IF EVER a contest was to be decided by onballers, Friday night's elimination final between Melbourne and Geelong is it.
According to the Schick AFL Player Ratings, eight of the top nine individuals who run out for that clash will be doing their best work through the midfield.
Demons forward Tom McDonald is the only exception.
The stark difference in the ruck strength of the two sides is illustrated by the Player Ratings.
Star Demon Max Gawn, who was recently awarded the AFL Coaches' Association Player of the Year award, is ranked No.11 in the competition.
His direct opponent, three-gamer Ryan Abbott, is No.619 in the AFL.
The Player Ratings are calculated by Champion Data using a variety of stats, taking into account a person's past 40 games over a rolling two-year period, with greater weighting given to more recent matches.
| GAME RANKING (OVERALL RANKING) | TEAM | PLAYER |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (1) | GEEL | Patrick Dangerfield |
| 2 (4) | MELB | Clayton Oliver |
| 3 (11) | MELB | Max Gawn |
| 4 (24) | GEEL | Sam Menegola |
| 5 (32) | GEEL | Mitch Duncan |
| 6 (36) | GEEL | Gary Ablett |
| 7 (37) | MELB | Tom McDonald |
| 8 (52) | MELB | Nathan Jones |
| 9 (54) | GEEL | Joel Selwood |
| 10 (57) | GEEL | Tom Hawkins |
| 11 (73) | MELB | Christian Petracca |
| 12 (81) | MELB | Jake Melksham |
| 13 (90) | MELB | Jordan Lewis |
| 14 (104) | MELB | James Harmes |
| 15 (116) | GEEL | Mark Blicavs |
| 16 (136) | MELB | Alex Neal-Bullen |
| 17 (141) | MELB | Christian Salem |
| 18 (147) | MELB | Neville Jetta |
| 19 (148) | MELB | Michael Hibberd |
| 20 (157) | GEEL | Daniel Menzel |
| 21 (160) | GEEL | Zach Tuohy |
| 22 (188) | MELB | Jack Viney |
| 23 (202) | MELB | Dom Tyson |
| 24 (203) | GEEL | Harry Taylor |
| 25 (208) | MELB | Angus Brayshaw |
| 26 (225) | GEEL | Tom Stewart |
| 27 (232) | MELB | Oscar McDonald |
| 28 (235) | GEEL | Jordan Murdoch |
| 29 (236) | GEEL | Lachie Henderson |
| 30 (246) | MELB | Mitch Hannan |
| 31 (248) | GEEL | Cameron Guthrie |
| 32 (263) | GEEL | Brandan Parfitt |
| 33 (286) | GEEL | Tim Kelly |
| 34 (287) | MELB | Sam Frost |
| 35 (308) | GEEL | Jed Bews |
| 36 (317) | GEEL | Jake Kolodjashnij |
| 37 (337) | MELB | Bayley Fritsch |
| 38 (340) | GEEL | Scott Selwood |
| 39 (411) | GEEL | Jack Henry |
| 40 (488) | MELB | Charlie Spargo |
| 41 (539) | MELB | Sam Weideman |
| 42 (596) | MELB | Aaron vandenBerg |
| 43 (619) | GEEL | Ryan Abbott |
| 44 (643) | GEEL | Mark O'Connor |
