Almanac People: Paul Chapman’s goalkicking career (and a look at Lincoln McCarthy)

by David Fordyce

 

Below are two graphs that show Paul Chapman’s goal-kicking career, from 2000 to 2015.

 

On the left are his yearly totals (the blue line) and on the right are his goals-per-game averages in each year (the red line). Chappy’s goals-per-game average increased in clear steps as his career reached important milestones:

  • After he had reached 50 games, in his next season (his 5th, 2004), his goals-per-game average jumped from 1.0 to 1.5.
  • His average stayed round 1.5 in 2005 and 2006 till he got past 100 games, then in 2007, his 8th season, it increased to 1.6 goals per game.
  • In 2008 it increased to 1.7; in that year he got up to 150 games.
  • Then in 2009 it peaked at 1.9 goals per game. By that year Chappy was in career-best form, winning the Norm Smith medal and kicking three goals in the 2009 Grand Final (his 175th game).

 

Total goals for season

Total goals for season

 

Let’s hope Lincoln McCarthy follows a similar trajectory.

  • McCarthy was pick 66 in the 2011 draft.
  • His first game was in 2012 in Rd 10. He was subbed in during the last quarter and had six disposals.
  • He then didn’t play for another two years, till 2014 in the first two rounds. He then missed most of that year and came back just before the finals. He was subbed in during the 2014 North semi-final.
  • In his four games in 2014 he kicked 0 goals, 5 behinds.
  • He then didn’t play till 2016, where he’s he played 17 games for 17 goals. He’s on Chappy’s 1.0 average.

 

Let’s hope he moves up from 1 goal a game to 2 goals a game, in a long career.

 

wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Chapman_(footballer)

afltables.com/afl/stats/players/L/Lincoln_McCarthy.html

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