Four rounds into the 2024 Goulburn Valley football season Kyabram has dropped outside the top six-ranked teams in most efficiency statistical categories.
Figures provided by Premier Data reveal the Bombers are outside the top six in most of the eight “efficiencies“ tables produced by its stats gurus (fields are clearance efficiency; kick, handball and disposal efficiency; forward 50 entry, kick in, scoring and defensive 50 exit efficiency).
Kyabram is a top-three team in only one of those eight areas, third behind Echuca and Shepparton Swans for defensive 50 exit efficiency (70 per cent).
The Bombers, who were ranked second in the competition for disposal efficiency last season (going at 71 per cent), are now equal seventh in the league (hitting their target with only 69 per cent of attempts) — six per cent behind the most efficient teams this year.
Mooroopna and Euroa, who have both beaten the Bombers in the opening rounds of the season, are among the most efficient teams by hand at 84 and 85 per cent respectively. In 2023 Kyabram had an 84 per cent handball efficiency, but has dropped to 79 per cent this season (ninth).
By foot the Bombers were a 65 per cent efficiency team last year, but have dropped by one per cent in 2024 (equal fourth). Echuca, which goes at 70 per cent efficiency by foot, is the top-ranked team in the GVL.
There is even worse news for the Bombers when it comes to clearance efficiency (where the winner of a clearance finds a teammate with the next disposal) as the team is ranked 12th — last in the league — at 57 per cent.
That is a 14 per cent drop on Kyabram’s equal fourth ranking in 2023 (64 per cent). Seymour has the beat clearance efficiency ranking, with 76 per cent of clearance disposals finding a teammate so far this season.
Kyabram is ranked equal seventh this year, with a 57 per cent efficiency, for forward 50 entries. Last year the Bombers were the most effective team in the competition in this category, finding a player inside 50 metres on 61 per cent of their entries.
Echuca is the best team in this category, going at 66 per cent.
Second last year for scoring efficiency (53 per cent), the Bombers are now ranked 10th in this category as only 42 per cent of entries into the attacking zone end in scores.
At the opposite end of the ground Kyabram is ranked 11th for kick in efficiency, but this is in keeping with last season when the team was ranked 12th (hitting a target on only 53 per cent of kick-ins).
Shepparton Swans have an amazing record this year of 90 per cent of kick-ins hitting a target.
• Contested possessions and clearances are the two categories in this very early point of the season where there has been a major drop-off for the Bombers.
Last season Kyabram was ranked third in the competition for contested possessions. This year it is ranked equal fifth, although the team is actually averaging more contested ball in 2024.
Last year Kyabram averaged 300.6 disposals every week (125 of those were contested). This year it is averaging 33 more disposals, but has increased contested ball by just eight.
In the clearance count the Bombers were fifth in the competition last season. This year they are last.