- Oct 7, 2019
- 23,543
- 50,012
- AFL Club
- Fremantle
- Other Teams
- Atalanta B.C
Telling graph there, really says a lot about the state of the Eka post S31 (S33 being the exception)
PLAYERS
And lastly, a look at some statistical quirks from a player perspective.
As I said at the start, the initial premise I wished to test was that club hopping had increased, due in part to an era where rookie PMs became en vogue and the Rising Star was doing it's best to make somethings out of nobodies. Now while not exactly the results I was expecting, there's still some interesting trends when reviewing the rookie club swaps by season for each rookie class from S24 onward in their first 5 seasons.
While I was there, I was also interested to take a closer look at just how many club captains per rookie intake have been produced in the modern era. Not all rookie classes are created equal, and possibly the most important metric to assess a rookie class on is the impact said rookies can make on the league once they arrive and have they stepped up to take custodianship of the league when their time comes.
Lastly Elton Johns Wig expressed his bitter disappointment at his rookie season of S23 not being included in this analysis mostly due to his domination of said rookie season apparently, and so for comparison's sake I've taken a deep dive into EKA Medal Winners between S23 & S35 inclusive.
- Club swaps have increased in recent times, after a modern era low of just 1 player (Piggy Smalls who crossed from the Furies to the Wazzas in S32) from the S29 crop which as you can see is a massive outlier over the past 10 seasons. The average since has been 7 per rookie crop. Prior to S29, the average was 5 per rookie intake somewhat proving my suspicions. Make of that what you will.
- The S30 crop has been the most transient of the modern era, with no less than 9 club swaps in their first 5 seasons in the competition. 4 rookie crops (S27,S28, S32 & S33) have seen 6 club swaps from their ranks over that same initial 5 seasons in the competition, the most consistent trend across the 10 seasons compared. Notable club hoppers from these crops include ArdentEagle, Bonz, Cadsky, Chat Pile, the late Metalcrusher, DenieD, Greenery, Wonders ex-brothers in arms damicky & Brenton Davy and prized S35 Warriors recruit CursingFijian.
- Perhaps adding another element to the age old debate of which season’s rookies had the greatest impact on the league, S26 has seen the greatest number of rookies go on to captain their club, with a whopping 7 players from their ranks (kdavva, Barrybran, jackster83, Sab22, Test Tickle, WaynesWorld19 and of course yours truly). The next best season being S30 with 5 to date (T2B_, Muddiemoose, tony, BLUEALLTHRU & omgfridge).
- Unsurprisingly, the widely acknowledged weak rookie field of S27 has only had the one skipper to date, AceAndy. However Ace enjoyed the ultimate success as he went on to captain his side to a premiership in S28, just his second season in the league and first at the helm.
- Now despite the long held view that not all EKA winners are created equal, the above suggests otherwise, as we have seen a consistent trend across every season between S23-S35 of EKA Medal winners.
- Names such as Elton Johns Wig, Barrybran, Chat Pile, serial_thrilla, PMBangers, Greenery, damicky and even WAGs have got in on the act like Mrs Turbo as none of these winners have been able to set themselves apart from the rest as we can see from a deep dive into past EKA Medallists.
