AFL Best and Worst

The shellacking that several sides copped this weekend sent me to the record books this morning to try to ascertain the best and worst ever.

Unfortunately the best-ever was the 1929 Filth side (18:0 1918:1117 171.71%). The 1995 Carlton side (20:2 2357:1711 90.91%) shares equal 8th spot with the 2009 St Kilda side (20:2 2197:1411 90.91%), but at least the Blues went on to win the Grand Final that year! (beating Gary Ablett's hapless Cats 141:80!!)!

The worst-ever, however, is a shared "honour" between
1913 and 1914 Students
1928 and 1950 Hawks
1931 and 1934 Kangaroos
1964 Lions
and the 1898-9 and 1902 Saints - all sides losing every match that year. The 1913 Students have the "honour" of having the lowest-ever end-of-year percentage of 47.02%.

What I was looking for, though, was the lowest-ever end-of-round-2 percentage. GWS are currently on 32.16% [unofficial at time of writing] with the Suns on 41.67% and the Demons on 47.72%. Looking back through the last ten years of the AFL and the first ten of the VFL, the 2008 Demons came close with 36.8, and the 1897 Geelong side had 38.7%. But the lowest of the low goes to the 1901 Blues with 16.8%, and the 1898 Saints 18.6%. Doubtless later years will reveal lower Round-2 percentages, so the Giants are not as bad as all that!


Sources-
http://stats.rleague.com/afl/seas/1897.html
http://stats.rleague.com/afl/seas/1898.html
http://stats.rleague.com/afl/seas/1901.html
http://stats.rleague.com/afl/seas/2008.html
http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/games/1995/030919950930.html
http://stats.rleague.com/afl/teams/allteams/season.html

AFL Round 20 (to COB Sunday); AFL Round 21 tips

Three matches today, comments on two of them, both as close as you can get; the third as lop-sided as yesterday's.


Brisbane's Lions reached 100 points within 15min of the last. The urban-myth is that first to 100 wins the match. But not today! And weren't Crows' fans ecstatic! That has new / caretaker Mark Bickley batting 1.000 for his coaching career!
Brisbane 5.1 11.6 14.7 16.9 (105)
Adelaide 6.3 9.5 10.11 16.14 (110)
Brisbane
Cornelius 4.2; McGrath 3.0; Karnezis, Clark 2.0; Rockliff, Polkinghorn 1.1; Leuenberger, Banfield, Hanley 1.0; Dyson 0.2; Redden, Raines, rushed 0.1
356 Possessions: Rockliff 34; Black 26; Raines 23; Redden 22
79 Tackles: Stiller 8; Redden, Buchanan, McGrath, Leuenberger 7; Black 6
45 Hitouts: Leuenberger 31
12 Frees: McGrath, Leuenberger 2
Adelaide
Walker 4.1; Gunston 3.3; Wright, van Berlo, Johncock 2.0; Jacobs 1.1; Riley, Henderson 1.0; rushed 0.3; Petrenko, Reilly, Dangerfield, Sloane, Thompson, Vince 0.1

76 Tackles:  van Berlo 8; Thompson 7; Reilly, Wright, Riley 5

43 Hitouts: Jacobs 30; Maric 13 

26 Frees: Jacobs, Thompson 3; van Berlo, Wright, Talia 2

Full ¼-by-¼ stats at http://j.mp/p3EgZg

Hawthorn and North went toe-to-toe at Launnie this arv with an unexpected result. OK, it was expected that Hawthorn would win, being a top-4 side against a bottom-8 side, but not the way it went! North were actually leading with not-very-long to go: Matt Campbell booted 5 (4 in the last quarter) and had the Roos' noses just ahead. But with just seconds to go, bang bang - one from Smith and one from Buddy sealed the Roos' fate and the four points for Hawthorn. 

Hawthorn 2.1 6.6 9.8 15.13 (103)

North 3.7 5.7 9.7 13.8 (86)

Hawthorn

Franklin 3.2; Smith 3.1; Breust 2.0; Rioli 1.2; Hale, Ladson 1.1; Whitecross, Lewis, Sewel, Burgoyne 1.0; rushed 0.3; Hodge, Suckling, Shiels 0.1  

340 Possessions: Mitchell 31; Suckling 26; Sewell 25; Hodge 24 

76 Tackles: Shiels 10; Mitchell, Breust 7; Guerra, Whitecross, Ladson 6; Franklin 5

62 Hitouts: Bailey 26; Birchall 23

26 Frees: Lewis 4; Sewell, Birchall 3 

North

Campbell 5.1; Petrie 2.0; Petersen, Harvey 1.1; Goldstein, Ziebel, Wells, Richardson 1.0; rushed 0.3; Harper, Garlett 0.1  

301 Possessions: McMahon 29; Ziebell 27; Harvey 26  

78 Tackles: McMahon, Garlett, Petrie, Thomas 6; Ziebell, Rawlings, Goldstein, Swallow 5

48 Hitouts: Goldstein 37

27 Frees: McMahon 5; Goldstein 4; Petrie 3 

Full ¼-by-¼ stats at http://j.mp/pcm6Z7

So, in a nutshell

• St Kilda def Fremantle 113-72
• Geelong def Gold Coast 188-38
• Carlton def Melbourne 134-58
• Essendon def Sydney 100-99 (Actually, it was Adam Goodes who lost the game for the Swans with the very last kick)
• Port def by Collingwood 21-159
• Brisbane def by Adelaide 105-110
• Hawthorn def North 103-86
• Eagles def Richmond 147-90

Ladder is at http://www.afl.com.au/ladder/tabid/74/default.aspx although there is a round-by-round ladder somewhere else...


