AGAINST Hawthorn on Saturday night, Geelong midfielder Cameron Guthrie set a statistical record that is unlikely to be chased with much vigour.
With his 33 disposals, Guthrie gained just 24 metres to unwittingly set a new mark for the fewest metres gained by a player registering 30 or more disposals in a game.
While the title might seem unwanted, Brownlow medallist Jobe Watson held it before Guthrie, having gained just 38 metres in a 30-possession game against Collingwood in round 20, 2010.
Since Champion Data introduced the statistic in 2007, on only eight occasions has a player gained fewer than 100 metres in a 30-plus disposal performance.
Apart from Guthrie and Watson, Dane Swan, Daniel Cross (twice), Dom Cassisi, Cameron Ling and Scott West feature on the list of eight.
It's not bad company for Guthrie, 22, to keep as he continues to cement his standing as one of the game's best young midfielders.
Guthrie's game is not based on gaining metres.
He averages 187.3m gained per game (ranked 21st at Geelong) and 9.9m per disposal.
What Guthrie does do, importantly, is release teammates into space to run with the ball.
In the same week he set the record, he topped the AFL in the relatively new statistic that measures how players assist others to gain metres.
Guthrie recorded 553 assisted metres, ahead of Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell (545 assisted metres) and Richmond's Troy Chaplin (512).
He had 23 handballs, leading the way forward as the Cats used short, sharp possessions to unlock the congestion and push its runners outside the contest in the first half.
He also managed to quell the Hawks' brilliant midfielder Jordan Lewis in the first half. Lewis ended with 25 disposals and played well but Guthrie took the points.
Guthrie was clean and precise, handballing to Mathew Stokes five times, Mitch Duncan four times and Jordan Murdoch three times, and was among the Cats' best.
As he went sideways and backwards to hit players charging forward he looked at times like a man handing out drinks during a marathon. But he hardly missed.
What doesn't quite fit is Guthrie's propensity to run and carry - he is second behind Steve Motlop for bounces at the club and took two against Hawthorn.
Nor does his latest metres-gained effort fit with the fact he gained 23 metres for each of his 14 disposals in round five against Hawthorn and took five bounces.
So Guthrie holds the record: least metres gained for players who register more than 30 disposals.
It's going to take a backwards step for someone new to claim it.
| PLAYER | SEASON | ROUND | DISPOSALS | M.GAINED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Guthrie | 2014 | 22 | 33 | 24.0 |
| Jobe Watson | 2010 | 20 | 30 | 38.2 |
| Dane Swan | 2014 | 15 | 30 | 63.2 |
| Daniel Cross | 2012 | 5 | 34 | 66.1 |
| Dom Cassisi | 2009 | 15 | 36 | 71.9 |
| Daniel Cross | 2010 | 16 | 33 | 79.8 |
| Cameron Ling | 2009 | 4 | 30 | 80.8 |
| Scott West | 2007 | 18 | 30 | 86.8 |
Stats by Champion Data
