sport news Bulldogs top the AFL's free kick list so far while a top team is battling. ... trends now
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Who's a good doggie, then? The Western Bulldogs might be struggling to emulate their grand-final success of last season in 2022, but they have certainly been well behaved in the eyes of the officials.
SEN has compiled a list of free kicks issued for and against every club in the AFL and the Western Bulldogs are runaway leaders, with 247 free kicks coming their way and just 192 blown against them.
That gives them a differential of 55, which is 22 higher than the next-best club, Carlton. The Blue Baggers have received a very healthy 241 free kicks so far this season while only having 208 blown against them.
Something to smile about: The Western Bulldogs are the most disciplined team in the AFL so far this season when it comes to free kicks for and against
Not bad going considering we are in the middle of an umpire crackdown and the pea is getting blown out of the whistle on many occasions.
Take the Hawk's win over Brisbane in Tasmania on the weekend for example. Either the players were extremely ill-disciplined or the umpires were just blowing the whistle because it made a sweet sound, because a staggering 63 free kicks were paid in that match - the highest in a single game since 2012.
At the bottom end of the table sits Richmond, who are often accused of being favoured by the officials, with just 183 free kicks for and a whopping 249 against. Sydney aren't much better with 216 free kicks for and 248 against.
