THERE are good statistics and there are bad statistics.

Thanks to Champion Data, AFL.com.au has assessed the key areas your club held its own in last season - and those it didn't.

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Oppo D50 to In50	20.4%	#7
Forward Half Intercepts	21.9	#9

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Scores Agst. From Turnover	55.0	#18
Scores Agst. From Stoppage	31.2	#15
Inside 50 Diff.	-5.4	#14

There's some clear evidence for Matthew Nicks to show his team during the pre-season that its team defence let it down in 2021. Although the Crows were ranked ninth for forward half intercepts and made it difficult for opposition to transition the ball from their defensive 50 to forward 50, they leaked far too many points. Adelaide was ranked 18th for scores against from turnover, conceding more than nine goals a game from this, and 15th for scores against from stoppage. Team defence will be a big focus for next season. - Michael Whiting

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Scores from Stoppages Diff.	+12.9	#1
Scores per Inside 50	45.4%	#2
Clearance Diff.	+2.9	#4

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Hitout Diff.	-8.7	#16

The Lions were the heaviest scoring team this season and much of their success came from stoppages. With ball-hunters like Lachie Neale and Jarryd Lyons in tight, Brisbane was ranked fourth for clearance differential (almost plus-three a game), but it's what they did from that advantage that really counted. The Lions were the best team in the competition at scores from stoppage differential, with an average advantage of 13 points a game. With prolific goalkickers Charlie Cameron and Joe Daniher leading the way, they were also second for scores per inside 50. - Michael Whiting

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Scores per Inside 50	44.8%	#3
D50 to I50	21.7%	#6
Forward Half Intercepts	22.1	#8

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Oppo Score per In50	44.6%	#15
Contested Possession Diff.	-7.1	#15
Clearance Diff.	-3.8	#16

Carlton in 2021 was a tale of two halves. The forward line was incredibly potent when the ball entered attack, ranked third overall for scores per inside 50, but leaked horribly the other way, sitting 15th for opposition scores per inside 50. Despite the stellar work of Sam Walsh, clearances were a significant issue in 2021, as was the general contested-ball work around the ground. On the plus side, the Blues were ranked in the top third of clubs for carrying the ball between the arcs. – Sarah Black

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Oppo Score per In50	40.6%	#3

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Scores from Turnover Diff.	-9.5	#15
Score per Inside 50	42.1%	#14
Clearance Diff.	-1.3	#14

In a very tough year for the Magpies, finishing 17th, the only "good" stat came from their miserly defence. Led by the likes of Jordan Roughead, Brayden Maynard and – in the first half of the year – Darcy Moore, the Pies backline were the third-best at restricting opposition scores once inside 50. Areas new coach Craig McRae will be focusing on include limiting scores from turnover and converting inside 50s to scores. – Sarah Black

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Scores from Stoppages Diff.	+8.7	#2
Score per Inside 50	44.7%	#4
Defensive Midfield to Inside 50	43.5%	#1

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Oppo D50 to I50	25.1%	#18
Contested Possession Diff.	-4.4	#13
Forward Half Intercepts	20.5	#16

The Bombers often excited as one of the highest-scoring teams but rather than relying on risky ball movement were able to do that from stoppages and by making the most of forward 50 entries. They were also the top team for moving the ball from the midfield into the forward 50. But the Bombers need to make it harder for the opposition to go the other way, as the worst team for allowing full-field transitions and ranking poorly for contested ball differential and intercepts in the forward half. - Martin Pegan

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Clearance Diff.	+3.7	#3
Scores Agst. From Stoppages	26.7	#4
D50 to I50	22.1%	#4

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Scores from Turnover Diff.	-13.8	#18
Oppo Score per In50	44.70%	#16

The exciting Fremantle engine room of Nat Fyfe, Caleb Serong, Adam Cerra, David Mundy and Andrew Brayshaw combined well with ruck Sean Darcy to be the third-best clearance team in the AFL. The Dockers were defensively strong at stoppages, severely limiting opposition scores from that particular source, and also carried the ball cleanly down the field. Once the ball entered defensive 50, they were easy to score against, while they struggled to score from turnover as much as their opposition did, sitting dead last. – Sarah Black

