As the game continues to evolve year by year, players entering the AFL landscape need to now be elite runners, as well as good footballers.
With interchange rotations capped and teams playing high-intensity football, player will get caught out if they're not up to standard, although the following players are some of the best areobic runners in the game.
GWS midfielder Tom Scully is the game's best two-way runner according to Champion Data, although many footy fans would have been able to tell just by watching the Giants play last season.
Scully consistently burnt his opponents on the break and was always back helping out his defenders, as his running ability has elevated his game, with Scully now one of the game's best outside midfielders.
Most distance covered in a game
| Player | Club | Round | Km |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 8 | 18.34 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 6 | 18.05 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 4 | 17.77 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 20 | 17.67 |
| Nick Robertson | Brisbane | 19 | 17.63 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 5 | 17.52 |
| Andrew Gaff | West Coast | EF | 17.48 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 7 | 17.37 |
| Andrew Gaff | West Coast | 10 | 17.29 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 3 | 17.23 |
The 26-year-old recorded the top four distances covered in the AFL this season, and has seven of the top 10 distances.
Amazingly, Scully also covers the most distance at high speed, registering the top 10 distances in that category.
Most distance covered at high speed
| Player | Club | Round | Km |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 8 | 4.81 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 20 | 4.73 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 19 | 4.72 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 5 | 4.63 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 2 | 4.47 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 22 | 4.38 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 7 | 4.37 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 4 | 4.35 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 9 | 4.28 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 17 | 4.13 |
In terms of distances covered by position, Scully clearly leads all wing players, as Giants players also lead both key positions at either end of the ground.
Adam Tomlinson and Jeremy Cameron covered the most distances in a single match as a defender and a forward respectively in 2017, with Collingwood midfielder Steele Sidebottom achieving the most distance covered by a player not on the wing.
Most distance covered by a game by position
| Position | Player | Club | Round | Km |
| Gen Defender | Kade Kolodjashnij | Gold Coast | 3 | 16.78 |
| Key Defender | Adam Tomlinson | GWS | 6 | 16.06 |
| Midfielder | Steele Sidebottom | Collingwood | 15 | 17.05 |
| Wing | Tom Scully | GWS | 8 | 18.34 |
| Mid-Forward | Jordan Foote | Sydney | 5 | 17.01 |
| Gen Forward | Alex Neal-Bullen | Melbourne | 5 | 16.45 |
| Key Forward | Jeremy Cameron | GWS | 8 | 16.04 |
| Ruckman | Jonathon Griffin | Fremantle | 20 | 14.44 |
The Giants keep their domination of these stats with Toby Greene, as the forward's top speed of 35.3km/ph in the semi-final last season the quickest a player ran all year.
Port Adelaide's Jarman Impey matched Greene's pace in the Elimination Final the week prior.
Fastest speed reached
| Player | Club | Round | Km |
| Toby Greene | GWS | SF | 35.3 |
| Jarman Impey | Port Adelaide | EF | 35.3 |
| Sebastian Ross | St Kilda | 19 | 35 |
| Connor Menadue | Richmond | 13 | 35 |
| Jayden Hunt | Melbourne | 17 | 34.9 |
| Jason Castagna | Richmond | 9 | 34.8 |
| Shai Bolton | Richmond | 11 | 34.8 |
| Shaun Atley | North Melbourne | 21 | 34.7 |
| Jayden Hunt | Melbourne | 6 | 34.7 |
| Jayden Hunt | Melbourne | 9 | 34.7 |
Fremantle star Bradley Hill clocked up the most sprints in a game according to the numbers, and is a serial offender in this category.
Hill has eight of the top nine scores, topping the table with his 45 sprints in round 20.
Most sprints in a game
| Player | Club | Round | Sprints |
| Bradley Hill | Fremantle | 20 | 45 |
| Bradley Hill | Fremantle | 23 | 43 |
| Bradley Hill | Fremantle | 3 | 42 |
| Bradley Hill | Fremantle | 12 | 42 |
| Tom Scully | GWS | 2 | 41 |
| Bradley Hill | Fremantle | 19 | 41 |
| Bradley Hill | Fremantle | 11 | 40 |
| Bradley Hill | Fremantle | 22 | 40 |
| Bradley Hill | Fremantle | 7 | 39 |
| Jeff Gartlett | Melbourne | 13 | 38 |
| Steven Motlop | Geelong | 3 | 38 |