Chapter 1: What nerdy stats are introduced at the beginning of the episode?
Every Wednesday concludes with some nerdy stats. Peter Blucher is our guide here. Hello, Blutch. Hello. Yes, there you are. Gotcha. How are you?
Good, mate. How are you? I'm good. Super nerdy today.
Now, in addition to last week, multiple times as caretaker coach, welcome in Dean Solomon. Of course, mate.
74 wasn't enough.
Chapter 2: Who is Dean Solomon and what is his coaching history?
Now we've got 75. So he, of course, will go around for the second time at a second different club. having done three games at Gold Coast after Rodney Eade was moved on six or seven years ago. So he was 0-3. So he'll be looking for his first win this time around at Essendon.
And he coached against Essendon when he was in those three games too, didn't he?
Yeah, no, he did. But I think only two of the players who were there now played in that game. So there has been a fair turnover of talent. But he'll know them all well. No, if it was going to happen anyway, it was going to be Essendon this week, wasn't it? Yes, yes.
Essendon could do anything. Today's topic is most 30 possession games.
Well, I thought it was a very miserable day last week for Brisbane. But on his 34th birthday, Lachie Neal did write his name into history with his 127th game of 30-plus possessions. So he's gone one ahead of Gary Ablett. at the top of the list of only nine players who have had more than 100.
So we've got Neil at 127, Ablett at 126, Sam Mitchell, 121, Robert Harvey, 118, Jack McRae, 113, Scott Pendlebury, 112, Dane Swan, 108, Zach Merritt, 103, and Adam Treloar, 102. Andrew Gaff finished on 99, that suspension possibly cost him there. Greg Williams finished 96, Scotty West, 93. Terry Wallace and Tom Mitchell, 90 each.
And two active players who have a chance. Well, one will certainly get there and one might.
Yeah, Clayton Oliver and Rory Laird both have 95. Rory Laird hasn't moved of late, so another five might just be a bit of a stretch for him. But Oliver probably will get there in the next six or seven weeks.
He will.
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Chapter 3: What historical significance does Lachie Neal's 30 possession game have?
He's closing, not fast, but closing. He's at 62, had one this year. Kevin Bartlett, 72 at Richmond. Robert Harvey, he was at 118. Josh Kennedy at Sydney was 82. Jack McRae, 109 at the Bulldogs. And as you mentioned, Gaff 99 at West Coast.
Oh, I love that Kevin Bartlett still holds the record at Richmond. And the Lockheed Neal split 74 at Brisbane and 53 at Fremantle. In the beginning, so when does the first 30 possession game happen?
In the first day of the first season, which they counted stats. Yes. That was 1965 when they first officially started counting possessions. I think clubs used to do something similar themselves, but nothing official. So... In the very first, on the first Saturday of round one in 1965, Essendon played, who did they play? I can't even remember. They played Fitzroy at Brunswick Street Oval.
He had 31 possessions and kicked four goals in a 20-point win. So he was first. That was not a bad start. Good performance. And then on the Monday, so two days later, it was a split round to start the season. Bob Skilton had 30-plus foot for South Melbourne. So they were the first two. up and away in the first round of the first season of full stats.
And when did we get to 40?
Well, we traveled through some pretty good names. We had Putnam, Ian Stewart, John Townsend, who John Townsend at Melbourne, first 30 for them, of course, is the great uncle of the Ashcroft boys, so there's a bit of royalty there. Polly Farmer, Ron Barassi, Noel Teasdale, Merv Hobbs. In round eight, Bobby Skilton was the first player to have 40 when he did so against Hawthorne at Lake Oval.
Nice. Bobby Skilton, round eight in the first year they were counting stats, got to 40 against Hawthorne.
Yeah, so then Ron Alder at Hawthorne was the first, Billy Barrett at Richmond, and Fitzroy was the last one that missed out in 65. It wasn't until round 15 of 66 that Norm Brown had Fitzroy's first 30-possession game.
And since then, the non-Victorian clubs, it was Phil Walsh and Bernie Harris at Brisbane, their first one in their first game, John O'Neill in round three of the same year in 87 for West Coast, Simon Tregenz with Adelaide in 91. Scott Waters at Fremantle in 95. Braden Lyle, 97 at Port. Gold Coast was Michael Vichatelli and Daniel Harris together in their first game.
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