WITH every team now having at least one game under its belt, it hasn't taken long for some statistical anomalies to surface in 2024.
Individual contested possession records, team uncontested marking highs, scoring assists by the droves – round one had a bit of everything.
Courtesy of statistics provided by Champion Data, let's have a look at some of the quirky stats to start the season.
Rowell the wrecking ball
In Opening Round, Gold Coast's Matt Rowell recorded a whopping 20 clearances to record the second most in a single game on record, but his statistical tear didn't stop there. Going back to last season's final round, Rowell has racked up 41 clearances in his past three games – the most on record in a three-game stretch. The previous mark was 40 held by Mark Ricciuto in 2000. Rowell has also racked up 69 contested possessions in the same span – the most in three successive games since Jack Macrae in 2019.
Melbourne's marking mayhem
At the MCG on Sunday, Melbourne played a brand of keepings off that was too much for the Western Bulldogs. The 129 uncontested marks was the most by a Demons outfit since 2009. For context, the AFL average is 83. Jack Billings took 15 uncontested marks – the most in his career – Steven May 11 and Tom McDonald 10.
Dogs' dodgy defending
It was little wonder Melbourne took so many uncontested marks when you look at the Bulldogs' pressure rating. Their mark of 162 was the lowest for the club since 2018, with the 37 laid tackles their equal lowest since 2019.
Port's odd turnover differential
Port Adelaide easily accounted for West Coast by 50 points on Sunday, but it wasn't because of their ability to score from turnovers. In fact, the Eagles outscored Port 39-37 from that score source. It's just the third time a team has won by 50 points or more and been outscored from turnover in the last nine seasons.
Helping your teammates
One thing Ken Hinkley's team did superbly was put their teammates in a better position. Port's 32 score assists were their equal most on record since 2003. Todd Marshall directly assisted in three goals, while Ryan Burton, Willie Rioli and Richmond recruit Ivan Soldo assisted in two apiece.
Kick-in chaos
Port and West Coast did combine for one of the more peculiar stats of the weekend. The 40 points combined from kick-ins – going from kick-in to a score without interruption – is the second most combined in a game since 2009. Swift transition was alive and well.
A Giant wave of scoring
Not surprisingly, Greater Western Sydney racked up all sorts of gawdy numbers in its win over North Melbourne. The Giants won by 'only' 39 points, scoring 91 from turnover, almost double the AFL average of 47. They scored 50 points from defensive 50 chains, more than three times the AFL average of 16, and they scored 30 points from defensive midfield chains, well in excess of the AFL average of 17.