A report compiled by AFL Victoria revealed the NFL’s Division 1 competition had an average margin of just 32.7 points this season, ranked first for competitiveness ahead of the Eastern Football League (34.8 points) and VAFA (36.2 points).
There were five draws recorded in the NFL top flight this, while a further 20 matches were decided by two goals or less.
Three of five games in Round 14 were decided by less than a goal, while Round 16 featured two draws and a six-point result.
Further testament to the competition’s evenness was the fact that wooden spooner Whittlesea was able to defeat eventual premier Northcote Park when the sides met at the Whittlesea Showgrounds in Round 10.
With an average margin of 50.3 points, the NFL’s Division 3 competition had the lowest average margin of all the bottom divisions of any league.
As a whole the Northern Football League’s average margin per match of 42.4 ranked second in metropolitan Victoria behind only the EFL on 40.6 points.
In 2011 the NFL recorded an average margin of 51 points, signifying an improvement of 8.6 points a game over the past year.
To read the AFL Victoria report, please click here.
