downturn with the plethora of late-season suspensions certainly handbraked their activity a little this time, but they are by far and away the most active list in the league. There are cracks forming though that will need addressing: the aforementioned bans to Metalcrusher and Tony Lynn 15 combined with the loss of The Jesus (8.4 ppw) and TheCoach16 (16.2 ppw) to the Old Boys sees a heap of experience go out the door, and they will be wanting a much better strike rate with their recruits next season. There are a lot of zeros at the lower portion of their posting chart, much more than there have been previously - and 251 match thread posts from only ten Bombers in Round 16 would be their lowest weekly output in many seasons.

GRADE: A-

serial_thrilla · Jun 1, 2022

(Season 32 Numbers HERE)

IN: Sterge (Furies), zackah (Warriors), tigs2010 (Rookie), MoscowHawk (Rookie), Elmer_Judd (Wonders), 3KZ is Football (returning).

OUT: Supersuns (Bears), Aristotle Pickett (Gumbies), Barrels (retired), FitzroyRamone (delisted), A Bit High (delisted).

ROOKIES
There were two new rookies joining the Roys this season, and whilst MoscowHawk (0.0 ppw) failed to post in a match thread, their other rookie tigs2010 (18.7 ppw) settled in nicely - he even cracked the 100 post barrier at one point.

GAINS
The Roys were delighted to see the return of 3KZ is Football (10.3 ppw) part-way through the season, whilst their off-season recruits Sterge (13.3 ppw), zackah (11.8 ppw) and Elmer_Judd (14.7 ppw) were all solid contributors.

LOSSES
Beyond the retirement of club icon Barrels (1.6 ppw in S32) and the exit of Aristotle Pickett (22.6 ppw in S32) to the Gumbies, the Roys were also able to clear out a few inactives and reprobates - including Suns Supreme (122 ppw in S32).

TEAM TRENDS

Total MTP: 12,614 11,070, 3rd (12%)
Sum of weekly median posts: 685 576, 2nd (16%)
Match thread participants per week: 17.50 19.12, 1st (9%)
Total match thread participants: 24 24, 2nd (-)
Match thread share: 57.70% 60.31%, 1st ()
Top 5 participant reliance: 65.23% 62.47%, 7th ()
Participants with >5% of MTP: 8 7, 6th ()
Participants with 10+ ppw: 12 17, 1st ()
Participants with 40+ ppw: 8 6, 3rd ()
Weeks with 300+ MTP: 16 17, 1st ()

THE CORE
Mobbs (from 150 to 142 ppw) seems to never tire of regaling the league about Sweet lore, and his continued prolific output is incredible. Wosh (from 104 to 91.9 ppw), Dingster (from 63.9 to 66.4 ppw), Zevon (from 50.7 to 53.2 ppw), Cats_R_Cool_4_Ever (from 29.3 to 45.9 ppw), and Mooch (from 19.3 to 19.3 ppw) were constant figures in Roys match threads this season - whilst the reduced output from captain TedDougChris (from 74.0 to 52.8 ppw), _Mike_ (from 50.4 to 32.6 ppw), hotchilli (from 45.0 to 31.9 ppw) was barely noticed due to the engagement from the rest of the team. Seeing a resurgence from Roy veterans Allikat (from 8.3 to 12.4 ppw), fitzroybowiedog (from 2.9 to 10.7 ppw) and JackNah_8 (from 7.5 to 12.8 ppw) was telling of the strength of their list.

Although they were not able to make up for the loss of Suns Supreme's 1956 posts last season, the Roys were able to drum up an incredible amount of engagement from their playing list - and their average of 19.12 match thread participants per week was substantially higher than any other team in Sweet. They were the only team to post more than 300 times every week, and their league-high 17 players with over 10 match thread posts a week is a telling figure of their squad depth. The Roys were a consistent presence all season.

GRADE: A+

serial_thrilla · Jun 2, 2022

(Season 32 Numbers HERE)

IN: Braklet (rookie), DragoDelph (rookie), Nool Carpenna (rookie), paraaaa (returning).

OUT: A Swallow (Warriors), schmuttt (retired), Cold Sober (retired).

ROOKIES
The Dragons brought in three rookies for Season 33, and whilst Nool Carpenna (0.1 ppw) was only sighted twice all season - they gained two gems in DragoDelph (89.4 ppw) and Braklet (69.5 ppw) who became mainstays in Dragons match threads this season.

GAINS
Former Fury paraaaa (0.3 ppw) joined the Dragons this season, but was not seen in match threads after Round 3.

LOSSES
The big loss for the Dragons in the off-season was Ljp86 Medalist A Swallow (63.3 ppw in S32), who jumped across to the Warriors.

