ABC Sport on Grandstand it's 100% Pure Footy. Just the one: Bailey. And you certainly can't fit 21 into the top 10. There's really no better way to describe Cameron, who, at this point, is practically a walking highlight reel. Most of us would consider it a clear down year for the three-time Norm Smith medallist but if anyone else had that type of output -- admittedly, over a full season and not the nine games Martin managed -- they wouldn't just be in All-Australian general forward discussions, they'd have the blazer. Barely got a touch after 1/4 time IIRC. The Crows and Magpies clash in round seven. He could have easily added a second 'Charlie' to his resume after a remarkable 2022, where he ranked top two in disposals, contested possessions and clearances, as well as top 10 in score involvements. Using accumulated stats from across the four home and away seasons of the competition (excluding finals), 21 players have made the cut, including the recently retired Jess Foley, with a minimum 10-game . Clayton Oliver is well and truly on the way to making this category his own. It's a damn shame that injuries have derailed Fyfe's hall-of-fame career. Its clear that kicks, inside 50s, marks inside 50 and contested possessions have a significant bearing on the result, while intercepts and uncontested possessions are also meaningful and even tackles and rebound 50s can be useful metrics when displayed in the right context. Analysis of the 142 games in AFLWs short history confirms that some statistics certainly have a stronger correlation with margins than others, although these figures will change (and become more accurate) as more games are played and more data become available. I want to make it crystal clear that if this was a ranking of the 'most valuable' players, then Gawn is pushing for the top 10. 1-ranked player last year in clearances, contested possessions and ground ball gets?! Fyfe has taken 299 contested marks in his career, which ranks 39th all-time and is the most of any non-ruck or key position player since the statistic was recorded. Robert Cianflone/Getty Images. Through last year's injury interrupted season, Martin averaged 18 disposals and 1.3 goals per game, playing predominantly in the forward line. In fact, no non-key forward has kicked more than Fritsch's 114 over the last two years. >>SEE ALL THE KEY TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL RECORD-HOLDERS BELOW. Jack Steele high-fives Saints fans at Marvel Stadium. Ash Johnson and Josh Daicos both goaled, before John Noble's running goal from 50m out with 2:52 left cut the margin to one point. Then the second selection, and third, and so on. He averages six tackles per game for his career and last season ranked fourth in the league for pressure acts. He works as hard as any midfielder in the game, always pushing into defence to give his backline a chop out. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. Sub Rhett Bazzo was then sent to Curnow, but it was Hurn's brief cameo on the spearhead that created the biggest highlight. The news wont be welcomed by Gold Coasts Lauren Bella, who recorded the most hit-outs of the 2020 season, but sadly, there is virtually no correlation between the hit-out differential and the margin. The Demons kicked their highest score this season and were on track to record their biggest winning margin against North Melbourne, before the Kangaroos kicked the last three goals of the match. They explain 55 percent of the variation in margins, slightly above the 51 percent explained by the kick differential. I've referenced others on this list as difficult match-ups but Petracca is the most difficult. What are the two most valuable things a player can do in football? Some might even go so far as to say he's one of the most underrated players going around (yep, I'm one of them). But at his best, Grundy is the complete package. In my mind, he's the league's most complete player. As much as I believe Chad Warner is a future top three player, he's obviously not there yet, and will be ranked accordingly. Naturally, teams that generate more scoring opportunities are more likely to win. 200. I've had a few dud calls over the past couple of years but picking Neale to win the 2020 Brownlow Medal at the beginning of the season feels like it makes up for them all. He's never afraid to take on the game with his pace, run-and-carry and dare, and with more time in the midfield last year was able to enjoy career-highs in most statistical categories. In fact, it seems that the type of mark is less important than its location. Bolton is the ultimate match-winner and his elusiveness, speed, skill and the fact he's also a constant aerial threat make him an impossible match-up, either in the midfield or when he pushes into the forward-line. Enjoy the thrilling final moments between Adelaide and Collingwood in round seven. Last season, Gawn took the second-most contested marks, had more clearances than any non-midfielder, kicked 13 goals and was the only ruck to rank top 50 in score involvements. If Warner stays healthy, I'll be utterly stunned if he isn't a unanimous top three player by the end of 2024. Check. With respect to Scott Pendlebury, Neale has the best balance of any player in the league, particularly around stoppages, and a crazy ability to weave his way out of traffic before finding a target. Noah Anderson celebrates a goal after the siren. It's also worth remembering McKay is just 25 years of age! So what is it that makes Cameron so dangerous? Is May the best pure defender in the game? Michael Willson/Getty Images. Parker's career arc has been relatively flat, but that's not a knock on him, rather it highlights his consistency over the journey. MOST CONTESTED TOUCHES IN A SEASON THE 400 CLUB, 400 clubClayton OliverJosh KennedyPatrick CrippsPatrick DangerfieldTom