IT WAS surprising to few that when the game was up for grabs last week, Carlton turned to Sam Walsh to overcome Fremantle. After a (slightly) quieter game until the final quarter, the Blues' wonderkid had an electric last term that saw him gather nine of his 25 disposals for the game, as well as boot the brilliant match-sealing goal.

It was equally as unsurprising two weeks earlier, when Greater Western Sydney chose to send its No.1 tagger Matt de Boer to the No.1 pick – an experience that was newer for Walsh but saw him work through it.

In fact, perhaps the only thing that really could have raised eyebrows is Adelaide's decision not to do the same the following week, when Walsh ran riot to collect a career-best 38 disposals in a match-winning effort.

Walsh's first 54 games at AFL level – he hasn't missed one since debuting in round one, 2019 – sit alongside the very best.

In fact, of the No.1 picks who have been midfielders chosen this century, Walsh is the leading player ranked against the rest after their first 54 games.

Since 2000, Walsh is one of 11 players drafted with the first pick as a midfielder: Luke Hodge (2001), Adam Cooney (2003), Brett Deledio (2004), Marc Murphy (2005), Bryce Gibbs (2006), Tom Scully (2009), David Swallow (2010), Lachie Whitfield (2012), Andrew McGrath (2016) and Matt Rowell (2019).

Given Rowell has only played 10 games, his numbers are not reflected in this player-by-player comparison provided by Champion Data, which highlights Walsh's extraordinary feats.

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The recently turned 21-year-old sits atop of the group of No.1 midfielders for average disposals (25), contested possessions (9.7) and clearances (3.5) – three of the six key categories. He is also third in the group for tackles with an average of 3.4 and equal 5^th for score involvements.

The hard-working Scully is his nearest rival, with the pair's similar endurance athletic attributes holding them both in good stead for an early impact at the top level. Scully, who was Melbourne's No.1 pick before jumping ship to join Greater Western Sydney after two seasons, averaged 20.7 disposals, 7.8 contested disposals and 3.1 clearances in his first 54 games. He also led the pack for tackles, averaging 4.4 a game.

Walsh's Carlton teammate Murphy, who was the Blues first of five No.1 picks over 14 seasons, ranked highest for score involvements over the comparable periods, while Western Bulldog Cooney, who spent some time starting his career across half-forward, averaged nearly a goal a game across his first 54 appearances.

Walsh will again be the man to stop as Geelong takes on Carlton at the MCG on Saturday. Again, this will be little surprise to the Cats, who housed Walsh for a week of training during his draft year in 2018 and were acutely aware of his talents then.