Carlton's in-form midfield is sure to have ruckman Marc Pittonet to thank for their strong start to the season, with the Blues tall leading the way this year for hit-out value among the most utilised ruckmen in the AFL.

Pittonet's omission from last Sunday's loss to the Suns with a back injury was strongly felt by the Blues in Round 4, with the emerging Tom De Koning forced to carry the bulk of the ruck workload.

While superstar midfielder Patrick Cripps' injury was a substantial blow for Michael Voss during the match, it may have been his first-string ruckman's absence that was the main factor in losing the clearance battle 43-27, Carlton's first minus differential so far this season.

Between the ruckmen to have featured in the most contests so far this year, Pittonet has amassed the highest percentage of hit-outs to advantage.

From his tally of 199 ruck contests (RC), Pittonet has recorded a total of 42 hit-outs to advantage (HTA), amassing a percentage rate of 21.11 from all contests.

That rating edges out Roos veteran Todd Goldstein (17.31%) and Gold Coast co-captain Jarrod Witts (17.04) on the podium.

Goldstein's partner Tristan Xerri, who at times this season has been favoured over his mentor, has amassed an HTA per RC percentage of just 11.97, ranking him 15th among the top ruckmen in the competition.

2021 All-Australian selection Max Gawn is placed 10th in the AFL for HTA per RC%, with the Demons skipper amassing a rating of 13.83%.

Max Gawn and Tim English during the 2022 AFL Round 1 match between Melbourne and Western Bulldogs (Photo by Cameron Grimes / Zero Digital Media)

While Bulldogs tall Tim English has found career-best form across the opening month of the season, the 24-year-old has failed to give his star midfield ensemble the first use to the Sherrin, running at just 9.71% HTA per RC.

At the bottom of the 20-man list, Lions recruit Darcy Fort is trailing by some distance to the rest of the pack, conjuring a rate of 6.64% from his 211 contests for the season. That falls 2.51% lower than the next lowest on the list in Fremantle's Lloyd Meek (9.15%).

St Kilda's Rowan Marshall (9.45%) joins, English, Meek and Fort in failing to reach the 10% barrier, while the latter's teammate Oscar McInerney (10.39%) also features in the bottom five.

Player Total Ruck Contests (RC) Total Hit-Outs Hit-Out Win % Hit-Outs to Advantage (HTA) Hit-Outs to Advantage % HTA per RC %
Marc Pittonet 199 94 47.2 42 44.7 21.11
Todd Goldstein 156 81 51.9 27 33.3 17.31
Jarrod Witts 352 170 48.3 60 35.3 17.04
Matt Flynn 160 71 44.4 27 38 16.88
Nic Naitanui 168 89 53 26 29.2 15.48
Ned Reeves 230 110 47.8 34 30.9 14.78
Sam Draper 279 132 47.3 40 30.3 14.34
Brodie Grundy 331 149 45 47 31.5 14.19
Scott Lycett 249 96 38.6 35 36.5 14.01
Rhys Stanley 223 99 44.4 31 31.3 13.90
Max Gawn 253 127 50.2 35 27.6 13.83
Tom Hickey 175 73 41.7 24 32.9 13.71
Reilly O'Brien 368 148 40.2 50 33.8 13.59
Toby Nankervis 257 128 49.8 33 25.8 12.84
Tristan Xerri 284 116 40.8 34 29.3 11.97
Oscar McInerney 202 72 35.6 21 29.2 10.39
Tim English 309 110 35.6 33 30 9.71
Rowan Marshall 254 100 39.4 24 24 9.45
Lloyd Meek 164 60 36.6 15 25 9.15
Darcy Fort 211 74 35.1 14 18.9 6.64

Top 20 ruckman for total ruck contests attended ranked for HTA per RC%.