SETUP INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETE NOVICES

What You Need Before Starting

This document analyzes AFLW (Australian Football League Women’s) statistics for the 2024 season. To run this analysis, you’ll need:

1. Install R and RStudio

2. Required Data Files

Place these files in the SAME FOLDER as this R Markdown file: - 2024_Team_Stats.csv - Main statistics for all teams - 2023S8Summarycomparisons.csv - Historical comparison data - WinVLoss2.xlsx - Win/loss records

3. Required Team Logo Image Files

Place these image files in the SAME FOLDER as this R Markdown file: - Adelaide Crows.jpg - Brisbane.jpg - Carlton.jpg - Collingwood.jpg - Essendon.jpg - Fremantle.jpg - Geelong.jpg - Gold Coast Suns.jpg - GWS.jpg - Hawthorn.jpg - Kangaroos.jpg - Melbourne.jpg - Port Adelaide.jpg - Richmond.png (NOTE: This one is .png, not .jpg) - St Kilda.jpg - Sydney Swans.jpg - West Coast Eagles.jpg - Western Bulldogs.jpg

4. Install Required R Packages

Run this code ONCE before running the analysis (copy and paste into R console):

# Install packages - only need to do this once
install.packages(c(
  "tidyverse",    # Data manipulation and visualization
  "dplyr",        # Data manipulation
  "ggplot2",      # Plotting
  "lubridate",    # Date handling
  "janitor",      # Data cleaning
  "forcats",      # Factor handling
  "reshape2",     # Data reshaping
  "expss",        # Data labeling
  "readxl",       # Read Excel files
  "plotly",       # Interactive plots
  "formattable",  # Formatted tables
  "esquisse",     # Plot helper
  "tinytex",      # PDF output
  "rmarkdown",    # Markdown rendering
  "gghighlight",  # Highlighting in plots
  "ggthemes",     # Plot themes
  "ggtext",       # Enhanced text rendering
  "tidyr",        # Data tidying
  "data.table",   # Fast data manipulation
  "magrittr"      # Pipe operators
))

# For PDF output, also install tinytex
tinytex::install_tinytex()

5. How to Run This Document

  1. Open this file in RStudio
  2. Click the “Knit” button at the top (or press Ctrl+Shift+K)
  3. Choose either “Knit to HTML” or “Knit to PDF”
  4. Wait for the document to generate (may take 1-2 minutes)

Overview

This document provides a comprehensive statistical review of the AFLW 2024 Season (Season 9). The analysis covers:

  • Offensive Statistics: Ball movement, inside 50s, time in possession
  • Scoring Sources: Points from turnovers, stoppages, and kick-ins
  • Contest Statistics: Contested possessions and 1-on-1 contests
  • Stoppage Statistics: Clearances and stoppages by type
  • Defensive Statistics: Pressure, tackles, and opponent scoring efficiency

All statistics represent season averages per game unless otherwise noted. Bars extend to the right for positive differentials and higher values.

OFFENSIVE STATS

Behind to Turnover Ratio (BH TO)

What this measures: The ratio of behinds (1-point scores) to turnovers. A higher number indicates better ball retention and scoring accuracy relative to turnovers.

Inside 50 Differential (I50 DIFF)

What this measures: The difference between a team’s inside 50 entries and their opponent’s inside 50 entries per game. Positive values mean more attacking opportunities.

Time in Forward Half (TIME IN FH)

What this measures: Average time per game (in minutes) that the ball is in the team’s forward half. More time = more offensive pressure.

Time in Possession (TIME IN POSS)

What this measures: Average time per game (in minutes) that the team has possession of the ball. Higher values indicate better ball control.

Metres Gained Retained Differential (MG RETAINED DIFF)

What this measures: The difference between metres gained retained by the team versus the opponent. Positive values indicate better field position management.

Inside 50 Score Percentage (I50 SCORE%)

What this measures: Percentage of inside 50 entries that result in a score. Higher values indicate more efficient forward line conversion.

SCORING SOURCES

Points For

What this measures: Average total points scored per game (Goals × 6 + Behinds × 1).

Scores from Turnover

What this measures: Average points scored per game from opposition turnovers. Higher values indicate better conversion of defensive pressure.

