Weird football scores

[Derby103]

Richmond began its Friday night match against North Melbourne at the MCG in Round 14 1991 with an atrocious display of inaccuracy, the Tigers having a score of 3.10-28 by quarter time. Richmond then astonishingly kicked 4.0 in the second term and 6.0 in the third quarter, meaning the Tigers had scored 10 goals without a miss since quarter time, taking their score at the final change to 13.10-88. And their final quarter of 6.4-40 was more than respectable.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, their score of 19.14-128 after such a poor start to the match counted for nothing in the end. North Melbourne, far more accurate in the opening term, jumped to an early break and were comfortably in front all night. The Kangaroos led at every change, and trounced the Tigers by 44-points in a high-scoring match, North winning 26.16-172 to 19.14-128.

Two years earlier, North and Richmond played a match that ended up in the Tigers' favour, 26.15 (171) to 20.14 (134). That was a remarkably similar scoreline to the 1991 match. I miss those 45-goal shootouts.

 

[X_box_X]

Richmond began its Friday night match against North Melbourne at the MCG in Round 14 1991 with an atrocious display of inaccuracy, the Tigers having a score of 3.10-28 by quarter time. Richmond then astonishingly kicked 4.0 in the second term and 6.0 in the third quarter, meaning the Tigers had scored 10 goals without a miss since quarter time, taking their score at the final change to 13.10-88. And their final quarter of 6.4-40 was more than respectable.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, their score of 19.14-128 after such a poor start to the match counted for nothing in the end. North Melbourne, far more accurate in the opening term, jumped to an early break and were comfortably in front all night. The Kangaroos led at every change, and trounced the Tigers by 44-points in a high-scoring match, North winning 26.16-172 to 19.14-128.

How is that weird?

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Two years earlier, North and Richmond played a match that ended up in the Tigers' favour, 26.15 (171) to 20.14 (134). That was a remarkably similar scoreline to the 1991 match. I miss those 45-goal shootouts.

Then, in 2000, Roos beat Richmond 170-134.

 

[emuboy]

How is that weird?

It is weird for a side to kick a terrible 3.10 in the first term, then not miss a shot at goal in the next two quarters with returns of 4.0 and 6.0.

 

[emuboy]

Two years earlier, North and Richmond played a match that ended up in the Tigers' favour, 26.15 (171) to 20.14 (134). That was a remarkably similar scoreline to the 1991 match. I miss those 45-goal shootouts.

There hasn't been a 300 point aggregate match since North Melbourne beat the Bulldogs 24.12-156 to 22.13-145 in June 2003, and this game itself is only one of three 300 point aggregate matches from 2000 onwards (North vs. Richmond 2000, Essendon vs. North 2001).

Interestingly, there hasn't been a 300 point aggregate match that didn't involve the Kangaroos since way back in Round 9 1992, where Geelong thrashed Essendon in a high scoring match at Kardinia Park.

 

[Connor7395]

There hasn't been a 300 point aggregate match since North Melbourne beat the Bulldogs 24.12-156 to 22.13-145 in June 2003, and this game itself is only one of three 300 point aggregate matches from 2000 onwards (North vs. Richmond 2000, Essendon vs. North 2001).

Interestingly, there hasn't been a 300 point aggregate match that didn't involve the Kangaroos since way back in Round 9 1992, where Geelong thrashed Essendon in a high scoring match at Kardinia Park.

Closest we've probably come in recent years was Geelong 222-65 Richmond in 2007.

 

[Todman]

1987 ESCFA Div D Preliminary Final

Dandenong South 16.34.130 to Knox 20.4.124

Losing team kicks four more goals and loses.

 

[Connor7395]

1987 ESCFA Div D Preliminary Final

Dandenong South 16.34.130 to Knox 20.4.124

Losing team kicks four more goals and loses.

I've been wondering for years if such an event was even humanly possible and not just "mathematically possible".

