Here is the Eagles free-kick count this season. Almost every game at Optus was a one-sided shocker for the umpires. The Saints game was typical, the worst was the game vs Port when the free-kick count was 30-13 in WCE favour, the Richmond game 21-10 typical. The final free-kick count of the Derby (20-22 favouring Eagles) flattered the umpires, because the umpiring was appalling during that game, and from memory the half-time count was hugely lop-sided.
It would be good to have half-time free kick stats from all those games, because in many games the free-kick count is hugely skewed at that stage, and only gets made to look more respectable by a few inconsequential frees later in the game.
Come on this is blatant umpiring bias.
Rd 1 (Optus)
WCE 86 v Syd 115
Frees 20 28
(The only anomaly here)
Rd 2
WB 70 v WCE 121
19 18
Rd 3 (Optus)
WCE 95 v Geel 80
26 18
Rd 4 (Optus)
WCE 139 v GCS 59
28 19
Rd 5
Carlt 69 v WCE 89
25 16
Rd 6 (Optus)
Freo 81 v WCE 89
20 22
Rd 7 (Optus)
WCE 102 v Port 60
30 13
Rd 8
GWS 61 v WCE 86
16 20
Rd 9 (Optus)
WCE 130 v Rich 83
21 10
Rd 10
Hwks 60 v WCE 75
23 19
Rd 11 (Optus)
WCE 101 v StK 88
25 12