For the past decade or so, the AFL world has become enraptured with a Supercoach-fuelled footy facade which leads punters to live vicariously through player icons on their screens, their tallies often dictating the next week’s mood of a ‘coach’.
And while Freddie Mercury and GVL Data wouldn’t likely be lumped on to the same bingo card this season, the oddity of ranking points — or fantasy points — ties well into Seymour’s 11.7 (73) to 9.8 (62) loss to Shepparton Swans on Saturday.
For example, if one were to back the Lions lads individually, they’d be on cloud nine.
However, from a results perspective, Seymour fell short of the mark.
To straighten things out, let’s dive in.
No less than seven Seymour players hit a ranking point total of 100-plus during their clash with the Swans, with Tom Maloney, Ricky Schraven, Nathan Beattie, Jack Murphy, David Mundy and Cooper Lubeck all cracking the ton.
In comparison, only two Swans — Enrique Goggin and Mark Kovacevic — touched that height.
Maloney (142 ranking points) was most diligent with 21 contested possessions and 12 clearances, while Mundy’s 17 contested touches and 14 ground ball gets had the home fans beaming.
This indicates that when the Lions’ best run hot, they’re blazing.
Seymour totals vs the rest of the GVL
Ranking points: 17007 (seventh)
Disposals: 3692 (seventh)
Marks: 1107 (third)
Clearances: 382 (11th)
Goals: 119 (10th)
But when other players don’t make up the rest of the ground, it’s clear a side that is more complete thanks to the sum of its parts can poke holes in the Kings Park tenant.
For example, Shepparton Swans boasted only three players to tally 20 or more disposals but saw six men fall within the 14-19 threshold.
Conversely, seven Lions racked up 20-plus touches but only two players sat within the following tier.
For those not in the know, disposals are the bread and butter behind any player’s ranking point tally.
Seymour lays claim to a king among men in that department.
Beattie has the most touches of any player in the Goulburn Valley League this season with 369, beating out Shepparton ball magnet Adam De Cicco by 20 uses of the footy.
The gun Lion also boasts the second most individual ranking points with 1536, trailing De Cicco by 116.
But as we’d expect, this is not an accurate measure of team performance.
Tenth-placed Benalla has the same number of ranking point beasts inside the top 20 as Echuca (three apiece), while fourth-ranked Euroa does not have a single player to feature in that bracket.
So, where can Seymour improve from a team-wide standpoint?
Without the presence of an out-and-out ruckman, the Lions sit flat bottom of the hit out charts and are only one place above Kyabram (last) in the clearance department.
Seymour’s middling 10th spot in total pressure acts also leaves a bit to be desired.
Ben Davey’s side is respectable, if not impressive, in many of the other categories that equate to points on the board, so if the Lions can sharpen up their weaknesses, wins should flow.
Even finals might not be such a fantasy after all.
