Who is getting the rub of the green after Round 8? And who is getting the rough end of the stick?
The AFL's new rules have quickly become accustomed to despite some errors on both the players and umpires part.
Geelong (+47) has benefitted from the umpires thus far in 2026, sitting clearly atop the free kick differential ladder.
St Kilda has had a major uptick since Round 4 (our last check-in) to sit second behind the Cats, while Sydney has jumped up the leaderboard.
SEE MORE: AFL Free Kick Ladder after Round 4
On the contrary, Fremantle laments when the men and women in yellow blow their whistle, for the most part, it is going against them with a negative differential of 31.
Since Round 4, the Dockers have added 23 free kicks against to their differential
The same goes for the league's youngest sides, GWS and Gold Coast (-27) - could there be something in that?
Below is the table analysing the differences in free kicks by club across the first eight rounds:
| Frees For | Frees Against | Difference | |
| Geelong | 191 | 144 | 47 |
| St Kilda | 162 | 128 | 34 |
| Sydney | 186 | 164 | 22 |
| Melbourne | 136 | 119 | 17 |
| Richmond | 160 | 147 | 13 |
| Essendon | 149 | 137 | 12 |
| Western Bulldogs | 162 | 152 | 10 |
| Hawthorn | 152 | 148 | 4 |
| Collingwood | 143 | 139 | 4 |
| Adelaide | 151 | 152 | -1 |
| North Melbourne | 169 | 177 | -8 |
| Brisbane | 137 | 147 | -10 |
| Carlton | 149 | 165 | -16 |
| West Coast | 147 | 167 | -20 |
| Port Adelaide | 142 | 165 | -23 |
| Gold Coast | 142 | 169 | -27 |
| GWS | 132 | 159 | -27 |
| Fremantle | 130 | 161 | -31 |
What about the individuals? Who is favoured by the umpires?
Ruckman generally receive the most free kicks due to infringements in stoppages, with three of the top four frees for big men.
- Max Gawn (25)
- Darcy Cameron (24)
- Jai Newcombe (22)
- Tristan Xerri (22)
- Zak Butters (18)
- Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (18)
- Patrick Cripps (17)
- Bailey Smith (16)
- Lachlan McAndrew (15)
- Harley Reid (15)
And on the contrary, frees against?
- Brodie Grundy (25)
- Harley Reid (22)
- Patrick Cripps (20)
- Sam Durham (17)
- Liam Baker (16)
- Lachlan Blakiston (16)
- Sam Draper (16)
- Jason Horne-Francis (16)
- Jack Graham (15)
- Lloyd Meek (15)
Trite. The free kicks awarded are only a trivial part of the story.
What about all the frees that are not paid?
What about where (on the ground) the frees are paid (or not paid)?