SA Footy

On average:
12.05 goals per team per match. This is the lowest since 1999 when there was 11.88 average for the season.
9.55 behinds per team per match. This is the lowest since 1906 when there was 9.09 average for the season. Also, the last sub 10 behinds average for the season was 1920 (9.86).
81.82 points per team per match. This is the lowest since 1999 (81.43)
43.18 scoring shots per match. This is the lowest since 1926 (41.85)

Based on the matches in order as they appear on the programme, there have been 21 matches since the last 50+ scoring shots in a match. This is equal to 1997 when the last 4 rounds, plus the finals series had nothing above 49. The first match on the programme for 1998 also did not have 50 scoring shots in it.

Using the same criteria, there have been 22 matches since the last 200+ points in a match. This is the most since the first 23 matches of 1998 (the last 24 matches of 1997 were also sub 200)

And might I add, the earth tremor prior to the remaining three matches of Round 4 must have rattled the coaches brains (Daniel Healy in particular) or something:

200+ plus matches:
272 pts South 16.13 North 25.13 Rd 4
256 pts Sturt 16.10 Eagles 24.6 Rd 4
226 pts Port 12.12 Central 22.10 Rd 7
214 pts South 18.10 Eagles 15.6 Rd 5
212 pts Central 19.6 Eagles 14.8 Rd 9
207 pts Eagles 17.13 Port 14.8 Rd 2
205 pts Glenelg 18.14 Eagles 12.11 Rd 8

Spellcheck

I'm glad you raised this. I always suspected that this season has been extremely low scoring and as always, your informative stats have confirmed it.

I think this low scoring is a serious problem and I'm not sure how it can be fixed. With the Crows and Power both struggling this year I would have thought that it would have been a good opportunity to showcase the local league. Yes the crowds have been up but I don't think this is because people are appreciative of hte standard. More likely it is just because they have given up on their AFL team this season and want to back a winner (their local team) in the SANFL. But what about next season?

Games are being won by teams but not in the way they used to be. For the most part they are scrappy affairs with deplorable skills made worse by the defensive tactics that are being used. The games are becoming so boring due to the low scores and the poor skills that are being utilised are frustrating the hell out of supporters. Add to that the pathetic standard of umpiring. I am really worried that next year and beyond the crowds will slip backwards.

For what its worth I think some teams are way more defensive then others. Personally I see Glenelg, Centrals, Sturt and eagles as teams who are prepared to play a free flowing game. Port can play this way sometimes. South and in particular Norwood and West are the biggest culprits IMO.

Mr Fuller wrote:Spellcheck

I'm glad you raised this. I always suspected that this season has been extremely low scoring and as always, your informative stats have confirmed it.

I think this low scoring is a serious problem and I'm not sure how it can be fixed. With the Crows and Power both struggling this year I would have thought that it would have been a good opportunity to showcase the local league. Yes the crowds have been up but I don't think this is because people are appreciative of hte standard. More likely it is just because they have given up on their AFL team this season and want to back a winner (their local team) in the SANFL. But what about next season?

Games are being won by teams but not in the way they used to be. For the most part they are scrappy affairs with deplorable skills made worse by the defensive tactics that are being used. The games are becoming so boring due to the low scores and the poor skills that are being utilised are frustrating the hell out of supporters. Add to that the pathetic standard of umpiring. I am really worried that next year and beyond the crowds will slip backwards.

For what its worth I think some teams are way more defensive then others. Personally I see Glenelg, Centrals, Sturt and eagles as teams who are prepared to play a free flowing game. Port can play this way sometimes. South and in particular Norwood and West are the biggest culprits IMO.

While it may not sound like much, last year had 2.7 more scoring shots per match. Look at the matches as a whole and you will see the difference. While in 2006, there was 11.1 more scoring shots per match. A massive difference in just four years.

The only options I can see that will work without being another "oh no, not another rule change" rule is to reduce the teams to 16 a side and limit the number of interchanges per match to 60.

spelly, very few games would see more than 60 interchanges per team now anyway.

West and Norwood would have to be the biggest culprits.

It's just symptomatic of swings and roundabouts in football ... Im sure if teams like West and Norwood were able to source or develop the marquee forwards they wanted, you would see higher scores from them.

For the time being though, you do whatever it takes to get the best results from the tools you have at your disposal.

Also on the downturn in scoring this year:

a. I wonder if the league has the same potency of high profile/achieving forwards it's had in recent years?
b. There really hasn't been a consistent "whipping-boy" in the league this season, and most people have admired the closeness of the competition.

IMHO, it will evolve and sort itself out.

Having players congregating at one end of the ground is not a modern phenominon
Ive seen this game plan spurned several decades ago, and now replicated by some current coaches
The modern day semi successful tactic was first seen on SANFL grounds when the mini league games were first played...

redandblack wrote:spelly, very few games would see more than 60 interchanges per team now anyway.

So hopefully it never comes to that.

I think this low scoring may be a cyclical thing; football will continue to evolve. The AFL average team score so far this season is 90.2, on track to being the lowest-scoring season since 1970. The difference of 8.4 between the SANFL average and the AFL average could largely be attributed to the different timekeeping adopted by the SANFL in 2007 which makes our games nine to ten minutes shorter than previously. That means pretty close to two scoring shots per side which depending on accuracy probably means between 7 and 8 points per side per game.