 

[mianfei]

1987 ESCFA Div D Preliminary Final

Dandenong South 16.34.130 to Knox 20.4.124

Losing team kicks four more goals and loses.

In the 1984 WAFL season, in two consecutive games against each other Perth scored 37-21 (243) to South Fremantle’s 31-53 (239). In other words, South Fremantle had thirteen more scoring shots per game but still scored two fewer points on average.

The first of the two games, played in the fifth round, saw South Fremantle win 15-29 (119) to 18-8 (116). This is the only time in WAFA/WAFL/WANFL/WASFL/Westar Rules history that a winning team has scored three fewer goals, and in fact no winning team in WAFL/WASFL/Westar Rules since has ever scored two fewer goals (vis-à-vis three occurrences in the VFL/AFL since).

The second game in the twelfth round was even more amazing. Perth led at half-time by sixty-three points, yet won by only seven – 19-13 (127) to 16-24 (120). That 56-point deficit after half-time is seven points greater than the VFL/AFL record (which occurred twice in 1948 and 1954) for the greatest second half deficit by a winning team, and the highest in the VFL/AFL since 1984 are:

1. 45 points by Geelong against Sydney in Round 13, 1989
2. 44 points by Brisbane against Gold Coast, Round 1, 2017
3. four cases of 43 points, viz:
   1. Hawthorn against Essendon, Round 20, 2006
   2. Port Adelaide against Richmond, Round 22, 2010
   3. Brisbane against Western Bulldogs, Round 22, 2013
   4. Port Adelaide against Hawthorn, Round 4, 2015

 

[emuboy]

The first of the two games, played in the fifth round, saw South Fremantle win 15-29 (119) to 18-8 (116). This is the only time in WAFA/WAFL/WANFL/WASFL/Westar Rules history that a winning team has scored three fewer goals, and in fact no winning team in WAFL/WASFL/Westar Rules since has ever scored two fewer goals (vis-à-vis three occurrences in the VFL/AFL since).

Teams kicking three more goals than their opponent but losing are extremely rare - IIRC there is only one instance in the AFL/VFL, I think North Melbourne vs. Richmond in the 1940s sometime. Although there have been two draws with a 3 goal difference - a Footscray vs. Carlton game in the 1930s, and more famously the 1948 Grand Final where Essendon kicked 7.27-69 to tie with Melbourne 10.9-69.

I'm not sure if I misread your comment - is it really true that there has never been a WAFL game where losing team kicked two more goals than their opponent (e.g. 11.3-69 to 9.16-70 or 15.8-98 to 13.24-102)? Considering how many WAFL games have been played for well over 100 years, it would be strange if this was the case.

 

[35Daicos]

Teams kicking three more goals than their opponent but losing are extremely rare - IIRC there is only one instance in the AFL/VFL, I think North Melbourne vs. Richmond in the 1940s sometime. Although there have been two draws with a 3 goal difference - a Footscray vs. Carlton game in the 1930s, and more famously the 1948 Grand Final where Essendon kicked 7.27-69 to tie with Melbourne 10.9-69.

I'm not sure if I misread your comment - is it really true that there has never been a WAFL game where losing team kicked two more goals than their opponent (e.g. 11.3-69 to 9.16-70 or 15.8-98 to 13.24-102)? Considering how many WAFL games have been played for well over 100 years, it would be strange if this was the case.

 

[Ahern2Boof]

May have been posted before, but always found it funny and strange how North Melbourne and Collingwood both kicked 7.7.49 in the first half of their Round 19 game in 2005, then both teams doubled that in the second half to be locked on 14.14. Unfortunately (fortunately for me) Nathan Thompson kicked a late goal to put the Roos six points ahead.

 

[mianfei]

Teams kicking three more goals than their opponent but losing are extremely rare - IIRC there is only one instance in the AFL/VFL, I think North Melbourne vs. Richmond in the 1940s sometime. Although there have been two draws with a 3 goal difference - a Footscray vs. Carlton game in the 1930s, and more famously the 1948 Grand Final where Essendon kicked 7.27-69 to tie with Melbourne 10.9-69.

