After the inaugural Australian Championship Group Stage came to a close over the weekend, we look back at the key numbers underpinning its progression.
The Group Stage saw an astonishing 158 goals across its 48 games - an average of 3.29 per match.
On an individual level, it was Sydney Olympic’s Ali Auglah who led the scoring charts, incredibly netting in all six of his matches.
He was closely followed by Wollongong Wolves’ Lachlan Scott, on five, while Joseph Scott and Bruno Fornaroli, of Moreton City Excelsior and Avondale FC respectively, rounded up the top three.
It was another Olympic player who led the assists, with Glorie Amanda finishing on an impressive five, almost one per match.
Marconi Stallions talisman Marko Jesic played a direct role in four goals, while exciting Victorian forwards Amar Abdallah (Avondale) and Chok Dau (Heidelberg United) both finished on a respectable three.
Despite being eliminated, Olympic’s Auglah and Amanda picked up the most goal involvements of any player in the competition, both finishing on seven.
Wolves’ Scott added an assist to his five goals to finish just behind, followed by another Moreton City player in the form of Seita Murai.
It’s no surprise that Moreton City and Olympic players feature so heavily in goal contributions, with the two sides being part of the highest scoring group, with Group A finishing with an incredible 50 goals across its 12 matches.
Group B, aided by the astonishing match between Wollongong Wolves and Marconi Stallions, finished with 44, while Group C and D had excitement in other areas, netting just 33 and 31 goals respectively.
Heidelberg and Moreton City scored the joint-most goals in the competition (15), followed by Sydney Olympic, who despite scoring 14, finished with a goal difference of 0.
Sydney United scored the fewest goals (5), while also conceding the third-most (14), along with Olympic, with Broadmeadow Magic (17) and South Hobart (20) unfortunately taking up the top-two.
Four sides had an exemplary defensive record halfway through the group stage, with Wests APIA, Heidelberg, Marconi and Bayswater City all only conceding one goal three matches into the tournament, but they ended with four, six, seven and nine apiece.
APIA and MetroStars, the two group C graduates, were the only sides to concede under one goal per match, finishing with the joint-best defensive records of the group stage.
Despite not featuring top in goals scored or goals conceded charts, South Melbourne were the side to take home the best results, dropping points just once, as they won five and drew one.
Heidelberg and Avondale also finished unbeaten, but had three draws, while Wests APIA took home the second-most points with 13, three shy of South Melbourne.
While entertainers Olympic exit the competition, Moreton City will be a team to watch in the Quarter-Finals, with the two sides being involved in 28 goals each across the group stage - a ridiculous average of 4.67 per game.
On the other hand, MetroStars experienced the least, with just 11 - under two per match.
Nevertheless, it promises to be a gargantuan weekend of football in the inaugural finals series, as eight of the biggest teams in Australia go head-to-head to move one step closer to take home the coveted Australian Championship.