AFL free kick counts: Tigers’ horror differential, Essendon edge paying dividends

Richmond have an incredibly lopsided free kick differential while the Dons are being rewarded for their pressure. See where your club sits on the free kick ladder and specific counts here.

Twelve months ago, Richmond coach Damien Hardwick baked his players for their lack of discipline after a spate of 50m penalties handed Sydney multiple goals in a 44-point defeat.

“I thought our discipline was incredibly poor,” Hardwick raged.

“A couple of instances we just look at it and go ‘that’s ridiculous what we’re doing’.”

Hardwick was five games away from official ‘burnout’ status, but with a new coach and new game plan at Punt Rd, nothing has changed.

Richmond remains dead last on the AFL’s free kick count in 2024. And while clubs can blame the rub of the green or the ‘noise of affirmation’ across a short sample size of games, Richmond’s trend is not its friend.

The Tigers have given away plenty more free kicks than they have received in recent years. Picture: Michael Klein

This year the Tigers’ free-kick differential is -49 (81 less than Carlton), just as the club had a -227 free-kick differential from the 2021-23 seasons.

Against Fremantle, Richmond was genuinely stiff on several occasions over holding the ball free kicks that went Fremantle’s way.

Yet after the Tigers gave away a soft holding-the-man free kick to Sean Darcy on the stroke of halftime, Thomson Dow simply dropped the ball to march the ruckman to the goal line with a 50m penalty.

Richmond 31 points down. Game over.

This year, Shai Bolton has given away three 50m penalties, with Richmond -10 for high-tackle differential, -7 for push-in-the-back differential, and -22 for holding the man.

Shai Bolton has been coughed up 150m worth of 50m penaties so far in 2024. Picture: Getty Images

They have given up 49 free kicks for the holding-the-ball statistic and received only 27.

Once the Tigers played a specific game plan – conceding the first possession, swarming to tackle and pressure – that the free kicks could be explained. It was why the Tigers were a league-worst -99 for high-tackle free kicks from 2021-2023.

Toby Nankervis plays as an undersized ruck, so his 18 free kicks conceded – second in the competition behind Brodie Grundy – can be explained.

But a lack of discipline and technique has to be at play for Richmond.

Tigers coach Adem Yze has enough concerns to worry about, but at some stage he will have to address the free-kick discrepancy.

“We focus on our tackle technique – we have trained hard,” Yze said post-match.

“If it’s a technical issue, if we are not getting low enough … all those things we will work out at training and work on our craft in that.

“It’s not something we go into a game thinking about. We just need to get better at it.”

Across the AFL competition, themes emerge this season with Carlton leading the free kick differential (+32) from Essendon (+29), Gold Coast (+22), Adelaide (+17) and West Coast (+11).

Geelong (-44) has the second-worst differential after Richmond (-49) with daylight before the third-worst Western Bulldogs (-7).

Essendon has been rewarded for tackles this year but Hawthorn have been pinged more often than any other side. Picture: Michael Klein

Essendon’s “Edge” has them +17 in holding-the-ball decisions, with the brilliant Zach Merrett (six free-kicks for) and Archie Perkins (five) leading the defensive charge.

In contrast, the Hawks are -20 for holding-the-ball differential, with James Worpel caught eight times and Jai Newcombe (four).

Collingwood’s elite tackle pressure in recent weeks has helped the Pies to a +15 holding-the-ball differential, with Brayden Maynard winning five free kicks and Scott Pendlebury and Tom Mitchell (both four).

Carlton has won 16 more high-tackle free kicks than it has conceded, with George Hewett winning six free kicks and Tom De Koning (four).

Footy’s controversial former ducker, Jack Ginnivan, now at the Hawks, has won only five total free kicks, including only two for high tackles.

His teammate Dylan Moore has won nine free kicks for high contact.

Gold Coast’s Matt Rowell has received a league-high 27 free kicks (holding the ball both for and against, receiving high tackles), followed by Sydney’s Brodie Grundy (20).

Adelaide’s Jake Soligo is third for receiving free kicks, with seven of his 19 free kicks after being tackled high.

North Melbourne’s Tristan Xerri has received 19 free kicks, the fourth-most in the league.

Grundy has also given away the most (23), followed by Giants ruck Kieren Briggs (19), Nankervis (18), Clayton Oliver (five for holding the ball, five for tackling high), then Xerri 17.

Toby Greene has given away the sixth-most free kicks – four for each of tackling high, holding the man and pushing in the back.

Jordan De Goey has conceded the seventh-most free kicks – with seven for high tackles.

It is one reason the Pies are a league-worst -19 in free kicks for high tackles despite their outstanding holding the ball numbers

Originally published as AFL free kick counts: Tigers’ horror differential, Essendon edge paying dividends