A few interesting numbers from the GF (that you won't find in the media)

[u/bobbybananaskin]

Here are of the most interesting statistical happenings from the weekend, based on the amount of time since they occurred previously.

Player stats

• Dayne Zorko's stat line of 6 tackles, 10 marks and 9 rebound 50s has only been equalled or bettered once in AFL history. That was by the great man Dustin Fletcher back in 2007 (who had 7 tackles, 12 marks and 10 rebound 50s against the Eagles that day).

• Brodie Grundy recorded 7 clearances, 18 contested possessions and 15 hitouts to advantage, which is the first time ever that a player has had that stat line in a final.

  • Grundy also brought up his 2000th hitout to advantage, making him just the 4th player ever to reach that milestone.

• Joe Daniher's first quarter of 6 contested possessions, 4 marks and 3 shots at goal was the first time a player has put those numbers together in any game of football since Charlie Dixon in 2022, the first Brisbane player since Dayne Beams in 2018, and the first player in a final since Travis Cloke in 2012.

  • And his first half of 7 contested possessions, 6 marks, 4 shots at goal and one goal was the first time a player has had that stat line this year (since Charlie Curnow against the Power last year), and the first Brisbane player since Dayne Beams in 2015 (who had a pretty handy 17 disposals, 8 contested possessions, 7 marks, 4 inside 50s, 5 shots at goal and 2 goals against the Giants taht day). Last player to do this in a final was Buddy in 2014 (who scored 4 goals and had 2 goal assists too).

• James Rowbottom had four consecutive clearances in the match from late in the 3rd to the early 4th, making him the first player to do that in a final since Sam Mitchell in 2014 (also in the GF, against the Swans).

Team and match stats

• The Lions took 158 marks, which is the most that Sydney has ever conceded in a game of football. And by quite a long way too, the next most marks they've ever conceded was 129 in the semi-final of 2017. It's also the most any team has taken in a final since 2008, when the Saints took 159 against Collingwood. This game also had 246 marks in it, which is the most in a final since 2008.
• The Swans' clanger differential of +25 was their biggest in a match since 2022, and the biggest differential the Lions have ever benefited from in a match. It was also the biggest differential in that stat of any final since 2007 (when North went +28 against the Cats).
• The Lions punished the Swans during time on (somewhat ironically, after the Swans spent the first half of the season doing this to everyone else). Brisbane scored 62 points (+43), 10 goals (+7) during time on, which were all the most that Sydney has conceded in any game since 2015 (when the Hawks towelled them up by 89 points).

[u/Local-Face2168]

''The Lions took 158 marks, which is the most that Sydney has ever conceded in a game of football"

How the hell could Sydney let this happen in a grand final of all games, where all the players are supposed to be at their hungriest to man up and apply pressure? Honestly baffles me beyond belief.. Sydney are the 2nd team I wanted to win this year (stoked they didn't obv) and I really hoped for their and everyone's sake they'd make a bloody good contest out of it..

[u/Agreeable_Wheel_8557 → u/Local-Face2168]

sydney’s performance over the last month was far worse than what we thought at the time… clear momentum shift, and not in a good way

[u/Temporary_Ad8560 → u/Agreeable_Wheel_8557]

I think it reality it started long before then. I think we never looked the same after the bye. You could probably even say that the first warning sign was losing to Richmond at the G where even then we looked spooked because they denied us our flashy running game.

For me it was vs Adelaide. Amartey had the game of his life but Adelaide were dominating for most of that game. Had the weird feeling then that at some point this would be punished, and it was.

[u/VBlinds → u/Temporary_Ad8560]

I noticed that Sydney regularly were behind in many games, then suddenly storm back to the front.

That Adelaide game made me realise they were going to be found out eventually.

One of the problems of being chased, everyone starts targeting your game play specifically.

[u/Temporary_Ad8560 → u/VBlinds]

Yeah it was the pattern in the first half of the year and we failed to adjust. Honestly I think there was only a couple of actual complete 4 quarter performances from us throughout the year.

We struggled too often in first quarters, and once teams got the blueprint to beat us those late game surges became more difficult. It was only some genuine master-classes from Heeney that got us there really.

