Which players led the competition in all the major stats in season 2017?

Published by
Johaan Forbes-Anthony

The 2017 season is done and dusted and it will go down as one of the most memorable in recent memory.

Records were broken in a number of areas, while individual performances will remain in the minds of many for a long time.

We have taken as look at the leading stat-getters in some of the key categories through the season with a few surprises popping up along the way.

Disposals

Tom Mitchell 787
Matt Crouch 726
Dustin Martin 667
Rory Laird 662
Clayton Oliver 659

 

If you tally less than 30 disposals only twice over the course of the season, you will top this list more often than not. That was exactly what Mitchell did in first season as a Hawk, including 50, 44 and 43-disposal games. Matt Crouch and Clayton Oliver broke out in a big way in 2017 while Dustin Martin's near-certain Brownlow year sees him finish in the top three.

Goals

Lance Franklin 69
Josh J. Kennedy 65
Ben Brown 63
Joe Daniher 62
Jack Riewoldt 50

 

The Coleman race came right down to the wire in 2017, with Buddy Franklin bagging 10 goals against the Blues to fly home with a wet sail. Josh Kennedy's haul is not to be ignored as he managed 65 goals in just 17 games. Ben Brown and Joe Daniher announced themselves as genuine superstars of their respective clubs while Jack Riewoldt continued his career of consistency in Richmond's best season in well over a decade.

Marks

Sam Docherty 199
Jeremy Howe 181
Jeremy McGovern 169
Brendan Goddard 162
Kade Simpson 162

 

Docherty excelled in 2017 across half back and was a big reason why the Blues were much improved this season. Approximately half of Howe's marks were taken on top of an opponents head in a career-best season for the defender. Brendon Goddard and Kade Simpson showed all of their poise and experience to round out the list.

Tackles

Rory Sloane 176
Brad Ebert 165
Jack Steele 158
Clayton Oliver 152
Dayne Zorko 147

 

Sloane led the midfield of the league's best side with over eight tackles per game while his cross-town rival wasn't far behind. Young St Kilda and Melbourne midfielders Steele and Oliver were superb for both of their respective sides displaying their ferocious nature while Dayne Zorko continued his grunt work up north.

Clearances

Patrick Dangerfield 162
Callan Ward 147
Dustin Martin 146
Dylan Shiel 146
Clayton Oliver 145

 

Dangerfield's sensational season saw him average 7.71 clearances per game, almost one whole clearance more than the next best player. Two Giants players also make the list, highlighting one of their strengths as a side.

Contested Possessions

Patrick Dangerfield 386
Clayton Oliver 344
Tom Mitchell 325
Nat Fyfe 313
Dustin Martin 313

 

Dangerfield was the runaway leader in this category, using his bullish frame to average almost three more contested possessions than Oliver. In saying that, the Melbourne midfielder's numbers were elite while Fyfe's apparent lean season was maybe not as dry as some may have thought.

Bounces

Adam Saad 93
Adam Treloar 53
Heath Shaw 51
Steven Motlop 49
Jayden Hunt 43

 

The dashing Gold Coast defender blew everyone out of the water in this area, almost doubling Treloar as next best on the list. Treloar's effort out of midfield is certainly noticeable while young Demons defender Jayden Hunt rounds out the list

Contested Marks

Charlie Dixon 58
Jeremy McGovern 52
Levi Casboult 52
Cale Hooker 51
Jeremy Howe 43

 

The Power big man imposed himself on the contest throughout 2017 and has plenty of strong company on this list. Levi Casboult's marking abilities have always been a strong suit, while defender-turned-forward Cale Hooker has shown he can take a strong grab on more than one occasion.

Frees For

Joel Selwood 61
Rory Sloane 57
Patrick Dangerfield 55
Shane Mumford 43
Paddy Ryder 39

 

Surprise! Selwood tops the free kick count with at least three less games than anyone else inside the top 10 with Sloane and Dangerfield not far behind. A pair of ruckmen close out the top five with Rance and Franklin the only two key position players inside the top 20.

Frees Against

Shane Mumford 56
Jackson Trengove 43
Sam Powell-Pepper 42
Luke Parker 41
Clayton Oliver 40

 

Mumford has the privilege of making both lists in 2017 while the Port duo both gave away over two free kicks a game. Joe Daniher and Nat Fyfe also infringed on 40 occasions with more key position players joining the 'against' top 20 than 'for'.

Hit Outs

Sam Jacobs 882
Paddy Ryder 777
Stefan Martin 770
Shane Mumford 764
Brodie Grundy 714

 

Jacobs' massive total saw him overage over 40 hit outs per game in 2017, including one game with a whopping 74 hit outs in round eight. Ryder produced a strong year after sitting out in 2016, while Brodie Grundy will poll well in Collingwood's B&F after a sensational season.

Clangers

Dustin Martin 115
Tom Mitchell 99
Luke Parker 99
Taylor Adams 96
Dayne Zorko 92

 

Sometimes when you have a lot of the ball, you are bound to make a few clangers every now and then. That applied to Martin and Mitchell this season, while Collingwood's Taylor Adams also made a few errors in between moments of brilliance in 2017.

Published by
Johaan Forbes-Anthony