Alright, folks.
You should all know the drill by now.
There are 18 teams playing in nine games this weekend, and because nothing in this life is either perfect or complete, we here at Zero Hanger still believe each of these aforesaid combatants still come with a raft of question marks.
So, before the second month of the regular season draws to a close on Sunday evening, we have sought to answer each club's most pressing queries ahead of Round 8 of the AFL season.
Geelong
Which week was the abnormality?
What a difference seven days make.
One week you are riding high after successfully converting more than 67% of your shots on goal and winning by nigh on 100-points.
The next, your efficiency has dropped off by nearly 25%, and the four points have alluded you.
At the risk of turning this into a cliched cluster, footy can be a cruel game at times, but the victor is usually the team that makes the most of their chances.
With such a vast gulf in offensive potency within the space of just one calendar row, the question must be asked – which week was the anomaly?
❝Our guys were sensational I thought for long periods, it's just the rub of the green sometimes.❞@FordAustralia #GeelongStrong pic.twitter.com/KHypO4sqod
— Geelong Cats (@GeelongCats) May 2, 2021
Interestingly, the numbers suggest it was neither.
Across the first seven weeks of the 2021 season, the hoops have averaged 12.42 goals and 11.42 behinds per game from their 167 shots that have registered a score.
Over these seven games, Chris Scott's clowder have only managed to better these means on three occasions – Round 1, Round 6 and last week.
These numbers point to a pair relatively obvious truths.
Firstly, and most obviously, Geelong are a far more potent offensive team when Jeremy Cameron is standing inside their forward fifty.
Who would have thought adding a Coleman Medalist would have that sort of impact?
Secondly, the Cats' losses to Adelaide in Round 1 and Sydney in Round 7 can be put down to inaccuracy, rather than an inability to create chances.
Still, if the Kardinia Park club is looking to exact even a modicum of revenge against Richmond on Friday, contemporary history suggests they will need to exceed their average score, as the Tigers currently hold an almost identical mean of 12 majors and 12.42 misses per week this season.
