Micro Noises - Issue 7
Spooky Cats
As we watched the Geelong versus Adelaide game unfold last Saturday we couldn't help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu. Specifically, we felt just like we had on the 26th March, 1983. Why? Firstly, because Geelong were playing as the home side on Saturday, just as they were in 1983 (although it was only nominally a home game in 1983 - that match was played at Waverley Park). Nothing special about that of course; the Cats play 11 home games every year. But it just so happened that Geelong's 1983 opponent, Footscray, was 3.2 (20) at quarter-time of that match, as their opponent Adelaide was last Saturday.
"Big deal", we hear you say, "3.2 is a common quarter-time score". True, but Adelaide's three-quarter time score at the weekend was 9.8 (62), just as Footscray's was at the same juncture of that 1983 match.
"Yes, unusual, but not exactly rare."
Okay then, how about this? Adelaide's FINAL score of 11.9 (75) was ALSO exactly the same as Footscray's of 1983. Not only that, but Geelong's final score of 15.12 (102) against Adelaide was only four points shy of their 15.16 (106) against Footscray. In summary, that's a Geelong 2012 score only four points away from its 1983 total and an opposition score that was identical at quarter-time, three-quarter-time AND full-time!
What's that? You're STILL not convinced that's spooky? Well here's the clincher - the official crowd last Saturday was 18,377. The official crowd at the Geelong-Footscray match in 1983 was ALSO 18,377, the ONLY other time in history that crowd figure has been recorded.
Now THAT'S spooky!
A totally new score
West Coast's 98-point drubbing of Brisbane on Sunday featured some very accurate kicking, which resulted in a final score for the Eagles of 28.7 (175). While not being the first instance of a team scoring a total of 175 (it was in fact the 13th), it was the first such occasion in VFL/AFL history that a combination of 28 goals and 7 behinds has been registered. That permutation is one of four registered this year that have never before been seen. In Round 4, the Eagles kicked an incredible 5.21 (51) against Hawthorn. In Round 15 the Hawks themselves came up with a first, kicking 28.25 (193). And just a week later, North Melbourne chimed in with a never-before-seen total of 24 goals 5 against Carlton.
28, 27, 26...
The Eagles' 28-goal effort was one of three scores of over 25 goals in Round 18 (Hawthorn kicked 27.18 and Collingwood registered 26.18). Three such numbers in one round is pretty unusual, especially when considering that just two seasons ago, in 2010, no side scored more than 25 goals in a match for the entire year! There have been four occasions over the past decade-and-a-half in which two sides have score over 25 goals in the one round (Round 17, 2006, Round 22, 2003, Round 6, 2000 and Round 17, 1996). But we have to go all the way back to Round 2, 1996, to find the last time three teams scored more than 25 goals in a single round. In that round, North Melbourne 26.12 defeated Footscray 5.7, Geelong 26.8 accounted for St Kilda 20.14 and Collingwood 27.11 trounced Melbourne 11.13.
1, 2, 3...
You really have to feel for Richmond fans. Three heartbreaking last-minute losses in a row. Well we do feel for them - but we also felt pretty excited after the game because we couldn't remember the last time a team lost three consecutive games by under a goal as the Tigers have now done. So we commenced Gig Dig #2 in an effort to find out and travelled back in time to the year 2000 without finding a case. Fortunately, at that point news came through from Michael Rogers via FootyStats that the last such occurrence was in 1980, when Essendon lost by 5 points, 4 points and 4 points from rounds 14-16. The only other teams to have attained this dubious honour are Melbourne (twice - in 1905 and 1969), Fitzroy (1923) and North Melbourne (1926). No team has ever lost FOUR in a row by under a goal, which means that Richmond have a chance to write themselves into the record books when they take on Brisbane at the Gabba this Saturday night. Here's hoping for a close finish!
Postcode of the week
Our mind began to wander at quarter-time in the match between West Coast and Brisbane on Sunday. (And why wouldn't it? The direction the game was heading was obvious.) And it wandered to thoughts of Dennis Lillee, who was the Eagles' number one ticket-holder in 2003 and 2004. And it dawned on us that the quarter-time score was in fact a quirky tribute to the great fast bowler. Lillee was later to become well known as the public face of Carpet Call, whose jingle include the line, "Call, call, Carpet Call". The Eagles led 46-12 at the first break and 4612 is the postcode of Kawl Kawl.
Ridiculous footy anagram of the week
His milestone was overshadowed somewhat by teammate Brendon Goddard's 200th game, but congratulations to JASON GRAM on reaching the 150-game mark. Given that Gram loves nothing more than to sneak out of defence and kick a long goal on the run, it seems appropriate that he's an anagram of SNAG MAJOR.
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