TEAM TRENDS

Total MTP: 8,730 10,153, 4th (16%)
Sum of weekly median posts: 467 432, 4th (7%)
Match thread participants per week: 16.81 14.53, 10th (14%)
Total match thread participants: 23 23, 5th (-)
Match thread share: 53.56% 49.06%, 7th ()
Top 5 participant reliance: 67.88% 75.68%, 12th ()
Participants with >5% of MTP: 6 6, 11th (-)
Participants with 10+ ppw: 11 11, 7th (-)
Participants with 40+ ppw: 5 6, 3rd ()
Weeks with 300+ MTP: 16 14, 4th ()

THE CORE
The Dragons seems to lose a lot of squad depth this season, despite their new players more than covering their losses. Matt_352 (from 23.1 to 0.5 ppw), Stoods (from 28.5 to 1.1 ppw), Deestroy Medalist BringBackTheAnchor (from 5.3 to 0.3 ppw) and VandoHawk (from 3.9 to 0.1 ppw) were all absent from large chunks of the season after being regular contributors in Season 32 - which in turn reduced the number of Dragons in match thread per week from 16.81 to 14.53. However they were able to increase their overall output due to DragoDelph, Braklet and big increases in activity from serial_thrilla (from 103 to 132 ppw), Bonz (from 65.4 to 91.0 ppw), Hatchy1992 (from 9.4 to 15.2 ppw), Chief (from 1.8 to 5.2 ppw) and Ljp86 (from 4.6 to 12.1 ppw), plus stable numbers from T2B_ (from 75.9 to 70.5 ppw), Strigoi (62.4 to 64.8 ppw), Bradesmaen (from 9.6 to 10.1 ppw) and Knifey Spoony (from 18.3 to 10.1 ppw).

This all means that the Dragons are probably the most top-heavy side in the league right now - with 13 players creating 99% of their match thread output, and 86.5% of it from six players. Even so, the activity is there, and a couple of 10 ppw players next season is all that would be needed to balance it out a little. #grandfinalrematch was a massive week for them with 3260 posts which clearly skewed the overall numbers, but even so the Dragons were still ranked 4th in the league for sum of weekly median posts and only dipped below 300 match thread posts on three occasions all season.

GRADE: C

serial_thrilla · Jun 2, 2022

(Season 32 Numbers HERE)

IN: Pick (Demons), kdavva (Warriors), Toump Ass (Demons), Dominic03 (rookie), James Colorado (rookie), Blackhawk42 (rookie), Sab22 (Wonders), Scythe94 (rookie).

OUT: Senor M (Bears), Elton Johns Wig (Warriors), Sterge (Roys), Ned_Flanders (Gumbies), MightyHawks86 (delisted), Lynchy04 (delisted), Tiger2709 (delisted).

ROOKIES
There were four new rookies at the Furies in Season 33, and they ended up with a 50% strike rate. Dominic03 (57.4 ppw) and James Colorado (25.9 ppw) have both been mentioned in EKA discussions this season, whereas Blackhawk42 (0.5 ppw) and Scythe94 (1.6 ppm) both lost interest after three to four weeks.

GAINS
During the off-season the Furies were able to lure kdavva (53.5 ppw) and Pick (125 ppw) away from the Warriors and Demons respectively, and both managed to integrate themselves in the club's leadership group throughout the season. Toump Ass (9.6 ppw) was also serviceable since coming across, and Sab22 (5.8 ppw) was a handy delisted free agency pick up until he once more got bored with the league.

LOSSES
It was a big cleanout by the Furies last off-season, and along with a swarth of inactives they also lost plenty of experience with Senor M (56.7 ppw in S32), Sterge (2.3 ppw in S32), Elton Johns Wig (79.6 ppw in S32) and Ned_Flanders (24.1 ppw in S32) all finding new homes; the latter two in one season deals prior to the Old Boys launch.

TEAM TRENDS

Total MTP: 8,614 11,156, 2nd (30%)
Sum of weekly median posts: 531 402, 6th (24%)
Match thread participants per week: 14.00 13.76, 11th (2%)
Total match thread participants: 23 23, 5th (-)
Match thread share: 46.43% 47.37%, 9th ()
Top 5 participant reliance: 59.44% 63.17%, 8th ()
Participants with >5% of MTP: 9 7, 6th ()
Participants with 10+ ppw: 11 11, 7th (-)
Participants with 40+ ppw: 8 7, 2nd ()
Weeks with 300+ MTP: 13 11, 10th ()

THE CORE
With the loss of so many long-time Furies it was up to the new guard to shoulder the load. Beyond the recruits, there were also big increases in output from CrimsonViolet (from 71.5 to 101 ppw), TJASTA (from 2.1 to 57.6 ppw), Bastyy (from 27.3 to 58.5 ppw) and crazywildhorse (from 18.1 to 22.5 ppw) - whilst U2tigers (from 40.5 to 30.9 ppw) and ImissFrosty (from 90.8 to 72.1 ppw) remained significant contributors. However there was a big drop off from Rioli8217 (from 59.3 to 5.1 ppw) and Tigerturbulance (from 52.9 to 25.3 ppw) - the latter especially once the expansion bid was approved in Round 11.

