SCORING is up and ball movement is flowing.

Data recorded by the AFL has revealed that, for a third consecutive season, scoring has improved again this year to 83.4 points per game. It follows a rise from 75.7 points (adjusted) in 2020, to 79.7 points last year.

The controversial 'stand' rule, introduced at the start of last season, has seen transition stats also improve. Chains from defensive 50 to attacking 50 have risen from 20.3 percent in 2020, to 27.4 percent this season. Kick-in to inside-50 chains have also increased significantly, going from 18.8 percent in 2020 to 24.2 percent this year.

The introduction of the 6-6-6 rule, though, has not yet seen a dramatic rise in centre bounce goals. They have only increased from 1.5 per game in 2019, to 1.7 per game through the first eight weeks of this season.

BROWNLOW PREDICTOR Who's leading the race?

But it has perhaps assisted the return of the hulking key forward. Through the first two months of the year, there have already been 29 occasions where a five-goal haul has been kicked in a single match. In context, that happened just 50 times for the entirety of last season.

In the weekend of football just gone, Richmond's Tom Lynch (six goals), Carlton's Charlie Curnow (six), Essendon's Peter Wright (six) and Geelong's Jeremy Cameron (five) all added to that total.

Tackle counts have significantly dropped, going from an average of 59.9 per game in 2019 to 54.3 this season. Stoppages are also steadily declining, going from 87.9 per game to 86.1 over the last four seasons.

It's made for less throw-ins and ball-ups through the first eight weeks of the current campaign, with closer games seeing the average margin of victory drop to just 32 points so far this year.