Mostly useless stats: Augusta-Margaret River’s incredible squad depth and Busselton’s dire finals record

Ahead of this Sunday’s grand final, here are some of the stats that may (or may not) shape your team’s chances of success. Augusta-Margaret River Stability in a line-up is normally considered a sign of strength, but Augusta-Margaret River have made it all the way through to the grand final with just two of their players playing every game. That’s the equal lowest of all 10 clubs, with Eaton and Collie also having two. But Collie’s injury crisis saw them crash out of finals calculations in the last month of the season and Eaton finished last. Last year, albeit a shortened season, Busselton had 10 players play all 12 games on their way to the grand final, while the premiers Bunbury had 12. Four played every game, including finals, for HBL in their unbeaten premiership season in 2019 and defeated grand finalists Eaton had five. The two players, captain Lincoln Adams and youngster Zac Dronow, will both build on that streak and play on Sunday, barring any surprises. Their opponents will have five to have played every game: Ethan Bowman, Jon Meadmore, Jaxon East, Josh Fleming and Mitch Tenardi. Busselton These two sides have met just three times in finals, but for Busselton, the record is dire. The 1995 second semi-final, the 2006 elimination final and the 2011 qualifying final have all been won by the Hawks, who would go on to be premiers in two of those three seasons. The 1995 clash, played at Kelly Park in Bunbury, ended in a 12.12 (84) to 9.9 (63) win to the Hawks, consigning the Magpies to a preliminary final against Carey Park the following week, which they lost. In 2006, soon-to-be East Perth best and fairest winner Timothy Noakes kicked eight to sink the Magpies, and in 2011 Jon Meadmore and Jackson Arbon both wore black and white as the Hawks won by seven points en route to their third premiership. The Magpies also haven’t beaten the Hawks this season, losing by seven points in round six and 29 points at Gloucester Park in round 15.