Next week we have (my tips):

#AFLSaintsPies

#AFLHawksPort

#AFLFreoBlues

#AFLDogsDons - tough call 

#AFLLionsSuns - I called it the other way around last time ... won't happen again

#AFLDeesEagles

#AFLTigersSwans

#AFLCrowsCats

#AFLNorthBye

Buenos noches

AFL Round 20 (to COB Saturday)

A round of surprise results. Many of the lop-sided games were top 8-vs-bottom 8 but not all!


Take Saints v Freo for example. Fremantle are a top-8 side (although their recent form has them sliding out) and St Kilda are top-8 contenders (in the same vein as Collingwood in David Williamson's The Club). Freo's last quarter was abysmal, showing them and us, at the wrong time of the year, that they're no closer to their first flag than they've ever been:
St Kilda 3.8 7.11 10.13 16.17 (113)
Fremantle 1.1 7.7 10.10 10.11 (71)
St Kilda
Milne 4.4; Koschitzke, dal Santo, Schneider 2.0; Gram, Goddard 1.1; Ray, Fisher, Armitage, McEvoy 1.0; rushed 0.5; Steven, Riewoldt, Peake 0.2
412 Possessions: Jones 29; Blake 27; dal Santo 25; Gram, Fisher 24; Montagna 23; Scheider 21
60 Tackles: dal Santo 8; McEvoy 6; Gram, Koschitzke, Ray 4
54 Hit-Outs: McEvoy 29; Koschitzke 21
22 Frees: Dempster, Milne 3
Fremantle 
Mayne, McPhee 2.1; Ibbotson, Barlow, Johnson, Grover, Mzungu, Suban 1.0; rushed 0.6; Pavlich, Pearce, Hill 0.1
328 Possessions: Mzungu 30; Barlow 26; Lower 22; Pavlich 21

78 Tackles: Barlow 8; Lower, Ibbotson 7; Duffield, Pearce 6; Mzungu, Pavlich, Pearce 5

38 Hit-Outs: Mayne 26

17 Frees: Barlow, Lower, Johnson, Clarke, Ballantyne 2

Full ¼-by-¼ stats (except ¼-time) at http://j.mp/punupl

Carlton v Melbourne went as expected, but when I turned it on, the Dees were ahead by 25 to 19. But that was the end of the rot. Jeff "Jeffie" Garlett, then Bret "T-Bird" Thornton kicked successive goals, and that was the end of the rot: Melbourne only scored another 3 points for the rest of the half, but were allowed to salvage some dignity in the second. If the Blues play like that for their next three matches, they can kiss their finals-win dream goodbye!

Carlton 6.1 14.2 18.7 21.8 (134)

Melbourne 3.7 3.10 6.12 7.16 (58)

Carlton

Ellard 3.1; Garlett 2.2; Judd, Gibbs 2. 1; Walker, Scotland 2.0; Robinson, Kreuzer, Thornton, Betts, Joseph, McLean, Warnock, Henderson 1.0; rushed 0.2; Simpson 0.1

371 Possessions: Scotland 32; Judd, Murphy 31; Gibbs 27; Simpson 22; Robinson 21

62 Tackles: Yarran 8; Judd 6; Robinson, Betts, Kreuzer 5

42 Hit-Outs: Warnock 36 

20 Frees: Betts 3; Scotland, Judd, Murphy, Gibbs 2

Melbourne

Dunn 2.2; Watts 2.1; Green 1.2; Davey 1.1; Howe 1.0; rushed 0.3; Bate, Scully 0.2; Martin, Gysberts, Trengove 0.1  

333 Possessions: Trengove 24; Gysberts 22; Moloney, Jones, Garland, Watts 21

74 Tackles: Trengove 9; Moloney, McKenzie 8; Dunn 7; Scully 6; Gysberts, Macdonald 5

30 Hit-Outs: Martin 15; Gawn 10

21 Frees: Trengove 3; Gysberts, Macdonald, Jones 2

Full ¼-by-¼ stats at http://j.mp/rtNeJm

Collingwood and Geelong proved why they're at the top and why Port and Gold Coast are at the bottom. Both top-sides absolutely crushed both bottom-sides, with calls for Tredders' resignation in the same vein as Craig's earlier this month (before it comes to being pushed like Bailey earlier this week)

Port Adelaide 0.1 1.2 2.2 3.3 (21)

Collingwood 6.5 12.12 16.16 23.21 (159)

