Statistically-aware Goulburn Valley League footballers may not be rushing in to their team’s defence to take kick-ins after the decision of GVL statisticians to deduct a point from their ranking points game day totals.
The kick-in attracts a one-point penalty when a player leaves the goal square to re-start the game after the opposition team has registered a minor score.
At AFL level, debate has raged about kick-ins counting as a statistic for Fantasy Football and in historical records, mostly on the back of a 42-possession game from Collingwood’s Nick Daicos.
Prior to the point deduction for a kick-in, any player who was able to play on from the goal square and find a teammate with a kick outside the opposition team’s 50-metre arc would earn 5.5 points (three points for an effective kick and two points for a rebound 50 statistic).
By deducting a point, that brings it back to 4.5 points earned — still attractive, but in the mind of the statistical “powers-that-be’’, a more accurate reflection of the value of the kick-in skill.
The ranking points system that appears in the last column of the GVL Data statistical sheets is based around almost 40 categories and, unlike, the Fantasy Football model, it takes much more into account than disposals, marks, tackles, hit-outs and scoring shots on goal.
In the GVL, players can lose points from their weekend total for fumbles (a one-point loss), turnovers (a three-point deduction), out of bounds on full kicks, a 50m penalty (a four-point deduction) and for giving away a free kick (-2.5 points).
Conversely, there are plenty of ways to collect ranking points, the most valuable of those being a contested mark (3.5 points).
Outside the normal kick, mark and handball statistics, there are also some big wins in the clearance and intercept marking categories (three points apiece), along with the defensive acts of spoils, smothers and blocks (shepherds), which all attract two points.
For the ruckmen, a hit-out is worth one point and a hit-out to advantage is worth 2.5 points.
There is even half a point awarded for those players who decide to complete an effective knock-on, instead of taking possession.
GVL statisticians believe the ranking points model offers a much more rounded reflection of a player’s game-day performance.
And there is more to come. The ranking points totals reported in this article are just how the first two rounds have been recorded.
Ranking points will now be awarded on a more positional basis, maybe even as soon as this week. If you notice an update to the ranking points leaderboard, that will be the reason why.
But for now, at least, the likes of Kane Cornes, highly critical of players who get “cheap possessions’’, will be happy to know at least there is one competition taking action on the introduction of the play on from the kick-in rule change of 2020.
Our case study from round two, Rochester midfielder Joe Atley, shows how a player can earn and lose points.
Atley earned a total of 188.5 points, but lost 30.5 of those through turnovers, fumbles, free kicks against and in other areas of the game which attract a negative point return.
He finished with 158 points, among the most of any player in the GVL this season.
Atley’s 158-point round two total was influenced heavily by the fact he scored well in the rebound 50, inside 50, clearance, tackles and gathers.
He is the only Rochester player to have scored more than 100 points in successive weeks to start the season.
After two rounds he had the most points of any player in the competition, after scoring 102 in the opening round against Kyabram, followed by his 158-point tally against Seymour.
That total included 13 clearances (39 points), six inside 50s (12 points), four free kicks (eight points) and 13 gathers (26 points) even before his 33 possessions were taken into account.
He had another 131-point game against Echuca at the weekend, with 10 clearances, eight ground-ball gets and six rebound 50s helping his score
He and Blake Evans (112 in round one) are the only Tigers to score more than 100 points in a game so far. Evans scored 97 in week two and another 85 points in round three, from 31 possessions.
Anthony De Pasquale’s 153-point round one game is also among the best of the GVL season.
De Pasquale kicked four goals, had 23 disposals and took eight marks. His total also included 10 pressure acts (an extra five points) and attracted limited deductions.
Echuca’s round one match against Tatura produced 1700 ranking points and three players secured more than 140 individual points.
All three of those remain among the top 10 points scorers after three rounds, Sam Reid’s record of 160 points in the game still the most outstanding individual return of the early rounds.
Sam Willoughby scored 150 points and Matt Lias 140 in the same game.
He scored only 23 points the following week when he failed to hit the scoreboard (one behind) and had just nine possessions along with two marks.
Kaine Herbert scored 148 in round one and 100 points the following week, while Zac Norris’ 145-point week one performance was lessened when he shared rucking duties with Aidan Robinson and scored only 77 points the following week.
Brad Whitford, too, has had an up and down return in the ranking points arena. His 140 round two total came after scoring only 76 points in week one.
Rhys Clarke, Rueben Rode, Thomas Burnett and Toby Wooller are the only other players to have scored 100-point games.
Five players scored triple figures against Rochester, but only three topped the century tally against the reigning premier.
