Funny how WCE get massively favoured in the free kicks in Perth, Freo don't get the same favouritism over there, although they have done a bit better this year they just aren't in the same league as West Coast.
Now, it has been pointed out that we have been adjusting our game style to the new rules and doing more short kicks and chip passes of late. Apparently this has meant that we are playing in such a way as to no longer give away so many free kicks . . . well that hypothesis is firmly out the window. We were on track for way more uncontested marks than our usual game tonight and still lost the free kick count by a mile.
We saw the usual tonight - not by much, but WCE normally give away 16.9 free kicks a game, tonight it was 15. Richmond always seem to face every team on their most angelic behaviour - sorry, this just isn't sustainable, what it is, is bulls***.
So, what does this look like now that normal service has resumed, it looks like this:
That yawning gap is because they pay bulls*** frees against us (dangerous tackle and throw were features near the end tonight) and barely pay any for us.
We not only have the largest free kick differential by a mile, we also have the lowest number of free kicks received. We average 16.08 free kicks for a game, I haven't crunched the numbers but no-one else is close. We clearly have an effect on our opposition such that they suddenly play like angels.
DS