High scoring was the theme of the opening round of the AFL season, but Geelong coach Chris Scott says sides should make hay while the sun shines.
Teams averaged 103.6 points across week one, a significant rise on the home-and-away average of 88.76 last year.
Adelaide led the way with 147 points, while West Coast (136) and Richmond (132) weren’t far away.
And even the losers were putting up decent totals, with Gold Coast scoring 96, North Melbourne 93, Hawthorn 91, and GWS 91.
Geelong scored freely in their 42-point win over Fremantle at Domain Stadium on Sunday, scoring 18.7 (115) to 10.13 (73).
Scott says rule changes in recent years have encouraged higher scoring but he doesn’t expect teams to be able to keep up with the pace set in round one.
“From memory it was a little bit similar last year,” Scott said.
“And probably one of the best theories I heard there is that it’s weather related.
“When the grounds are hard and fast and the sun’s shining, it’s easier to score.
“As winter kicks in, it gets a bit slippery, and it’s harder to maintain that level of footy.”
When Ross Lyon’s Fremantle outfit were at the top of their game several years ago, it was their impressive defensive abilities that made them so formidable.
But the game has changed since then, and Scott said it was increasingly difficult for teams to rely solely on a stingy defence to get them over the line.
“I do think that it’s accepted throughout the competition that if you can’t score, you’re going to have to be the best defensive team of all time,” Scott said.
“The way the rules are and the way the game’s opened up, it’s very difficult to close it down.
“It’s almost impossible to force repeat stoppages these days.
“In almost every situation, the umpires have a very good option to pay a free kick one way or the other.
“So if it’s going to be open, it’s almost impossible to say, ‘We’re going to stop them scoring, and we’ll win with 50 points ourselves’.”
Scoring wasn’t the only thing on the rise last week, with the AFL also setting a new record for a single-round crowd attendance.
A total of 400,401 passed through the turnstiles, easily eclipsing the previous record of 371,212 set in round 15, 2013.
“I think footy’s in great shape,” Scott said.
“There were a few games over the weekend where 10 minutes before the game you’re thinking, ‘I’m really not sure what’s going to happen’.
“And that’s a stated aim of the powers that be – to have as many 50-50 games as possible.”
ROUND ONE CROWDS
73,137 at MCG to watch Richmond beat Carlton
66,254 at MCG to watch Bulldogs beat Collingwood
36,249 at Etihad Stadium to watch Melbourne beat St Kilda
33,129 at SCG to watch Port Adelaide beat Sydney
78,294 at MCG to watch Essendon beat Hawthorn
12,710 at Metricon Stadium to watch Brisbane beat Gold Coast
21,997 at Etihad Stadium to watch West Coast beat North Melbourne
43,993 at Adelaide Oval to watch Adelaide beat GWS
34,638 at Domain Stadium to watch Geelong beat Fremantle
TOTAL: 400,401
PREVIOUS RECORD: 371,212 set during round 15, 2013.
