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Contested possession not critical: Hopkins
Greg Baum
June 13, 2012
A FOOTBALL stats pioneer and the man who coined much of the terminology says that contested possession is overrated as a measure of a good football team, was misunderstood by many in the game and had become ''one of the fashion statements of the time''.
Ted Hopkins, who founded Champion Data in 1995, says that quality disposal is a more accurate guide to winning than contested possession. ''An extra quality disposal is worth two points on the scoreboard, an extra contested possession is worth one point,'' Hopkins said. ''The art of kicking is the most sublimely important skill in football. I get amazed at this focus on players crashing in like road carnage. There's no point unless you've got the ability or the teamwork to extract the ball. The best way to put pressure on an opposition is precise disposal.''
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-new...#ixzz1xbywzPuP
It also explains how it is that a fortnight ago, Sydney lost the contested possession count to the Dogs, but won by 92 points. Last week, playing Essendon, the Swans again lost that stat and won the game.
Greg Baum
June 13, 2012
A FOOTBALL stats pioneer and the man who coined much of the terminology says that contested possession is overrated as a measure of a good football team, was misunderstood by many in the game and had become ''one of the fashion statements of the time''.
Ted Hopkins, who founded Champion Data in 1995, says that quality disposal is a more accurate guide to winning than contested possession. ''An extra quality disposal is worth two points on the scoreboard, an extra contested possession is worth one point,'' Hopkins said. ''The art of kicking is the most sublimely important skill in football. I get amazed at this focus on players crashing in like road carnage. There's no point unless you've got the ability or the teamwork to extract the ball. The best way to put pressure on an opposition is precise disposal.''
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-new...#ixzz1xbywzPuP
It also explains how it is that a fortnight ago, Sydney lost the contested possession count to the Dogs, but won by 92 points. Last week, playing Essendon, the Swans again lost that stat and won the game.
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