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Contested Possession Diff.	+13.2	#1
Scores Agst. From Turnover	36.5	#1
Clearance Diff.	+4.4	#2

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Score per Inside 50	42.6%	#11
Oppo score per Inside 50	42.9%	#10

The battle-hardened Cats remain one of the top teams at winning contests around the ground and at clearances, despite conceding a record 101 points from stoppages in the preliminary final. Methodical ball movement gives the Cats time to set up and limit scores from turnover better than any other team, but faster play might improve their ability to score once the ball is inside the attacking 50. The Cats also rank lower than most for allowing the opposition to make the most of their forward-50 opportunities. - Martin Pegan

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Groundball Diff.	+3.1	#6
Oppo Score per In50	42.30%	#7

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Score per Inside 50	39.6%	#17
Scores from Turnover Diff.	-12.4	#17
Contested Possession Diff.	+9.9	#17

In another difficult season for the Suns they can look to their defence as a positive, ranked seventh for opposition scores per inside 50. The other end of the ground was a different story, however. Despite Ben King's breakout season of 47 goals, they really had difficulty scoring, with only North Melbourne ranked lower for scores per inside 50. Gold Coast was also badly beaten in contested ball differential, ranked 17th, and had difficulty defending from turnovers, also ranked 17th for that differential. - Michael Whiting

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Scores from Stoppages	33.8	#4
Oppo Score per Inside 50	42.20%	#6
Clearance Diff.	+1.6	#5

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Oppo D50 to I50	24.2%	#16
Time in Fwd Half Diff.	-4:18	#15

The Giants build their game around a strength at stoppages and that stands up in their ranking for clearance differentials and, as shown in their elimination final victory, scoring from stoppages. A younger defensive group emerged this season and were able to prevent scores from forward 50 entries more than most but their task was made harder by the ball spending too much time in the Giants' defensive half. The opposition also found it far too easy to turn defence into attack. - Martin Pegan

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Oppo Score per In50 %	41.9%	#5
Scores from Turnovers	48.6	#7

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Scores from Stoppages Diff.	-9.9	#17
Score per Inside 50	40.5%	#16
Inside 50 Diff.	-5.7	#15

The Hawks really had trouble scoring in 2021, for a variety of reasons. With an average of almost six fewer inside 50 entries than their opponents each game (ranked 15th), their young forward line had far fewer opportunities, and once the ball got in there, only North Melbourne and Gold Coast were less efficient at converting that into scores. Conversely Hawthorn's defence was particularly frugal, with opponents scoring just 42 per cent of the time they went inside 50, which was the fifth best in the AFL. - Michael Whiting

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Time in Fwd Half Diff.	+7:52	#2
Oppo Score per Inside 50	35.3%	#1 (best ever recorded)
Contested Possession Diff.	+11.1	#2

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Defensive Midfield to Inside 50	38.2%	#15

It's all smiles for the minor premiers on the stats sheet. Steven May, Jake Lever, Harrison Petty and co restricted their opponents to scoring just 35.3 per cent of the time once they entered 50, the best result ever recorded by Champion Data. By the end of the game, the Demons had the ball in their forward half nearly eight minutes longer than their opponents. The only question mark comes when moving the ball from the defensive side of the midfield to inside 50, but if the ball spends so much time in the forward half anyway, it's not a serious problem. – Sarah Black

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Defensive Midfield to Inside 50	40.6%	#6

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Contested Possession Diff.	-10.9	#18
Score per Inside 50	39.2%	#18
Inside 50 Diff.	-7.5	#18

An emerging midfield showed some good signs and was able to transition from the defensive half to the forward 50 more than most teams. But the wooden spooners ranked last in some crucial areas including contested possession differential, which is often a problem for young players. The Roos also found it harder to move the ball into the forward 50 than the rest of the competition and the young attacking line-up too often struggled to score even when it did come their way. - Martin Pegan

