We may be a week late, but following some unrest on the weekend, the free kick numbers feel just as relevant as ever.
Essendon fans were unhappy during and after their Elimination Final defeat to the Western Bulldogs after what some may describe as questionable free kicks were paid on a wet day in Tassie.
Those free kick numbers, or any others from the first week of finals, have NOT been taking into account for the final edition of the 2021 Free Kick Ladder.
The last time we checked in was post Round 19 when the Bulldogs led the way and that’s how it finished after the home and away season.
The Dogs held a differential of +79, some 46 free kicks clear of second placed Geelong on +33. The Cats were the most significant movers in the final four weeks going from sixth to second.
GWS, Toby Greene umpire dramas aside, finished third on the free kick ladder with +27, clear of Carlton and North Melbourne who shared a +19 differential.
Adelaide (+16), Port Adelaide (+11) and West Coast (+11) make up the eight.
Down the bottom, it was Richmond who held up the rest for most of the season.
The Tigers had by far the worst differential at -86 after receiving the least frees for and giving away the equal second most.
It completed a fifth straight season in which the reigning premiers have finished a season with a differential of -30 or more.
In 17th position was St Kilda at -34, below Essendon (-18), Gold Coast (-16) and Collingwood (-15).
Hawthorn (-3), the competition’s biggest offender Brisbane (-9), Sydney (-10), Melbourne (-11) and Fremantle (-13) were also in the negative.
Check out the free kick ladder for the 2021 home and away season:
| Position | Club | Frees For | Frees Against | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | W.Bulldogs | 458 | 379 | 79 |
| 2 | Geelong | 457 | 424 | 33 |
| 3 | GWS | 451 | 424 | 27 |
| 4 | Carlton | 446 | 427 | 19 |
| 5 | North Melbourne | 430 | 411 | 19 |
| 6 | Adelaide | 464 | 448 | 16 |
| 7 | Port Adelaide | 465 | 454 | 11 |
| 8 | West Coast | 392 | 381 | 11 |
| 9 | Hawthorn | 404 | 407 | -3 |
| 10 | Brisbane | 462 | 471 | -9 |
| 11 | Sydney | 451 | 461 | -10 |
| 12 | Melbourne | 442 | 453 | -11 |
| 13 | Fremantle | 391 | 404 | -13 |
| 14 | Collingwood | 389 | 404 | -15 |
| 15 | Gold Coast | 406 | 422 | -16 |
| 16 | Essendon | 419 | 437 | -18 |
| 17 | St Kilda | 399 | 433 | -34 |
| 18 | Richmond | 375 | 461 | -86 |
We look forward to bringing you more free kick fun in 2022.