We don't get a mention probably because we are one of the worst at it Metres gained a stat for winnersDan Silkstone | July 16, 2009
IN 2009, a new footy stat is gaining ground and gaining ground is a new footy stat. Football's emerging breed of young coaches is using different statistical measures to value and understand a game that is moving quite differently to even two years ago.
Then, nobody looked at metres gained. It did not exist in AFL football and was a concept associated with codes such as rugby league and American football that are traditionally built around field position.
Australian rules was a game based on ball possession; it measured disposals. Last year, when Champion Data started collecting information on metreage for AFL teams, few took much notice. In 2009, it has seriously caught on.
Around half of the league's 16 teams are paying for the service this year and among them are some of the most innovative and successful of coaching set-ups.
Metres gained measures how far players progress the ball towards their goal, be it by hand, by foot or by running and carrying it.
Only forward movement counts (apart from deep in defence where lateral movement is taken into account if it takes the ball away from the opposition goals).
The new stat is generally attached to another measure — the retention rate — that shows in percentage terms how often a player progresses the ball to a teammate, rather than to the opposition or to a contest and stoppage.
Together, these metrics show who is best at moving the ball, 2009 style.
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