Wynstan Stats Central examines which stats influenced Footscray’s 31-point triumph over the Casey Scorpions in the Peter Jackson VFL Legendairy Grand Final.
The Bulldogs claimed the 2016 flag by comprehensively preventing the Scorpions from doing what they’ve done better than any other team for the majority of the year.
Casey finished the home-and-away season as the competition’s top-ranked team for disposals, handballs, uncontested possessions, inside-50s, tackles, points for and points against per game, while also ranking second behind Williamstown for hitouts, contested possessions and clearances per game. Basically, the Scorpions were superb at extracting the ball from stoppages and happy to then share it around by hand until the best option to score presented.
Just three weeks prior to the Grand Final, they defeated Footscray by 70 points in such a fashion, recording big wins in contested possessions and disposals to help put 20 goals on the board.
But with the assistance of some extra AFL-listed players and the undeniable spirit pervading the club in the wake of the Western Bulldogs’ progression to the AFL Grand Final the previous night, the VFL Bulldogs came out snarling on Sunday.
It started with Will Minson (32 hitouts) and Tom Campbell (18, two goals) controlling the ruck battle with Casey pair Jake Spencer (23 hitouts) and Oscar McInerney (seven), who gave the likes of Koby Stevens (29 disposals, 13 contested possessions, eight clearances), Lukas Webb (22, 14, six) and Norm Goss Medallist Lin Jong (29, 10, four) first use of the ball. Footscray ended up winning the disposal count by 25, the contested possession count by 11 and clearance count by seven – a rare trifecta against this Scorpions outfit in 2016.
And despite conceding more of the ball, the VFL’s no.1 tackling team was also out-pressured by the frenetic Bulldogs, who recorded an exceptional 101 tackles – 22 more than Casey. Jed Adcock led the way with 12 tackles, while Liam Nash laid 10 and Stevens nine.
This pressure on the normally-assured Scorpions ball-carriers gave Footscray captain Jordan Russell plenty of chances to set up behind the ball and intercept their forward forays. Russell’s 24 disposals, nine marks and seven rebound-50s proved highly influential and contributed to his team’s +26 advantage in inside-50s, an avalanche that eventually overwhelmed Casey’s defenders in the defining eight-goal-to-nil third quarter.
All the key stats indicate the Bulldogs simply wanted their second VFL premiership in three years more than the Scorpions.
Grand Final stats leaders:
KICKS |
|
|
|
Jordan Russell |
Footscray |
19 |
|
Lynden Dunn |
Casey Scorpions |
18 |
|
Matt Jones |
Casey Scorpions |
16 |
|
Ben Kennedy |
Casey Scorpions |
16 |
|
Koby Stevens |
Footscray |
14 |
|
|
|
|
|
HANDBALLS |
|
|
|
Clayton Oliver |
Casey Scorpions |
19 |
|
Lin Jong |
Footscray |
16 |
|
Koby Stevens |
Footscray |
15 |
|
Jack Grimes |
Casey Scorpions |
13 |
|
James Munro |
Casey Scorpions |
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
MARKS |
|
|
|
Jordan Russell |
Footscray |
9 |
|
Lin Jong |
Footscray |
9 |
|
Lynden Dunn |
Casey Scorpions |
7 |
|
Koby Stevens |
Footscray |
6 |
|
Tim Smith |
Casey Scorpions |
6 |
|
|
|
|
|
HITOUTS |
|
|
|
Will Minson |
Footscray |
32 |
|
Jake Spencer |
Casey Scorpions |
23 |
|
Tom Campbell |
Footscray |
18 |
|
Oscar McInerney |
Casey Scorpions |
7 |
|
Jack Trengove |
Casey Scorpions |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
TACKLES |
|
|
|
Jed Adcock |
Footscray |
12 |
|
Liam Nash |
Footscray |
10 |
|
Koby Stevens |
Footscray |
9 |
|
Will Minson |
Footscray |
8 |
|
Roarke Smith |
Footscray |
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
VFL LEADING GOALKICKERS |
|
|
Seniors |
|
Goals |
Total |
Ahmed Saad |
Coburg |
DNP |
49 |
Cameron Shenton |
Sandringham |
DNP |
42 |
Sam Dunell |
Williamstown |
DNP |
37 |
Dylan Conway |
Williamstown |
DNP |
35 |
Ayce Cordy |
Williamstown |
DNP |
35 |
Related content:
Bulldogs bring home VFL premiership
Norm Goss Medallist: Lin Jong
Ash Hansen leads Dogs to win
Stats Central: Stats that mattered in the Prelims
Stats Central: Stats that mattered in the Semis
Stats Central: Stats that mattered in Finals Wk 1
Last Modified on 28/09/2016 11:14