In trying to find the game and cumulative stat scoresheets that are generally available on the Omega timing website after WA events, I happened upon this summary of the Paris Olympics from WA. Some interesting stats and observations contained therein about the game.
Btw, I wasn’t able to track down the game scoresheets so if anyone has a link I’d appreciate it.
Interesting stuff. Haven’t absorbed it all but in this report Driver = Flat? So, all other positions noted are one but driver is two.
Not sure what level of detail you need but have you seen:
?
It is hard to always know how WA defines things like “Driver” and “driving shots” in their reports, so interpret it how you can I guess. To me, it seems strange to classify the left and right for the wings and then just broadly group driver without that side distinction. Also, is the center back in that goal distribution just whoever is playing at the point making the driver either left or right player on the top line of the offense?
Edit: Thought a little more about this and if the driver position had a similar proportion left to right as the wings it would be 27% left flat and 18% right flat. I wonder if two things aren’t at work here: 1. They are trying to avoid using a term (“flat”) that isn’t easily understood and for which there isn’t a generally agreed upon substitute, and 2. Using the term driver is an attempt here to paint the game as a dynamic driving based game by grouping the highest scoring positions and calling them a term that is more accessible to laymen.
I appreciate the Total Water Polo stats, but they aren’t exactly what I’m looking for. I’m beginning to think that Olympic scoresheets just may not be available the same way that they are for other tournaments.
It’s really silly the US is using a different numbering system to the rest of the world for positions.
Almost like we are swimming yards and not meters :).
1-2 is 4-5
Perhaps a standardization of right side and left side makes sense. Flats are the 2m line spots .
My personal preference is to use the terms center, center defender and right side attacker and left side attacker. There is so much change between where players will be that I don’t think positional numbers or terms like wing and flat are really important or needed.
You lose a little context about where the shot was taken from by not distinguishing between the top and bottom player on a side, but I think both that scoring is becoming dynamic enough that even that binary isn’t enough context and that it only matters if it can’t be supplemented with context like the shot charts that accompany Total Water Polo stats.
And this is really just about even strength goals. Once we start talking about the extra player goals it gets even more muddled. This part of the report is listing all goals by position but not denoting whether they were even strength or on the advantage. Who is the driver and center when in a 4-2 extra? What if they change into a 3-3?
Again, the official scoresheets and cumulative stats released by WA (which I can’t find for the Olympics) don’t give that context but do give some great things like minutes played whereas Total Water Polo gives things like the shot charts for both position the shot was taken from and where it was located on the cage.
Unfortunately, definitions and that context aren’t given in this report and the Total Water Polo stats are only individual games, not cumulative as well. It would be really nice if these stats were easier to get and consolidated in one place. People like me and others on this board I believe would love to dig into these numbers and draw insights from stats, but it’s just really difficult to find any that can be meaningfully interpreted.
Not in my book. Different times