Heading into the game, much was made of Sydney’s excellent ability to defend from stoppages. On Friday night, the Kangaroos were able to find a way around it and actually ended with a slight advantage for total points from clearances.
Preliminary Final | Total clearances | Points from clearances | Points per 100 |
North Melbourne | 41 | 46 | 112.2 |
Sydney | 34 | 39 | 114.7 |
Throughout the year, beating Sydney at scores from stoppages usually aligned with a positive result. As a matter of fact, in Round 4, it was North with a 29-point edge in the statistic. Coincidentally, the Kangaroos scored 46 points from stoppages in both meetings this year.
North’s slight edge from stoppages was reflected by winning more hardball gets. So with the advantage from stoppages and the ability minimise Sydney’s ability to go coast-to-coast from kick ins, it left only one more score source. Unfortunately it was turnovers that hurt the visitors.
The final margin on the scoreboard and turnover differential was the same – 71 points.
When North had the ball, it was unable to capitalise on its opposition’s mistakes like it’s done so well all season. Sydney was able to retreat back with numbers quickly, crippling any attempt by the Kangaroos to move the ball into forward 50 space.
Then, regularly the Swans forced turnovers. With the Kangaroos set up in an attacking position, the home side moved the ball with lightning speed into an open forward-line, where Lance Franklin and company had plenty of space to move.
Preliminary Final | Total turnovers forced | Points from turnovers | Points per 100 |
North Melbourne | 46 | 13 | 28.3 |
Sydney | 66 | 84 | 127.3 |
Normally a team scores from approximately a quarter of its turnovers forced. In the preliminary final, Sydney scored from more than a third, showing its quality moving the ball forward.
After half-time, the Kangaroos attempted to get back into the game by moving the ball quicker; an effort to work around Sydney’s impeccable defensive setups. However the increased risk didn’t quite pan out, as the Swans were still able to score from turnovers.
North’s mark-play on percentage significantly increased, as the table illustrates.
Preliminary Final | Mark-play on % | Points conceded from turnovers | Points per 100 |
NMFC, first half | 26.2% | 40 | 117.6 |
NMFC, second half | 50% | 44 | 137.5 |
Over the coming weeks, NMFC.com.au will have a deep dive into some advanced statistics, showing how the Kangaroos fared in each area compared to 2013, and how the side ranked in relation to the rest of the AFL.