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Scores from Stoppages Diff.	+7.9	#3
Contested Possession Diff.	+6.8	#4
Inside 50 Diff.	+4.5	#5

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
D50 to I50	20.0%	#15

Port's surge to a preliminary final was really built on the back of its work around the contest. Led by Brownlow Medal fancy Ollie Wines and evergreen midfield bull Travis Boak, Port was ranked fourth in the competition for contested possession differential (+6.8 a game). They were also mightily efficient once winning the ball from a stoppage, scoring eight points a game more than their opponent to trail only Brisbane and Essendon in that category. Their one glaring weakness was an inability to transition the ball from defensive 50 to inside 50 (ranked 15th). - Michael Whiting

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Scores from Turnover Diff.	+10.3	#6
Time in Fwd Half Diff.	+3:14	#4
Forward Half Intercepts	24.5	#5

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Clearance Diff.	-6.5	#18
Contested Possession Diff.	-7.7	#16
Oppo score per Inside 50	44.2%	#13

Perhaps reflective of Richmond's up-and-down year with both available personnel and form, its positives were great, and its negatives were very bad. Once again, the Tigers were one of the stronger sides when it came to the scoring from turnover differential, and were the fourth-best team for time in forward half compared to their opponent. After righting the clearance ship somewhat last year, it was a very poor year on that front, sitting dead last as injuries took their toll. The Tigers' defence – usually a strength – also leaked badly in the absence of some key talls. – Sarah Black

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Time in Fwd Half Diff.	+2:00	#6
D50 to I50	21.6%	#8

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Score per Inside 50	40.9%	#15
Groundball Diff.	-3.9	#14
Scores from Stoppages Diff.	-5.0	#14

Converting inside 50s to goals will be top of Brett Ratten's list for the 2022 season. The Saints ranked in the top half of sides for transition from defence to attack and time in forward half, but sat 15th for scores once inside 50. Addressing stoppages at both ends of the field will also help the cause, with the Saints ranked 14th for scores from stoppage differential. St Kilda also ranked poorly in groundball differential, but it's a measurement that can be blown out if the ball rarely hits the deck. – Sarah Black

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
D50 to I50	24.8%	#1
Scores from Turnover Diff.	+14.4	#3
Score per Inside 50	44.2%	#5

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Groundball Diff.	-3.5	#13
Oppo Defensive Midfield to Inside 50	44.0%	#18

Blistering ball movement made the Swans the most dangerous team at transitioning from defence to attack and improved their ability to score once inside 50. It also helped them to score quickly from turnovers while setting up well to limit threats coming the other way. But the Swans will want to get better at battling for groundballs and especially at stopping the opposition getting the ball inside 50 from the midfield. - Martin Pegan

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Clearance Diff.	+1.4	#6
Scores from Stoppages	31.6	#6

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Oppo Score per In50	47.0%	#17
Groundball Diff.	-14.4	#18
D50 to I50	18.7%	#18

Ruck clearance king Nic Naitanui helped the Eagles win the battle around centre bounces and ball-ups, and to ensure scoring from stoppages remained as a strength despite Elliot Yeo and Luke Shuey often missing due to injury. But the opposition found it too easy to transition the ball from defence to attack and then score once inside 50. The Eagles were also exposed when the ball hit the deck, ranked last for groundball differential. - Martin Pegan

Good stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
Inside 50 Diff.	+9.4	#1
Score per Inside 50	46.0%	#1
Scores from Turnover Diff.	+15.0	#1

Bad stats

STAT	2021 AVG.	RANK
D50 to I50	20.6%	#11

It's not surprising the Bulldogs top the league in a number of categories, most notably inside 50 differential, generating almost 10 more entries than their opposition each game. That's just the start of the problems for anyone playing the Bulldogs, as they are then the most efficient team with the ball inside 50, scoring on 46 per cent of occasions. The one area Luke Beveridge's team punishes you the most is from turnover – both scoring from it and defending it – scoring 15 points a game more to lead the AFL. - Michael Whiting