AFL 2022 Player Statistics

The AFL midfielders with the best, and worst, disposal efficiency ratings

It’s one thing to collect the ball, but which ball-winners use the Sherrin proficiently and poorly?

Published by
Mitch Keating

Some of the Gold Coast Suns' 2022 woes may come down to their engine room's inability to efficiently move the ball out of midfield, with three of their top ball-winners recording some of the worst disposal ratings to start the season.

The Queensland club currently rank lowest for disposal efficiency in the AFL, being the only side to move the ball at a rate below 70% - with their 69.4% rating seeing them place 18th after seven rounds.

Suns co-captain Touk Miller (64.3% disposal efficiency) is the unlikely headliner for Gold Coast's inabilities, while emerging midfield duo Brayden Fiorini (62.1%) and Noah Anderson (62.3%) manage to rank even lower.

The trio don't land as the least efficient ball-winner however, with St Kilda's Jade Gresham using the Sherrin at a rate of just 59.3% - the lowest among midfielders who have recorded 140 or more disposals from the opening seven rounds of the year.

Gresham is the only player among this metric bracket to fall below 60%, with Geelong's Brandan Parfitt (61.4%), Fiorini, Anderson and Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines (63.0%) rounding out the worst five users.

Contrasting these lowlights is Carlton's George Hewett, who ranks No.1 for disposal efficiency among the midfielders to have already surpassed the 140-disposal mark - going at a rate of 84.4%.

Hewett's place atop the ratings is a likely product of the Blues ball-winner's tendencies to handball over kick, with his 180 touches for the season separated at 116 and 64 respectively.

Trailing the Carlton recruit is Bulldogs superstar Jack Macrae (81.9%), who works at a higher kicking rate and efficiency, having totalled 105 kicks at a percentage of 76.2% - 5.9% higher than Hewett.

Essendon ball-magnet Zach Merrett (81.7%), Crows star Rory Laird (80.0%) and Demons youngster James Jordon (79.0%) also feature in the top five.

2022 highest disposal efficiency midfielders*

Player Total Disposals Kicks Handballs Kicking Efficiency (%) Disposal Efficiency (%)
George Hewett (CARL) 180 64 116 70.3 84.4
Jack Macrae (WB) 215 105 110 76.2 81.9
Zach Merrett (ESS) 142 56 86 73.2 81.7
Rory Laird (ADE) 160 57 103 61.4 80.0
James Jordon (MEL) 143 65 78 69.2 79.0
Callan Ward (GWS) 170 76 94 73.7 78.8
Josh Kelly (GWS) 197 97 100 68 78.2
Patrick Lipinski (COLL) 168 70 98 68.6 78.0
Callum Mills (SYD) 193 119 74 69 77.7
Brandon Ellis (GC) 150 86 64 69.8 77.3

*Players eligible must have recorded 140 or more disposals as of Round 7, 2022

2022 lowest disposal efficiency midfielders*

Player Total Disposals Kicks Handballs Kicking Efficiency (%)
Disposal Efficiency (%)
Jade Gresham (STK) 167 102 65 50 59.3
Brandan Parfitt (GEEL) 140 77 63 41.6 61.4
Brayden Fiorini (GC) 140 97 43 56.7 62.1
Noah Anderson (GC) 191 124 67 49.2 62.3
Ollie Wines (PORT) 162 81 81 51.9 63.0
Matt Kennedy (CARL) 153 74 79 50 63.4
Touk Miller (GC) 210 113 97 64.6 64.3
Jai Newcombe (HAW) 148 94 54 61.7 64.9
Tim Taranto (GWS) 193 107 86 56.1 65.8
Jy Simpkin (NM) 179 101 78 52.5 65.9

*Players eligible must have recorded 140 or more disposals as of Round 7, 2022

Published by
Mitch Keating