Port
Banner 2.0; Stewart 1.0; rushed 0.3

314 Possessions: Boak 31; Pearce 26; Cassisi 23; Banner 21

64 Tackles: Banner 8; Hartlett 6; Salter 5

35 Hit-Outs: Lobbe 27

13 Frees: Banner, Boak, Gray, Pettigrew 2

Pies

Blair 4.1; Cloke 3.6 (that's more like we'd expect; Swan, Beams 3.1; Brown 2.2; Krakouer 2.1; Fasolo 1.3; Pendlebury, Ball, Sidebottom, Rounds, Jolly 1.0; rushed 0.4; Davis 0.2

425 Possessions: Swan 37; Beams 32; Pendlebury 31; Blair, Ball 25; Davis, Thomas 23; Sidebottom 22; Johnson 21

98 Tackles!!!: Pendlebury 9; Ball, Davis, Rounds 7; Swan, Maxwell, Wood 6

55 Hit-Outs: Wood 33; Jolly 22

15 Frees: Jolly, Cloke, Fasolo, Brown 2

Geelong 8.1 18.4 21.8 29.14 (188)

Gold Coast 3.0 3.0 6.1 6.2 (38)

Cats

Johnson 6.1; Podsiadly 5.1; Mooney 3.3; J Selwood 3.0; Christensen 2.3; Chapman, Bartel 2.0; Stokes 1.1;  Wojcinski, Milburn, Ling 1.0; rushed 0.3; Varcoe 0.2

466 Possessions: Varcoe, J Selwood 33; Johnson 31; Chapman 30; Christensen 28; Wojcinski 26; Milburn, Duncan 25

61 Tackles: Chapman, West 6; J Selwood, Kelly, Ling, Corey 4

36 Hit-Outs: West 29

24 Frees: Chapman 4; J Selwood, Christensen 3

Suns

Bennell 2.1; Stanley 2.0; McKenzie, Fraser 1.0; rushed 0.1

331 Possessions: Bock 27; Harbrow 23; Rischitelli 22; Brennan, Bennell 21

54 Tackles: Weller, Brown 2

33 Hit-Outs: Smith 17; Fraser 14

14 Frees: Lynch, Weller 2

Full ¼-by-¼ stats (except ¼-time) at http://j.mp/pb9fVs

#AFLRound19 wash-up, #AFLRound20 tips

#AFLRound19
Friday 29Jul11
#AFLNorthBlues: 3.2 6.2 7.6 9.8 (62) def by 1.4 3.9 6.12 11.4 (80) ... I caught the game (well, sorta kinda: the AFL site still didn't let me have audio) so my 1/4-by-1/4 stats are here.

Saturday 30Jul11
#AFLDogsEagles 2.1 4.2 10.4 15.5 (95) def by 6.4 10.9 13.11 15.13 (103)
#AFLCatsDees 8.3 20.4 28.8 37.11 (233) def 0.3 1.4 5.4 7.5 (47) ... see my blog-entry on this game for the break-down and the records that tumbled!
#AFLSunsSaints 1.3 3.10 4.14 6.18 (54) def by 3.5 6.7 8.11 10.14 (74)
#AFLFreoHawks 0.2 2.3 2.4 6.8 (44) def by 6.3 8.8 11.16 13.17 (95)

Sunday 31Jul11
#AFLPiesDons 4.49.6 15.13 25.16 (166) def 8.3 11.6 13.7 14.8 (92)

DANG! Didn't get my bloody tips in this week!!!

The results make the ladder appear thus
Collingwood       17 16 1 0 2057 1170 175.81% 64
Geelong              18 16 2 0 2029 1344 150.97% 64
Hawthorn            17 13 4 0 1758 1286 136.70% 52
Carlton                18 12 5 1 1844 1393 132.38% 50
West Coast         17 12 5 0 1610 1355 118.82% 48
Sydney                17 9 7 1 1441 1315 109.58% 38
St Kilda               17 9 7 1 1419 1297 109.41% 38
Fremantle             17 9 8 0 1476 1545 95.53% 36
Essendon             18 8 9 1 1770 1770 100.00% 34
North                   18 8 10 0 1703 1708 99.71% 32
Melbourne           17 7 9 1 1528 1760 86.82% 30
Western Bulldogs 18 7 11 0 1628 1734 93.89% 28
Richmond            17 5 11 1 1551 1880 82.50% 22
Adelaide              17 5 12 0 1273 1662 76.59% 20
Brisbane             17 3 14 0 1354 1759 76.98% 12
Gold Coast          17 3 14 0 1192 2072 57.53% 12
Port Adelaide      17 2 15 0 1343 1926 69.73% 8

#AFLRound20 (My tips - which are entered!!)
Friday 05Aug11
#AFLSaintsFreo @ Etihad from 19:40

Saturday 06Aug11
#AFLBluesDees @ MCG from 14:10
#AFLCatsSuns @ Skilled from 14:10
#AFLDonsSwans @Etihad from 19:10
#AFLPortPies @ AAMI from 19:40 AEST

Sunday 07Aug11
#AFLLionsCrows @ the Gabba from 13:10
#AFLHawksNorth @ Aurora (Launnie) from 14:10
#AFLEaglesTigers @ Subi from 16:40 AEST
#AFLDogsBye