Umpiring is a contentious issue, with many complaints and frustrations aimed at those in green and how they officiate the game, particularly concerning free kicks.
This leads some to speculate that there is favourable treatment or mistreatment of certain clubs, all depending on which direction the umpires point.
The Hawks are not immune to this sentiment. Hawthorn is currently leading the free-kick ladder in 2025, with a frees-for and against differential of 137-104 gaining the ire of some disgruntled opposition fans.
The majority of these have come from away games (97-71), where again they lead the competition. However, most fascinatingly, Hawthorn are 15th in the comp for frees at home (40-33).
The club with the apparent home ground advantage is Sydney, who currently boast an average of 80-71 frees for/against at home.
Collingwood sit at the top of the premiership ladder, with six wins, one loss, and a 140% percentage, however they sit at fifth on the free kick ladder (123-113). Meanwhile, reigning premiers Brisbane, are third on the free kick ladder, (130-114), currently sitting at second place on the premership ladder.
Last year, Hawthorn ranked fourth on the free kick ladder behind Sydney, Port Adelaide, and Brisbane, with 472 frees-for and 461 against for the season. Like this year, the majority of the frees-for came from away games. Hawthorn finished sixth on the premiership ladder and made it as far as the semi final.
Hawthorn don’t usually sit this high on the free kick ladder. Between 2020 and 2023, Hawthorn were consistently in the bottom eight (18th, 13th, 12th, and 15th). In fact, Hawthorn have been ranked dead last three times since 2014 (2017, 2019, and 2020).
Looking into this deeper, Hawthorn are ranked ninth in the all-time free kick ladder, which uses stats dating back to 1965. If you’re wondering who is at the top it’s Collingwood, Western Bulldogs, Carlton, and Geelong.
Narrowing our scope to more recent times, judging from 2014-2024 (inclusive) stats, Hawthorn are ranked 13th in the competition with an average position of 10.6 on the free kick ladder.
During Hawthorn’s three-peat, they were ranked:
- Third in 2013
- Sixth in 2014
- Fourth in 2015
Since then Hawthorn have featured in the bottom eight of the free kick ladder six times – 60% of the decade.
Leading the free kick ladder doesn’t guarantee success
In fact it’s uncommon. The average position for a premiership team on the free kick ladder from 2014-2024 is 3.8.
Teams who have ranked first and won the premiership include Brisbane in 2024, Western Bulldogs in 2016, and Geelong in 2009 and 2007 (with Geelong having a rare three-peat for ranking first in frees between 07-09).
Below is a comparison of the premiership winners in the last five years and their position on the free kick ladder, with their frees for and against ratio:
Premiers/Year | Free Kick Ladder Position | Free Kick Ratio (F-A) |
|---|---|---|
Brisbane/2024 | 1st | 491-436 |
Collingwood/2023 | 3rd | 472-441 |
Geelong/2022 | 4th | 497-492 |
Melbourne/2021 | 5th | 477-479 |
Richmond/2020 | 3rd | 316-384 |
And here are the top five teams on the free kick ladder from the 2014-2024 (inclusive):
Team | Average Position on FK ladder | Premierships Won | Finals Series Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
Brisbane | 4.8 | 1 | 6 |
Geelong | 6.5 | 1 | 9 |
Sydney | 6.7 | 0 | 9 |
North Melbourne | 7.6 | 0 | 3 |
Collingwood | 7.8 | 1 | 5 |
Clearly, teams who feature in the top eight of the free kick ladder are more likely to feature in the finals – they play more games which means more opportunities to receive frees for and against – but it doesn’t guarantee success.
As seen above, only three premierships have been won by the top five free earners in the past ten years, with one team, North Melbourne, featuring in only three finals campaigns in that time.
In contrast, Richmond, the most successful team of the decade between 2014 and 2024, with three premierships and six finals series, have an average position of 10.3 for that time period.
While we can argue about the efficacy of umpiring until we are blue in the face (with every game showcasing its fair share of questionable decisions made), the debate around which clubs have benefited from free kicks becomes more complicated when we break down the statistics.
It’s food for thought next time punters play the free kick card after a disappointing game.
Data derived from AFL Tables.