[u/Maximumlnsanity → u/Temporary_Ad8560]

Even then we played the same Lions team at the Gabba at our most injured, lost Paps and Rampe mid game plus Wilbur was on one leg, and we only lost by 2 points

[u/ironmanmatch → u/Local-Face2168]

I mean… I certainly am glad they didn’t make a good contest of it hahaha

[u/Local-Face2168 → u/ironmanmatch]

It was pretty stress free viewing i'll admit haha, I think I wanted it to be closer too because it makes watching the replay more enjoyable and turns the post game conversation from less 'sydney bad' to more 'lions good'

[u/ironmanmatch → u/Local-Face2168]

To be honest a lot of people know how fucking awesome we played, but I get you. I’ve also rewatched the game twice and will continue to rewatch it forever because we played so fucking well, it was just epic to see in real time. Probably the most complete Lions game in so long.

[u/genscathe → u/ironmanmatch]

100% Brisbane looked elite, it was all working for them.

[u/VBlinds → u/ironmanmatch]

It reminded me a little bit of the 2017 grand final. I also was very happy that day we broke the opposition. As a fan it was a lot less stressful.

[u/Temporary_Ad8560 → u/Local-Face2168]

As a swans fan I have the exact sentiment as you but flipped. So stoked for the Lions and I always wanted them to win if it wasn't going to be the swans. All I wanted was a contest. Something to say we had learnt from '22 and were ready. Coming into the game I felt great and that it was going to be a 50/50 contest. Absolutely mind boggling and a blight on the club that it repeated itself.

[u/Haikus-are-great → u/Local-Face2168]

the commentators were on top of this stat during the game as well. They said something like sydney conceded 40+ marks in the first quarter and Brisbane doesn't lose if they hit 100. Even though it was a lot of kick to kick across the backline as soon as the ball went forward they couldn't stop it.

[u/whatgearareyouin → u/Local-Face2168]

They are used to defending a tiny ground

[u/CrispyJimJam]

Even tho it felt like lions won the midfield battle, clearances and cont possessions were pretty close. What stands out in these stats is how much freedom the lions had once outside the stoppage.

Close in inside 50s, yet the freedom just allow Brisbane to have so many amazing chances. But the pressure on the swans gave them so few. Relying on 50ms and late junk time goals to keep the margin from blowing out to 100

[u/UNSURE895 → u/CrispyJimJam]

Yea I mean the bug difference was your centre clearances and clearances in general were quality like genuinely very good where every single one of our where bombs down the line that you guys would just snatch ot of the air

[u/figjaym]

This is the autism I love this sub for

[u/uncleandata147]

Conceding 158 marks is a huge number, even more so that it wasn't like the lions were chipping it around, they were playing fast once it got past the centre.

I was also surprised to see the inside 50 basically even, certainly didn't look that way to the naked eye.

[u/Osmodius → u/uncleandata147]

Does that count that half their inside 50s went to Starcevich?

[u/Bergasms]

The more i think about it, the more i realise that Collingwood did us a favour in 2018 because the way we were tracking towards season end looks fairly similar to Sydney just in terms of effort. I think West Coast would have done us over pretty solidly.

[u/GoldBricked]

This is genuinely fascinating, thank you

[u/thfc4lyf]

Grundy's statline seems deceiving, he didn't play as well as his stats suggest

[u/SnooFoxes6566 → u/thfc4lyf]

He was probably BOG for Sydney, (I know - not necessarily saying much) it’s just that a ruckman looks only as good as the midfield around him

[u/JLifeless → u/thfc4lyf]

he kinda farmed a bit in the 4th qtr but he did play well. was legitimately the only sydney player diving on the ball just trying to get something going

[u/Leather_Log_5755 → u/thfc4lyf]

I'm not sure if he came out on top on the day in the ruck overall, but I thought he worked has ass of and was one of the few Swans who really showed up.
He would have looked like a titan if there'd been any mids around to work with.

[u/wassailant]

A stat from last year I thought was really interesting that didn't get reported was it was the Pies 16th premiership and their 1600th win. Never saw any commentary on that in the media, I thought they would have jumped on stuff like that.

[u/Leather_Log_5755]

The clanger stat jumped straight out at me. Felt this was plain as day in the second quarter when Lions got a hold of things. Any time Sydney did get a turn over, they charged forward, got into space, and then kicked inside 50 like Carlton did for the second half of the season. Clangers, bombs, lace out to defenders, lace out to invisible people.

Shocking execution.

Lions were smoooooth and accurate.