Mitchell. April 25, 2023. The only thing that gets in the is that he never won a Brownlow otherwise he would be labeled the GOAT like Michael Jordan of the AFL. Hard-nosed Kangaroo Ben Cunnington still has the mark for contested possessions (32), while Joel Bowden's mark of 41 uncontested possessions in 2009 will take some beating. The Giants' (3-4) key forward Jesse Hogan finished with two majors against the Swans' returning key defender Tom McCartin. Moore was outstanding with 23 disposals, including nine intercept possessions and six marks, while Josh Daicos had a game-high 31 touches and had his moments in the tense final term. Picture: AFL Photos, Joel Bowden celebrates a goal during the R5 clash between Richmond and North Melbourne on April 25, 2009. Disposals; Player TM Years # GM Ave. Rebound 50s do have some relevance, but only in relation to inside 50s. Hawkins remains the AFL's king in score involvements (8.7 per game), and ranked No. The differential for this statistic explains 31 percent of the variation in margins. Last year, Parker kicked 14 majors, including a bag of five against the Giants in Round 1 which netted him three Brownlow Medal votes. Aaron Naughton (four goals), Caleb Daniel (27 disposals, six clearances) and Jack Macrae (26, six) were all influential in the victory, which put the Bulldogs ahead on the win-loss ledger for the first time this season. While it's a tad unfair to call Fritsch a one-trick pony, especially when his trick happens to be the most difficult and sought after quality in the sport, some of the game's other premier small and mid-sized forwards bring a little more to the table. Stewart is also used as a distributor and attack launcher for the Cats, averaging a shade under 24 disposals, 18 kicks and six rebound 50s per game since the beginning of 2021. The focus for the remainder of the match was on whether Curnow could make it a magical 10 goals, but West Coast double teamed him at times to ensure it did not happen. Imagine if he was converting even 60% of his shots! Did I mention Oliver was also the No. As a combination of several weighted statistics, fantasy points have an extremely unfair advantage over the single statistics, and as expected, they explain more of the variation in margins than any one stat. All-Time Passes Completed Leaders. Would you believe me if I told you that no player has booted more goals than him since the beginning of 2012? Luke Parker is the heart and soul of the Swans. . The modern game of football changed drastically in the early 2000s. I think there's plenty more awards coming his way, too. You see, Martin's bar was set so high throughout his stellar career that we'll always unfairly compare him to what he once was. After the halcyon days of the 80s and 90s, where the style of footy largely remained open and free-flowing, teams started to focus more on defence first and everything else second. Zac Bailey is one of the league's best young mid-forwards. I mentioned Warner in my introduction and that no forecasting was taking place when devising this list. The 10 best AFL players at quarter time of the 2023 season Skip to navigation Search You have come to the ESPN Africa edition, for other ESPN editions, click above. 'I LOST MY MIND' McRae stunned by late call, Nicks laments inaccuracy. Olivers best is 405, back in the 2018 season, where the Dees looked as though they may give their long-suffering supporters some respite before they headed west and fell to the Eagles in the prelim. Jeremy Cameron celebrates after winning the 2022 AFL Grand Final. In 1991, the big man grabbed 50 possessions against Brisbane in 1991. This revelation might lead you to wonder, What about AFLW? Presently, womens football has its own unique characteristics tackles are more common; uncontested possessions are less common and thus, there is no reason to presume that its most pivotal statistics would be exactly the same as those of the top-flight mens competition. to dominate on the lead as well as at ground level, making him a nightmare one-on-one match-up for any defender, especially when you consider only four players took more contested marks than him last year. So yes, I truly believe he is already amongst the top 25 players in the AFL, with just 39 games to his name. And he often does just that. Toby Greene will captain the Giants in 2023. Joe Daniher also booted three majors, with Ashcroft, Cameron, Zac Bailey, Eric Hipwood finished the match with doubles. Rory Sloane lays a huge tackle on Beau McCreery and makes no mistake in front of the big sticks. It is the Kangaroos' biggest losing margin under new coach Alastair Clarkson, after they won their first two matches, and also Melbourne's fourth 100-plus score this season. The Magpies have flown home again, beating the Crows in an incredible contest. Popular young livewire Arthur Jones kicked the sealer his first AFL goal to spark celebrations in the final few minutes. Lance Franklin took a while to warm into the match but got off the leash with three goals either side of the main break after Giants defender Jack Buckley had the better of their clash early on. I wasn't looking to be provocative with my claim, but I'd clearly struck a nerve with this particular colleague. Eventually, I settled with him at No. Of course, a player's body of work impacts their ranking but I want to hammer home the fact this is not a legacy piece. I'm sure he has another gear to reach but that slow burn with De Goey looks like it's about to pay some serious dividends for the Magpies as the club looks for another deep September run. It is important to note that, of these players, Oliver is performing at an amazing clip. But in the 'best players' category, sorry, it's just not happening. I don't reckon many non-Crows fans will believe some of these numbers. Over the last two seasons, he has averaged 7.5 clearances per game (top five in the league), and ranks 'elite' with Champion Data in contested possession, tackles, ground ball gets and score involvements. Second in the AFL for contested possessions (average 15.9 a game) behind Clayton Oliver, and second in the league in centre clearances (behind Dylan Shiel), there is no doubting Neale's quality . 