I'm not sure if I misread your comment - is it really true that there has never been a WAFL game where losing team kicked two more goals than their opponent (e.g. 11.3-69 to 9.16-70 or 15.8-98 to 13.24-102)? Considering how many WAFL games have been played for well over 100 years, it would be strange if this was the case.

There have been WAFL matches where the winning team scored two fewer goals; however the most recent was as far back as the last round of 1975 when East Fremantle 17-30 (132) defeated East Perth 19-8 (122), when the competition was still called the WANFL. I was emphasising that South Fremantle’s win with three fewer goals was more recent than any WAFL win with two fewer goals – the key word in the post is since.

 

[emuboy]

There have been WAFL matches where the winning team scored two fewer goals; however the most recent was as far back as the last round of 1975 when East Fremantle 17-30 (132) defeated East Perth 19-8 (122), when the competition was still called the WANFL. I was emphasising that South Fremantle’s win with three fewer goals was more recent than any WAFL win with two fewer goals – the key word in the post is since.

Thanks for clarifying this - it is astounding that there have been no WAFL games where a team has won with two less goals since 1975 - 45 years - with the exception of the South Fremantle - Perth game where the Bulldogs won with 3 less goals - and this itself was 36 years ago in 1984.

Sometimes the WAFL stats are more extraordinary for things that don't happen rather than things that do. For example, the WAFL's lack of draws where the most recent draw was in 2012, and the current draw droughts of the clubs are West Perth & East Perth (2012), Claremont & Swan Districts (2010), Perth (2009), Subiaco (2001), South Fremantle (1997), Peel Thunder (no draws since commencing in 1997) and East Fremantle (1989).

 

[brad5668]

June 1, 1957. East Perth scores at the end of each quarter: 0.7 1.22 1.24 3.30
Swan Districts scores were: 1.8 1.10 3.11 5.11

 

[situationz]

Essendon and Richmond combined for 1.17 in the second quarter of the 2006 Dreamtime at the G, with Essendon kicking 0.8 and Richmond 1.9:
Essendon: 5.2 5.10 8.13 13.17 (95)
Richmond: 4.3 5.12 9.15 13.19 (97)

 

[mianfei]

June 1, 1957. East Perth scores at the end of each quarter: 0.7 1.22 1.24 3.30
Swan Districts scores were: 1.8 1.10 3.11 5.11

Very wet conditions on the sandy Perth soils – as in that game and for most of June 1957 – meant handling the ball from set shots could be almost impossible.





In similar weather at the WACA in 1988 the Eagles held Tony Lockett goalless (third-last time a team did that for a full game) and St. Kilda went from 1.2 (8) to 1.16 (22) before scoring two late goals – although the Eagles themselves with their great speed on the slippery but free-draining ground kicked 17 goals and 10 behinds.

 

[situationz]

Gold Coast leading Freo 7.0 (42) to 6.0 (36) at halftime. Wonder when was the last time neither team kicked a behind in an entire half?

 

[worbod]

Gold Coast leading Freo 7.0 (42) to 6.0 (36) at halftime. Wonder when was the last time neither team kicked a behind in an entire half?

It was the first instance in VFL/AFL history both teams had no behinds up until half time. Not sure if any two teams have kicked nil behinds in quarters 3 and 4 of the same match.

 

[worbod]

When I read through a game-day record of the Riverina League for 1992 I glanced over the page which showed the season's scores to that point. The scores for the round played on May 9 and 10 show each winning team had a winning score of 142:

Wagga 142 d Narrandera 68
Leeton 142 d East Wagga-Kooringal 112
Ganmain-Grong Grong Matong 142 d Turvey Park 103
Griffith 142 drew with Coolamon 142

There are no goals and behinds given for any scores for any rounds on this page, so I am slightly skeptical that there could be some misprints of scores.

