As the curtain closes on the home-and-away season, quick analysis of the ladder shows a few interesting things.
For the first time in 22 years, three teams can only be separated by percentage for the minor premiership. The last time it happened, Geelong, Footscray and Collingwood were all on 16 wins. It could have been four teams if not for the eventual premiers, the West Coast Eagles, who finished with 15 and a draw.
This time around, the Swans loss to the Tigers has left us with three teams on 17 wins.
At the other end of the scale, it has been 10 years since the wooden spoon has been decided by percentage. Prior to this, I didn’t bother looking past 1987 and couldn’t find another. In 2004, it was the Tigers who had the lower percentage than Hawthorn.
What a difference 10 years makes. But it does highlight how different the journey can be from the bottom to either the top, or eighth or ninth.
The top of our table shows how even it is between the top three If you throw Fremantle in the mix, who are just one more game behind, it surprises me that it has taken 22 years to get such an even top four
Richmond secured a spot in the finals with 12 wins. The lowest in our final eight era, and most recently, was Essendon with 10 wins in 2009. It was as high as 14 in 2012 when North Melbourne and Fremantle finished seventh and eighth.
Winning half your games may not get you into the top eight anymore, something West Coast, Adelaide and Collingwood might be having a few schooners over today.
Sunday’s dead rubbers showed just how important some sides take to finishing off the season well. Although it was too little too late, West Coast and Adelaide produced big wins that left them wondering why. The Giants sent off Josh Hunt in a way that the Dogs would have liked to send off Gia. Lenny’s month long farewell was complete without a win.
One lot of fans are thanking the Swans, the others are packing away their scarves for another season.
With the real season starting this Friday night, every game is a blockbuster. I for one think this has been one of the more even seasons we have seen in recent times.
A premier could come from fourth or fifth. We could see fifth and sixth bow out in week one. The top two could go put in straight sets. The final can once again include only interstate teams.
So many possibilities. Gee I love September.
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