STEVE Johnson was rightly praised for his best-on-ground performance in Geelong's 186-point demolition of Melbourne at Skilled Stadium at the weekend. Seven goals from half-forward should always get the top votes.
But it now seems that Johnson's game was underrated. He should have been given best on ground for Saturday's game plus bonus best-on-grounds for the next two games as well.
Since Champion Data started recording score assists in 2003, the record for score assists in a match has been nine. Johnson had nine against Melbourne by half-time.
He finished with 11, a mark that is unlikely to be broken for a long while. He kicked or had a direct hand in 17 goals (one of his score assists resulted in a behind), which is almost half Geelong's extraordinary tally of 37.
And yet the crew from Foxtel's On the Couch was unable to squeeze Johnson in to its list of top-five performances at Skilled Stadium (previously Kardinia Park) on Monday night.
On the Couch ranked Doug Wade's 13-goal performance against North Melbourne in 1971 as the best at the Cats' home ground.
North Melbourne finished ninth of 12 teams in 1971. Melbourne was just outside the top eight in a 17-team competition before Saturday's game.
It's safe to say that Wade, a stay-at-home full-forward throughout his career, did not have anywhere near Johnson's 11 score assists against the Roos. It's quite feasible that he had no score assists.
Sorry, boys, you've short-changed Stevie J on that one.
Top five performances at Skilled Stadium, according to On the Couch (statistics pre-Champion Data):
- Doug Wade's 13 goals against North Melbourne in round 20, 1971
- Gary Ablett's 12 goals against Richmond in round eight, 1993
- Tony Shaw's 48 possessions for Collingwood against Geelong in round seven, 1984
- Peter Riccardi's 42 possessions and three goals against Port Adelaide in round 18, 1997
- Barry Mitchell's 43 possessions and two goals for Sydney against Geelong in round 22, 1991
GEELONG'S 510 disposals for Saturday's match eclipsed their own record of 505, which the Cats had against North Melbourne in round 14, 2010.
Joel Selwood had the most disposals on Saturday, with 43. His tally - equal to Mitchell's 1991 effort - is a Champion Data record at Skilled Stadium (Champion Data started recording stats in 1999).
| Possessions | Match | |
| Joel Selwood | 43 | v Melbourne, round 19, 2011 |
| Gary Ablett | 42 | v Brisbane Lions, round 5, 2009 |
| Joel Selwood | 41 | v Brisbane Lions, round 17, 2010 |
| Adam Simpson (NM) | 41 | v Geelong, round 5, 2007 |
| Gary Ablett | 40 | v Melbourne, round 16, 2009 |
Duo behind Saints revival
IF YOU'RE looking for reasons for St Kilda's recent good form, look no further than the performances of Brendon Goddard and Nick Dal Santo over the past month.
In that time, St Kilda has beaten Port Adelaide (56 points), West Coast (21), Adelaide (103) and Gold Coast (20).
In that time, Dane Swan has had the most disposals while Dal Santo and Goddard are second and third on that list.
Goddard is second on the list of total kicks, while Dal Santo is fifth.
Goddard is second in handball receives and Dal Santo is third for clearances.
Goddard is on top in the category of effective kicks category while Dal Santo is equal second with Gold Coast defender Nathan Bock (who clearly has been effective in zoning off).
In the category of uncontested possessions, Swan is on top—and St Kilda players fill the next four places, with Goddard, Leigh Montagna, Jason Gram and Dal Santo all getting plenty of the ball in the clear.
The Saints have dominated the competition over the past month for moving the ball to advantage.
Swallow's stocks rise
WHILE Gold Coast midfielder David Swallow is proving himself a young star in the Suns' inaugural season, the stocks of his brother Andrew, the 24-year-old North Melbourne midfielder, are rising as well.
Swallow won the Roos' best and fairest in 2009, a season in which he averaged 19 disposals a game. His average last year was 21 and his average this year is 26.
Swallow is averaging 14 contested possessions a game, which puts him fourth on the overall list behind the Bulldogs' Matthew Boyd.
His average of seven clearances a game is second to Boyd.
You'd think that Swallow's only threat for another club best and fairest is Daniel Wells, who is high on the lists of kicks and uncontested possessions.
The pair make quite an effective inside-outside combination.
Boyd plays inside and out
BOYD, meanwhile, is proving himself the perfect inside-outside combination on his own.
The 28-year-old is on top in the categories of disposals, kicks, contested possessions and clearances.
He's also second for inside 50s, behind only teammate Ryan Griffen. It makes you wonder about the Bulldogs forwards.
Boyd's 45 disposals against Fremantle in round five was on top of the list for the most in a match this year until Dane Swan equaled that tally against Essendon on Sunday.
To sum up, Boyd is winning the counts for contested possessions as well as receives. He's an inside as well as outside dynamo.
And all this in a team that is outside the top eight.
Pendlebury's personal best
WHILE Swan got 45 disposals on Sunday, his effort was matched by teammate Scott Pendlebury's 23 contested possessions.
Pendlebury's effort eclipsed his previous best of 17 contested possessions.
Selwood and Fremantle pair Greg Broughton and Nathan Fyfe all had 20 contested possessions in round 19.
While Selwood played in a slaughter, Broughton and Fyfe played in a sodden match against Hawthorn in which the ball was mostly on the ground.
Stanton holds head high
BRENT Stanton can hold his head high despite being part of Essendon's 74-point loss to Collingwood.
Stanton had 14 tackles, the most since Andrew Welsh had 14 in the Bombers' four-point win over Fremantle in round 14, 2008.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