Scores from Stoppages

What this measures: Average points scored per game from stoppage clearances. Higher values indicate effective clearance work.

Scores from Kick Ins

What this measures: Average points scored per game from kick-in plays. Higher values indicate effective transition from defense.

CONTEST STATS

Contested Ball Differential

What this measures: Difference between contested possessions won and contested possessions lost. Positive values indicate winning more contested ball.

Contested Possession Pre-Clearance Differential

What this measures: Contested possession differential before clearances. Shows ability to win ball at the contest source.

Contested Possession Post-Clearance Differential

What this measures: Contested possession differential after clearances. Shows ability to win ball in general play.

Ground Ball Get Differential (HBG DIFF)

What this measures: Difference between ground balls won and ground balls lost. Positive values indicate better at winning loose balls.

1-on-1 Offensive Contest Win Percentage

What this measures: Percentage of 1-on-1 contests won when the team has possession. Higher values indicate better individual contest skills.

1-on-1 Defensive Contest Loss Percentage

What this measures: Percentage of 1-on-1 contests lost when opponent has possession. LOWER values are better (means defense is winning more contests).

STOPPAGE STATS

Clearance Differential

What this measures: Difference between clearances won and clearances conceded. Positive values indicate winning more stoppages.

Centre Bounce Clearance Differential (CB DIFF)

What this measures: Clearance differential from centre bounces specifically. Shows ability at center square stoppages.

Ball-Up Clearance Differential (BU DIFF)

What this measures: Clearance differential from ball-up stoppages (not centre bounces). Shows around-the-ground stoppage work.

Throw-In Clearance Differential (TI DIFF)

What this measures: Clearance differential from boundary throw-ins. Shows effectiveness at boundary stoppages.

DEFENSIVE STATS

Forward 50 Pressure Rating

What this measures: Average pressure rating in the forward 50. Higher values indicate more defensive pressure applied.

Tackle Efficiency Percentage

What this measures: Percentage of tackles that result in a stoppage or turnover. Higher values indicate more effective tackling.

Forward Half Intercepts

What this measures: Average intercept possessions in the forward half per game. Higher values indicate better defensive positioning.

Opposition Inside 50s Against

What this measures: Average inside 50 entries conceded per game. LOWER values are better (means better defensive structure).

Opposition Inside 50 Score Percentage

What this measures: Percentage of opponent’s inside 50 entries that result in a score. LOWER values are better (means better defensive pressure in 50).

DATA DICTIONARY

Variable Definitions

This section provides detailed definitions of all statistics used in the analysis:

Offensive Metrics

  • BHTO: Behind to Turnover ratio - behinds scored relative to turnovers committed
  • I50DIFF: Inside 50 differential - difference between team’s I50s and opponent’s I50s
  • TimeinFH: Time in forward half (minutes per game)
  • TimeinPOS: Time in possession (minutes per game)
  • MGRetainedDIFF: Metres gained retained differential
  • SSPI50: Score percentage from inside 50 entries

Scoring Metrics

  • POINTSFOR: Total points scored per game
  • TOSPts: Points scored from turnovers
  • SSPts: Points scored from stoppages
  • KSPts: Points scored from kick-ins

Contest Metrics

  • CONTBALLDIFF: Contested possession differential
  • CPPREDIFF: Contested possession pre-clearance differential
  • CPOSTDIFF: Contested possession post-clearance differential
  • GBGETDIFF: Ground ball get differential
  • OFFWIN1v1: Offensive 1-on-1 contest win percentage
  • DEFLOSE1v1: Defensive 1-on-1 contest loss percentage

Stoppage Metrics

  • CLEARANCEDIFF: Total clearance differential
  • CBDIFF: Centre bounce clearance differential
  • BUDIFF: Ball-up clearance differential
  • TIDIFF: Throw-in clearance differential

Defensive Metrics

  • F50PRESSURE: Forward 50 pressure rating
  • TACKLEEFF: Tackle efficiency percentage
  • FHINT: Forward half intercepts
  • I50AG: Inside 50s conceded (against)
  • OppoI50Score: Opposition inside 50 scoring percentage

END OF REPORT