49. Bailey Smith has one of the best engines in the AFL. And if the Coleman Medal is any indicator (of course it is! If youd like to help achieve this, please feel free to pitch an article via email to australiazone@protonmail.com we accept submissions from anyone. And would I be surprised if he's once again a consensus top five player by season's end. It's hardly a concern, though, given he's still just 22 years old and certainly has the potential to get there one day. Also Lynch. He also possesses elite acceleration and top speed, allowing him to break lines for the Bulldogs and launch attacking thrusts. Picture: AFL Photos, The scoreboard after the clash between Geelong and Melbourne in R19, 2011. However, considering the advantage fantasy points possess, their superiority over kicks is not very significant. It was the age of the contested possession, and the biggest and strongest of AFL mids were in high demand. 2022 AFL League Total Contested Possessions Leaders (Minimum 5 Games Played) Rank: Player: Team Games: Total: 1: Clayton Oliver: Melbourne: 23: 409: 2: Lachie Neale: Brisbane: 25: 400: 3: Touk Miller: Gold Coast: 22: 334: 4: . 25. . Me? Kennedy also went close to having a fourth season topping 400 contested touches, with 393 in 2015. Instead, I've used the last two seasons as a gauge of where a particular player is at in their career. Jason McCawley/Getty Images. Patrick Dangerfield has won everything in the game. Matt Roberts/Getty Images. You'd also be hard pressed to find a more reliable set shot for goal, particularly on or outside the 50m arc. West Coast (1-6) has now lost five matches on the trot and face a huge fight to avoid the wooden spoon this year amidst a devastating injury toll. With three games remaining in the 2021 season (plus at least one final for the Dees), Oliver sits at 327 contested touches. Gary Ablett managed 46 possessions aganst Adelaide in 2008 Stephen Malaxo's accumulated 48 possessions against St.Kilda in late 1987. Charlie Cameron might be the quickest player in the AFL. Dangerfield also had 388 contested that season. Who are the best players in the AFL and how would you go about ranking them? The Swans co-captain gathered 33 disposals and booted an important final-term goal, but lacked support around the stoppages to stem the flow of goals as the Giants stormed home. Charlie Curnow was the 2022 Coleman Medal winner. Bolton hasn't just taken the torch from Dustin Martin as Richmond's dynamic mid-forward threat, he's ensuring the flame will continue to burn brightly for years to come. The sheer volume of his disposals might not stack up with some of the game's other elite players, but I'm not docking him ranking value for that, because his impact is every bit on par. It holds him in good. Michael Willson/Getty Images. Walsh still has his nose in front, no doubt, but Rozee clawed back some serious ground last year, after finally being offered minutes and excelling in Port's midfield. So there you have it. Completing a disastrous night for the Kangaroos, Tom Powell needed help from trainers as he went off with a leg injury in the last term. He has also averaged the most centre clearances per game of any Sydney player per game so far in season 2023. It highlights just how much of a potent attacking force he really is. The Top Ten. When I shared my initial ranked list (yes, there have since been plenty of tweaks!) By now, I'm sure you're fully aware of the types of players I rate higher than others. Bontempelli continues to be one of the best goal-kicking midfielders in the AFL, booting 55 majors over the past two seasons. Marks, particularly contested marks, may seem as though they would be on the more important end of the spectrum. Laird's remarkable effort in Saturday's loss against Collingwood surpassed Jack Ziebell's previous record of 19 set in 2016. So impressive was Rozee from Round 5 onwards -- averaging 26 disposals, four clearances, four inside 50s, four tackles and just about a goal per game -- that he was awarded an All-Australian blazer. He orchestrates all of Brisbane's play out of the middle and at stoppages, tackles hard and is constantly working up and down the ground. I bet you wouldn't have picked that, huh? Michael Willson/Getty Images. Leigh Mathew's is definitely a top 5 player and arguably the greatest. The clinical Mihocek snapped truly on his left and capitalised on Jordon Butts' defensive gift to close the gap to one goal by half-time. There aren't many players with more potential than Jordan De Goey. Ruby Schleicher, Collingwood - intercept possessions. Intercepting defenders have become crucial in recent years, but the record for most intercept possessions is now a decade old, with another former Kangaroo, Scott Thompson, doing so 24 times. Is Christian Petracca now the best player in the AFL? Not the most valuable. Still, Miller finished third -- behind winner Patrick Cripps and pre-count favourite Lachie Neale -- but will be sure to give the award a shake again in 2023 if he maintains his ridiculous numbers of 28 disposals, 15 contested possessions, eight clearances and six tackles per contest. He was held goalless just once and was a multiple goal kicker on 14 occasions. No surprise he had the fourth-most kicks of anyone last year, as well as the most rebound 50s. The Bulldogs (4-3) were well beaten in clearances and contested possession before half-time but gradually tilted the match in their favour to secure a 14.10 (94) to 9.11 (65) victory at Docklands.