The Furies indeed have some of the same problems as the Dragons in that they have a very active core group of twelve posters who contribute 97.5% of their match thread posts, and then fleeting cameos from the rest of the squad. They are a little less consistent across the season though, and failed to reach 300 match thread posts in any of the final six rounds of the season. Losing the duo of Turbo and Crimson next season will hurt them significantly, so nailing the recruitment season and rookie indoctrination will be critical. Never the less, they certainly have the ability to go large when inspired: 3915 posts in a single game week will attest to that.

GRADE: C-

serial_thrilla · Jun 3, 2022

(Season 32 Numbers HERE)

IN: Elton Johns Wig (Furies), pantskyle (Demons), A Swallow (Dragons), Mesc (rookie), PhatBoy (rookie), adogsfan5 (rookie), Ambrose Burnside (rookie).

OUT: DenieD (Gumbies), kdavva (Furies), zackah (Roys), harry000 (delisted), RelaxMax (retired), ChappyUK (retired), BeinPurplenGreen (delisted).

ROOKIES
Four rookies joined the Warriors for Season 32, with the best of them being Mesc (9.4 ppw). Ambrose Burnside (1.0 ppw) popped in to nine match threads across the season, but PhatBoy (0.6 ppw) and adogsfan5 (0.0 ppw) were barely sighted.

GAINS
It was a big off-season for the Warriors, as they were able secure the services of A Swallow (25.5 ppw) from the Dragons, pantskyle (15.1 ppw) after a brief secondment at the Demons, and Elton Johns Wig (19.1 ppw) as part of his transition to the Old Boys. All were in the top six most prolific match thread posters at the club - but all seemed to lose interest during the reverse fixtures.

LOSSES
The exit of DenieD (71.1 ppw in S32) hurt as he parachuted his way into the Gumbies captaincy, whilst kdavva's (45.7 ppw in S32) departure to the Furies would have been unexpected. Long time Warrior zackah (3.6 ppw in S32) decided to begin his Sweet retirement at the Roys.

TEAM TRENDS

Total MTP: 5,988 5,044, 11th (16%)
Sum of weekly median posts: 331 242, 12th (27%)
Match thread participants per week: 15.25 15.71, 9th (3%)
Total match thread participants: 23 22, 8th ()
Match thread share: 44.17% 43.33%, 11th ()
Top 5 participant reliance: 74.67% 64.25%, 9th ()
Participants with >5% of MTP: 5 6, 11th ()
Participants with 10+ ppw: 10 8, 12th ()
Participants with 40+ ppw: 4 1, 11th ()
Weeks with 300+ MTP: 13 9, 10th ()

THE CORE
A lot of the heavy lifting at the Warriors was done by skipper Tonga Bob (from 77.2 to 81.3 ppw) this season, and he produced 27.4% of all Warrior match thread posts - considerable higher than any other player in the league. Good support came from TheInjuryFactory (from 35.1 to 37.6 ppw) and Dinsdale (from 13.9 to 14.0 ppw), whilst Piggy Smalls (from 2.4 to 9.0 ppw) and Freofalcon (from 3.0 to 8.8 ppw) perked up - but things dropped off very quickly after that. NaturalDisaster (from 58.9 to 27.2 ppw) slowed down considerably in the back half of the season, whilst Volbeat (from 16.8 to 8.4 ppw), FootyGuy13 (from 13.6 to 12.4 ppw), BEEG (from 11.9 to 5.8 ppw), The Half Back (from 10.4 to 0.0 ppw), toxic (from 5.6 to 2.7 ppw) and Moo (from 3.6 to 0.4 ppw) all dropped away compared to Season 32.

The big problem for the Warriors was that given their low output last season combined with the loss of DenieD and kdavva they could not afford for their remaining players to slow down. But with the exception of Tonga Bob and TheInjuryFactory that's exactly what happened. Only one Warrior averaged more than 40 posts a week this season, whilst 50% of all Warrior posts this season were either from Bob, TIF or the increasingly ambivalent NaturalDisaster; with such a low total number of posts meant that all the remaining Warrior players combined posted less this season than what BLUEALLTHRU did for the Bombers. On top of that they had comfortably the lowest sum of median weekly posts in the league, and failed to reach 200 match thread posts in any of the last six rounds of the season - this is entering Gumbies/Dragons S27-S28 areas despite being in finals contention all season.

A big plus was despite these low numbers Tonga Bob was able to keep squad engagement relatively healthy at 15.71 match thread posters per week, but they just don't have enough players willing to post 10+ times a week on their list. This combined with no clear heir apparent, no successful rookie remaining on their list since their S29 crop, and with anywhere between one to five of their top dozen players heading elsewhere next season means that the Warriors are clearly the weakest squad in the league. Tonga Bob has proven that he is adept at recruiting big name players in the past: he certainly needs to keep that up this off-season.

GRADE: F

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Media Serial Stats: S33 List Assessment and Posting Stats - End of Season Report

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