SA Footy

These graphs compare the points per team per match, and the total scoring shots per match. These years are from 1898-1915; 1919-1941;1945-2010

From what I can gather in that second graph, it appears the scoring shots in the SANFL this year is at its lowest since the mid-1920s?

1925 - was 41.31, 2010 was 41.54.

Nice graphs Spelly

You should also overlay a graph of cricket batting averages over that period to see the surprising correlation there as well.

I can see it now - the 30s were high scoring in cricket, too! Perhaps people were trying to be positive in a bleak world - financially and politically. It depends how you want me to do it - team averages per innings or individual averages.

Great graphs there Spelly. Amazing that the scoring trends grew and receded about the same time across the three leagues.

I think it would be the same for other leagues too. In fact, even a lot of country leagues seem to as well. I'd love to know the VFA and their highest scoring years averages. Any league I have seen a ladder for in the 1980s suggests that the average score was well over 100 points per team a match. It's as if the big leagues tactics influence them.

I was watching the highlights last night of a 1981 WAFL Match between Claremont and Swan Districts. These two teams became in 1981 the only WAFL teams to boot 3000 points or more in a home and away season (Claremont 3352 and Swans 3036) and the game is great. Open footy, high scoring (Claremont won the match 22.16 to 20.13) and great players (Claremont had Graham Moss, the Krakouer Brothers, Steve Malaxos, Wayne Blackwell, Warren Ralph all in great touch... Swan Districts had Phil Narkle, Simon Beasley, Graham Melrose, Gerard Neesham and more).

Don't think I'll ever tire of watching these highlights (watch the intro and see the utter lack of surprise when it's mentioned that South Fremantle kicked 40.18 in their game that day):



1981 was easily the highest scoring year in the WAFL, with Claremont and Swans topping 3000 and South Fremantle missing out by a whisker of doing the same (and going by your graph Spelly, the highest ever out of the WAFL, SANFL and VFL/AFL in terms of points per game).

What were the highest scoring SANFL years and who were the highest scoring teams in those years?

That clip reminds me of this one, where the scores were read out with similar monotone expressions:



And indeed, 1985 is the highest scoring year. 118.98 points on average teams kicked. Although I tend to look at scoring shots per match; which 1985 comes out on top still, with 62.48 as a match aggregate.

viewtopic.php?f=30&t=7805

Those are the scores from 1985. After the major round, West Adelaide had the best attack, with 127.92 points per match. Then came last placed Woodville with 125.09 followed by premiers Glenelg with 124.24.

The average score for those teams are well down on the overall records - 1985 was more of an even spread of scoring averages, as South was the lowest with 105.23, therefore the only year that everyone averaged at least 100 points.

Glenelg in 1975 averaged 151.66 points, which does not raise eyebrows considering this included the 49.23 score.

These are the years that averaged 100 points or more:

1985 118.98 West 127.92 (3rd) Woodville 125.09 (10th)
1982 115.91 Sturt 131.54 (4th) West 128.00 (6th)
1983 113.55 West 145.58 (1st) Sturt 135.52 (2nd) - the two highest points tallies ever, with 3494 and 3513 respectively.
1975 110.85 Glenelg 151.66 (2nd) Port 121.48 (3rd)
1984 109.81 Glenelg 117.16 (3rd) Port 115.63 (2nd)
1980 109.78
1976 108.33
1939 106.73
1936 106.18
1981 105.30
1993 104.99
1974 104.82
1990 104.39
1940 104.31
1977 104.22
1973 103.24
1938 103.11
2006 103.03
1986 102.61
1942 101.95
1987 101.77
1992 101.67
1941 101.37
1944 101.29
1934 101.28
1988 100.40

Top 20 for scoring shots per match (divide by half for each team):
1985 62.48
1975 62.18
1982 61.47
1980 61.47
1939 61.24
1976 60.80
1974 60.07
1983 59.99
1940 59.60
1938 59.14
1936 58.82
1981 58.71
1973 58.64
1984 58.34
1942 58.18
1944 58.11
1977 58.09
1934 57.83
1941 57.25
1993 57.06

spell_check wrote:These are the years that averaged 100 points or more:

1983 113.55 West 145.58 (1st) Sturt 135.52 (2nd) - the two highest points tallies ever, with 3494 and 3513 respectively.

Do those tallies include finals as well?

Yes, 24 matches for West and 26 for Sturt.

spell_check wrote:I think it would be the same for other leagues too. In fact, even a lot of country leagues seem to as well. I'd love to know the VFA and their highest scoring years averages. Any league I have seen a ladder for in the 1980s suggests that the average score was well over 100 points per team a match. It's as if the big leagues tactics influence them.

Spelly, it's not just the influence of tactics, but impact of changes of rules as well - kicking out of bounds in the 30s, centre diamond/square in the 70s, out on the full in the 80s etc. And of course, the SANFL alone has been impacted in the last four years by the ridiculous changes they made to timekeeping rules which, by my estimation has reduced the average score by about seven and the average number of scoring shots per game by about four. 93 is the 'new 100'.

Yes, bring back the pre 1996 timekeeping rules! There was nothing wrong with them.