 

[35Daicos]

It was the first instance in VFL/AFL history both teams had no behinds up until half time. Not sure if any two teams have kicked nil behinds in quarters 3 and 4 of the same match.

This 1980 Rd. 14 game is the only case of a game's second half with no behinds scored by either side.

There's only been 36 games where the aggregate behinds tally at 1/4 time was 0. Adelaide vs. Sydney in Rd. 1 2020 was the previous time that occurred. Of those games (prior to the 2020 Rd. 4 game), three of them had a 1/2 time aggregate of 2 (no 1's). The 3 games with a 1/2 time behinds aggregate of 2 occurred in 1924, 2017 and 2019.

All of this is very surprising given how low the scoring was back in the early days!

 

[emuboy]

The 1979 SANFL Grand Final between the Port Adelaide Magpies and South Adelaide Panthers was played on a wet and windy day and on a muddy ground, but the scoring is pretty bizarre even allowing for the inclement weather conditions. Neither team scored a goal to one end of Football Park, there were no behinds in the first term and no goals in the last quarter, and South Adelaide's only goals for the match were scored in the second term. Sadly for South, that day playing in its first Grand Final since 1964, it has not had a chance to atone for its loss as the Panthers have not appeared in another premiership decider in 40 years since then.

Port Adelaide 5.0 5.3 9.7 9.9-63 d. South Adelaide 0.0 3.7 3.8 3.14-32

 

[mianfei]

It was the first instance in VFL/AFL history both teams had no behinds up until half time. Not sure if any two teams have kicked nil behinds in quarters 3 and 4 of the same match.

In fact, there had been no match before this year when two teams combined for even one behind until half-time.

Up until 2018, the fewest had been eight matches where the teams combined for two first-half behinds:

1. Round 10, 1897, Carlton v Essendon
2. Round 13, 1897, Essendon v South Melbourne
3. Round 11, 1898, Geelong v Carlton
4. Round 3 Sectional Match, 1899, Carlton v Melbourne
5. Round 7, 1902, St. Kilda v Essendon
6. Finals 1924, Richmond v South Melbourne
7. Round 15, 1965, North Melbourne v Carlton
8. Round 15, 2017, Carlton v Adelaide

I have and do strongly suspect that defence-oriented play and shorter playing times due to the demands of television, especially with fans unlikely to return to Melbourne grounds until 2022 at the earliest, has made teams much less willing to attempt high-risk shots at goal. This would explain why scores with so few behinds have become so common. Before Docklands and the influence of global warming in pushing the cold fronts up to 800 kilometres poleward (vis-à-vis before 1997 and especially before 1975) and drying out our winter climate, there were many more wet days and muddy grounds where attacking football and high-risk shots were precisely the way to win games – as Hawthorn, North and Geelong showed so often in my youth.

 

[Goggin Our Best]

One unique score i have never forgotten - maybe its allready been mentioned in the thread ( hopefully not by me - ha )

But i can remember as a kid when it happened - and there were quite a few headlines - re the score

And it was round 2 1969 Carlton v Hawthorn at Princess Park

And the Blues had a big day out - they kicked 30 goals and 30 behinds ( and the score did create a few headlines ) and flogged the Hawks by 20 plus goals

So a score of 30 30 did captutre the imagination back in the day - and i reckon 60 shots on goal would be right up their in highest ever re VFL/AFL

 

[Derby103]

Gold Coast leading Freo 7.0 (42) to 6.0 (36) at halftime. Wonder when was the last time neither team kicked a behind in an entire half?

The only instance of this in VFA football occurred on 20 May 1899 when Port Melbourne and Williamstown both scored 3.0 in the first half. Interestingly, there were no further goals in the game, with Port winning 3.7 to 3.4. So that is a total of 6.0 in the first half and 0.11 in the second.