Round 7 will see football spread across five days, with Melbourne and Richmond kicking things off for the Anzac Day eve clash on Wednesday.
Collingwood and Essendon will do battle the following day whilst the round will be concluded with Hawthorn taking on Sydney at the MCG on Sunday.
With that in mind, each club will be eyeing up a certain statistic that could swing the game their way this weekend.
There's a lot at stake this week in the land ofย AFL, so let's deep dive into the key stats that could determine your team's fate.
Richmond vs Melbourne - centre clearances
As we know in modern football, centre clearances have become increasingly significant to a side's winning chances.
Melbourne's midfield consists of Max Gawn, Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver, with Tom Sparrow and Kysaiah Pickett rolling through there to mix it up.
An injury-hit and depleted Richmond engine room has been relying on youthful group Jack Graham, Thomson Dow and Shai Bolton, with experienced midfielders Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper sidelined.
The latter has been confirmed to return for the Wednesday night clash, but the Demons should be looking to exploit this area of the ground given their strength.
In wins this year, Melbourne has smashed rivals in centre clearances, reminiscent of their 2021 premiership year.
If the Tigers have any chance of an upset, they must put a stop to Gawn and his support staff, otherwise face a one-sided affair.
Essendon vs Collingwood - turnovers
Collingwood has seemingly got their 2024 season going, following a rout against Port Adelaide last week.
The Pies displayed a strong turnover game, reminding the competition as to why they are the reigning premiers.
Essendon's strong form should make for a great contest on Anzac Day, but if they are to give the ball back to the black and white, expect to be punished.
Both sides average around 70 turnovers per game, but as we know, with high stakes comes pressure moments and it's the side that steps up in stressful periods that will become the victors.
GWS vs Brisbane - goal assists
Goal assists are a significant indicator of how clubs are sharing the 'love' so to speak.
GWS leads the competition when gifting teammates shots on goal, to which a return of six points has generally been the outcome, recording 12.2 goal assists per game.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae put it: "The goals are ours, so who kicks them it doesn't really matter," a sentiment the Giants have taken literally.
As for Brisbane, their return is a measly 6.8 per game, ranking 17th in the competition and reflective of how they've started 2024.
The Giants are the highest-scoring team in the competition, and it's no surprise why.
Chris Fagan's men were one of the best at goal assists in 2023 and will need to recapture that selfless form if they have a chance to claim the four points at Manuka Oval.
Port Adelaide vs St Kilda - contested possessions
Port Adelaide's singular poor performance came as recently as last week, and it was their work at the contest that they'll be disappointed with.
Boasting a strong midfield consisting of Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Jason Horne-Francis, the trio were comprehensively beaten at the coalface against the Pies, losing the count by 41.
On average, their opponents, St Kilda, aren't strangers to tough football, with Jack Steele, Marcus Windhager and ruckman Rowan Marshall adept in winning contested situations.
As the Power showed during Gather Round of their centre dominance, if the young trifecta get on top, along with Ivan Soldo, Ken Hinkley's men are likely to take home the chocolates.
However, Ross Lyon has instilled a resolve into his Saints side that preys on hunger and diligence around the football.
North Melbourne vs Adelaide - marks inside 50
Getting the most - and best - chances on goal will be crucial to both clubs in Hobart on Saturday, with the Roos keen to get greater access on goal outside of duo Nick Larkey and Paul Curtis while the Crows look to improve on their ball movement inside 50.
Adelaide rank last in the competition for marks inside 50, recording just eight per game despite going at over 51 inside 50s per outing.
Clean ball movement into attack that allows sharpshooters Taylor Walker and Darcy Fogarty more shots on goal will be integral into handling the Roos' undermanned backline.
North Melbourne rank 14th for marks inside 50, with Curtis and Larkey making up 22 of the club's 53 marks inside 50 this year, and to be potentially without Eddie Ford through injury, the Roos will need to rely on other forward options to stand up and be present as marking options.
Geelong vs Carlton - clearanceย
While rankings as one of the better clearance winners this season, the Cats concede five more clearances per game than any other club.
Their differential of -4.7 is the second worst in the competition, while Carlton fall just short of breaking even from their six matches so far in 2024.
However, the Blues have gone +23 at clearance over their past two games in Sam Walsh's return.
The Cats will need to stay on top of the midfield battle, with more of a focus on negating the Blues' ball winners of Walsh and Cripps,
Fremantle vs Western Bulldogs - efficient ball movementย
The Dockers and Bulldogs are two of the three best sides for disposal efficiency in 2024, with Fremantle ranking just ahead of their upcoming rivals to sit second overall.
Both clubs move the ball at a rate of - or just over - 76%, with a focus to be placed on turning their foe's strengths into a weakness on Saturday night through pressure and defensive structure.
If the Dockers can damage the Dogs' ball movement, it will restrict their efficient engine room and the service toward their tall forwards, while the Bulldogs will hope to negate Fremantle's attacking movement from the backline.
Gold Coast vs West Coast - forward 50 pressure
The Suns and Eagles both rank poorly for forward 50 pressure, with West Coast recording less than nine tackles in their attacking third per game.
No player has recorded more than six tackles inside 50 for West Coast, with veterans Jamie Cripps and Jack Darling leading the way in a forward line that needs to lift its defensive efforts and pressure.
The Suns aren't much better at 9.7 inside 50 tackles per game, however both Nick Holman (ten inside 50 tackles) and Tom Berry (eight) are bringing the heat for Damien Hardwick.
With turnover set to be a large focus for each side's scoring avenues, mounting pressure in the forward 50, and turning that weakness into a strength, is the best chance to turn opposition possession into scores.
Hawthorn vs Sydney - marks inside 50
Hawthorn's first win of the season was impressive, recording a round-high 19 marks inside 50 as they demolished North Melbourne by 45 points.
Controlling the midfield, the Hawks on-ballers were able to deliver the football inside 50 with relative ease while their forwards were the beneficiaries of their dominance.
Sydney was equally as good over the weekend, registering 16 marks inside 50 against Gold Coast.
The Swans were just as dominant as Hawthorn at the SCG and will be looking to continue the trend.
The two clubs had nine (Sydney) and 10 (Hawthorn) goal scorers respectively, with Dylan Moore and Joel Amartey benefitting with four majors each.
