2022 AFL Grand Final ranked the least exciting in flush factor history
Geelong’s dominance over Sydney in Saturday’s AFL Grand Final has been reflected in the 2022 flush factor, with footy fans content to miss some of the action for a toilet break.
The game has taken last place on Melbourne Water’s flush factor table.
The flush factor is a unique way of rating the engagement of footy fans, typically showing the closer the game, the more likely people will hold on until a break in play to visit the loo. It shows the percentage increase in water use from mass toilet flushings at the end of each quarter compared to a normal day (see table and graphs below).
Through an extensive network of underground pipes and sewers Melbourne Water manages and treats the city’s sewage, ensuring the health of our environment, and communities.
Melbourne Water’s Water Operations Centre Lead, David White, said with Geelong leading throughout the game, the spikes recorded after each quarter were not very big.
“The flush factor has stood up as a reliable indicator of the game once again,” Mr White said.
“It indicated the smallest increase in water flow at the final siren of the past 16 grand finals, with an 8.4 percent change in flow compared to a typical day. Geelong’s 81 point win replaced Richmond’s 89 point thrashing of Greater Western Sydney in 2019 on the bottom of the tally.”
The Western Bulldogs’ emotional win over Sydney in 2016, which delivered their first AFL premiership since 1954, remains on top of the flush factor tally by a long way, while the nail-biting 2010 Collingwood and St Kilda draw sits comfortably in second place.
Melbourne Water has been monitoring the flush factor since 2008.
| Rank | Teams | Year | Change in flow % at final siren |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Bulldogs def Sydney | 2016 | 101 |
| 2 | Collingwood and St Kilda draw | 2010 | 50.8 |
| 3 | Sydney def Hawthorn | 2012 | 38.8 |
| 4 | West Coast def Collingwood | 2018 | 36.0 |
| 5 | Geelong def St Kilda | 2009 | 35.0 |
| 6 | Hawthorn def Geelong | 2008 | 30.0 |
| 7 | Hawthorn def Fremantle | 2013 | 29.0 |
| 8 | Richmond def Adelaide | 2017 | 29.0 |
| 9 | Geelong def Collingwood | 2011 | 28.4 |
| 10 | Melbourne def Western Bulldogs | 2021 | 27.9 |
| 11 | Richmond def Geelong | 2020 | 25.5 |
| 12 | Collingwood def St Kilda | 2010-2 | 17.7 |
| 13 | Hawthorn def West Coast | 2015 | 16.4 |
| 14 | Hawthorn def Sydney | 2014 | 15.9 |
| 15 | Richmond def GWS | 2019 | 13.0 |
| 16 | Geelong def Sydney | 2022 | 8.4 |
Media Contact: [email protected]