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. It typically shows a close game sees people more likely to hold on until a break in play. It shows the percentage increase in water use from mass toilet flushings at the end of each quarter compared to a typical day.
Melbourne Water manages and treats the city’s sewage through an extensive network of underground pipes and sewers. Their management ensures 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,” White said.
“It indicated the smallest increase in water flow at the final siren of the past 16 grand finals. We saw an 8.4 per cent 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.
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