Intrigue over GVL goal-kicking race

Local statisticians were sent scurrying early this week following Saturday’s final round, when Seymour’s Riley Mason (eight goals) and Kyabram’s Anthony Depasquale (five) showcased their respective goal-kicking prowess once again.

But it is their total goals for the year that throw up multiple areas of intrigue, not so much their final-round hauls.

According to Play HQ’s overall leaderboard, Depasquale has taken out the title with 72 goals, from Mason’s 65.

But Premier Data, which powers GVL Data and combs through match vision from every game in every round to compile statistics across the season, has Mason winning the count with 72 and Depasquale snaring 71.

The mystery deepens from there.

The Telegraph has gone through three data entry points for each of Mason and Depasquale’s games this campaign — the Play HQ overall leaderboard, the Play HQ ‘match centre’ for each individual match and the Premier Data numbers in each game — to cross check them all against each other.

Mason kicked 65 goals for the year according to the leaderboard, 68 if you look through each match centre window and 72 if you follow Premier Data’s numbers.

Both Play HQ avenues have the Kyabram stallion on 72 majors, but Premier Data’s numbers add up to 71.

There are five matches where Mason’s numbers have discrepancies and three where Depasquale’s don’t correlate.

Seymour’s star has different goal tallies in rounds four, 12, 13, 15 and the second game he played in the round 16 split round.

Play HQ says he kicked three in round four, Premier Data two.

In round 12 he’s down for no goals on Play HQ — but only two Seymour players are (for one each), despite the Lions slotting nine for the day — and three according to Premier Data.

In round 13, he was allocated no goals on the overall Play HQ leaderboard but three in the match centre and Premier Data.

In round 15 it’s zero for both Play HQ avenues and one for Premier Data, and in round 16 part two he kicked six according to Play HQ but seven in the Premier Data realm.

For Depasquale, Premier Data has him at one less goal than Play HQ in rounds six and 15, but one more in round 8.

The Telegraph contacted AFL Goulburn Murray when the initial differences in tallies were pointed out and was told it was “looking into it”.