WHICH Hawthorn big man is unexpectedly rated among the top 15 players in the competition? Which unheralded Cat is one of the hottest players in the AFL?
AFL.com.au has taken a close look at the Schick AFL Player Ratings, which take into account an individual's past 40 games over a rolling two-year period, and picked out a quirky fact related to each club that most people probably aren't aware of.
Richmond
The prevailing view sees Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin, Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt as the pillars of this dominant Tigers outfit. Maybe it's time Shane Edwards was included in that group. He's at No.17 in the Player Ratings, to sit ahead of Riewoldt (No.41), Cotchin (No.43) and Rance (No.53). Martin is No.2, behind only Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield.
Hawthorn
The No.13-ranked player in the AFL is Hawks ruckman Ben McEvoy. He performed better last year, which is still counted in his Player Ratings score. McEvoy had a kick rating of +4.9 per cent in 2017, which means he hit the target by foot 4.9 per cent more often than expected, taking into account the context and difficulty of attempts.
Melbourne
There has been a lot of talk about Geelong sensation Tim Kelly and NAB AFL Rising Star winner Jaidyn Stephenson but Bayley Fritsch is ranked No.2 among first-year players, behind only the Cat. Boom Brisbane draftee Cam Rayner is next, followed by Pies speedster Stephenson at No.4. The Demon was born about three weeks too early to be eligible for the Rising Star, with nominees needing to be younger than 21 by January 1 this year.
Bayley Fritsch is averaging 16 disposals from 21 games this season. Picture: AFL Photos
Geelong
Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett, Mitch Duncan, Tim Kelly. The star names reel off the tongue. Another is warranted in that discussion: Sam Menegola. He was ranked No.2 over the final month of the home and away season and was the No.14 player in the AFL this season.
Sydney
Swans skipper Josh Kennedy is the club's No.2-ranked onballer, behind Luke Parker, despite having played one more match and averaging more disposals, contested possessions and clearances. However, Kennedy goes at just 4.5 score involvements and 0.6 score assists per game, which are the fewest of anyone else ranked in the top 20 for contested possessions.
Greater Western Sydney
There might have been some eyebrows raised about Callan Ward being in the 2018 Virgin Australia AFL All Australian squad of 40, especially ahead of teammate Stephen Coniglio, but perhaps the more questionable decision was the inspirational Giants co-captain not being included in the final side. He is ranked No.8 in 2018, based on average Player Ratings scores, and is fifth in the AFL for average clearances.
Callan Ward has had a sensational 2018. Picture: AFL Photos
West Coast
After the first 10 matches of the year, Jack Darling was considered by some observers as the most in-form player in the competition. However, he is ranked No.9 among key forwards this season based on average Player Ratings points per game and sits a rung below Hawthorn skipper Jarryd Roughead, despite averaging more marks and goals than his Hawks counterpart. However, Darling's kick rating around the ground is poor, at -5.8 per cent.
Collingwood
Lynden Dunn, Matthew Scharenberg and Darcy Moore are among the stoppers unavailable for Saturday night's clash with West Coast. However, it's worth noting who will be there. Jack Crisp and Jeremy Howe are rated No.1 and No.2 among small-medium backmen in the competition. Granted, Howe is coming off thigh surgery, but Nathan Buckley has at least a couple of gun defenders at his disposal.
Schick AFL Player Ratings: Who are your club's leaders?
