Footy fans are more blessed than any other in the world of sport.

No sport combines the astonishing physical feats with chills of euphoria, heartbreak, and everything in between better than Aussie Rules.

The 2024 home & campaign was a season like no other, providing more thrilling plays, profound performances and memorable matches than the public could keep up with.

This list will go through the best individual games, using the full tapestry of stats, impact context, importance and four-quarter quality to carve out the 10 best and decide on number one.

As you'd expect, some champions of our game feature prominently, but some surprise packets have also made the cut with some breakout or career-best matches from the clouds.

The following list of honourable mentions highlights just how brilliant you need to be to scrape into the final cut, some record-breaking efforts not even cracking the 10.

Honourable mentions:

While September is when performances like these matter most, let's celebrate the home & away season just gone, and look back at the best individual efforts in 2024.

10Nick Daicos, Round 12 vs Western Bulldogs

  • 32 disposalsย 
  • 27 contested possessions
  • 2 goals
  • 16 clearances
  • 8 score involvements
  • 156 SuperCoach points

This performance won't even earn best-on-ground honours at the Brownlow Medal night, but will be remembered for it's part in one of the great matchups of the modern era, shadowing the like of Dangerfield vs Fyfe in 2015.

Without premiership stars Jordan De Goey, Scott Pendlebury and Tom Mitchell there to assist, Daicos put the Pies on his back for three straight quarters, keeping them close until an opposing champion took hold.

Dumbfoundedly criticised for his ability at the contest and influence on games by some, Daicos was all impact with his 32 disposals, breaking the record for contested possessions and clearances for the most famous club of all.

Of his seven first quarter possessions, he had six centre clearances and a goal, mind-boggling stats while staring down opponents Marcus Bontempelli and Adam Treloar in the midfield.

Had he maintained his production through the dying stages to help carry his side to victory, this performance jumps near the top of the list.

9Tom Liberatore,ย Gather Round vs Geelong

  • 35 disposals
  • 28 contested possessions
  • 1 goal
  • 19 clearances
  • 10 score involvements
  • 9 tackles
  • 36 pressure acts
  • 155 SuperCoach points

Vintage Libba.

The Bulldog hard-nut smashed the club's clearance record with this performance, surpassing teammates Marcus Bontempelli, Jack Macrae and his own previous tally of 14.

The Dogs couldn't scrape past the unbeaten Cats, but it was Libba and Bont doing all the heavy lifting on the night, lifting the midfield battle in the Dogs' favour with ferocity at the coal-face and class on the outskirts.

36 pressure acts, nine tackles and six intercepts don't make any news headlines, but in combination with Liberatore's offensive influence, they round out one of the best all-round performances of the season.

8Chad Warner,ย Round 10 vs Carlton

  • 28 disposals
  • 3 goals
  • 3 goal assists
  • 14 score involvements
  • 172 SuperCoach points

Some slang cliches were thrown around to describe Chad Warner's run of form through the middle of the home & away season.

'Men amongst boys', 'taking the piss', 'schoolyard footy'.

All could be appropriately coined to his clinic against Carlton back in Round 10. 'The Chad' did as he pleased on the Friday night, winning the ball and going for a stroll with a few bounces on numerous occasions, mocking helpless opponents in the process.

Half of his 28 touches led to scores, he kicked three himself and dished out three more.

The Blues actually jumped out the blocks with the first four on the night, but ended up demoralised by the final siren, conceding a 52-point defeat in a Sydney midfield masterclass.

7Joel Amartey,ย Round 14 vs Adelaide

  • 10 disposals
  • 9 goals
  • 10 score involvements
  • 3 contested marks
  • 7 marks inside 50
  • 6 tackles
  • 182 SuperCoach points

Clearly the most shocking breakout game of the season.

Crows defenders had no answer for the Amartey-party at the Adelaide Oval, everything the Swans forward touched turned to gold.

All 10 of his touches went through for a score, kicking nine goals and one behind before being taken from the field one kick short of the rare double-figure tally.

At times his mitts were just too strong, other times the ball just fell into his lap, but in a match that Sydney trailed deep into the third, Amartey's impact proved the difference on the night.

6Tom De Koning,ย Round 15 vs Geelong

  • 25 disposals
  • 20 contested possessions
  • 1 goal
  • 34 hit outs
  • 10 score involvements
  • 7 clearances
  • 6 tackles
  • 176 SuperCoach points

This was a fun one. The De Koning showdown.

The eyes of the footy world lit up when Sam stared down Tom for the opening bounce ruck duel in Round 15, though Tom may have been more excited than anyone to bully his younger brother under the Friday night lights at the MCG.

Carlton's De Koning was involved in everything on the night, kicking the first goal of the match and letting everyone know about it before impacting just about every statistical category possible for the remainder.

Fortunately Sam didn't do his reputation any harm, being arguably Geelong's best on the night in the sibling battle.

5Max Gawn,ย Round 11 vs St Kilda

  • 27 disposals
  • 1 goal
  • 18 contested possessions
  • 10 score involvements
  • 3 contested marks
  • 34 hit outs
  • 10 clearances
  • 180 SuperCoach points

Saints ruckman Rowan Marshall copped a Max Gawn mauling in Round 11 against the Dees, as the bearded big stuffed the stat sheet in just about every way possible in Melbourne's 38-point win.

In a comical twist, Gawn was uncertain to play in this match, undergoing a pre-game fitness test ahead of the clash to assess a sore calf. Later revealing that he might add it to his pre-game routine, you can understand why.

Gawn monstered the ruck battle from the opening tap - finishing 34-16 - but didn't stop there. He won the footy with contested possessions and clearances like a pure on-baller, gobbled contested marks and intercepts like a key defender, then influenced the scoreboard like a half-forward.

Once again he proved that at his best, he is the biggest trump card in the competition and one of the most valuable players this century.

4Marcus Bontempelli, Round 21 vs Melbourne

  • 33 disposals
  • 2 goals
  • 2 goal assists
  • 16 score involvements
  • 7 marks
  • 5 tackles
  • 9 inside 50s
  • 182 SuperCoach points

One of two Bontempelli clinics on the list.

The Bont was on a mission against Melbourne at Marvel late in the season, fighting to keep the Bulldogs' finals hopes within reach.

He decided to inflict most of the damage early and the Dogs shot out to a convincing lead in the opening term, with the skipper's 11 disposals, one goal and five tackles leading the charge.

From here he managed the on-field flow and scoreboard pressure in typical Bont fashion, winning critical possessions at will and delivering to his forwards with laser-like precision routinely.

In a 51-point win, the performance felt like light work for the champion.

3Ben Keays,ย Round 19 vs Essendon

  • 22 disposals
  • 5 goals
  • 2 goal assists
  • 12 score involvements
  • 8 tackles
  • 12 contested possessions
  • 5 clearances
  • 158 SuperCoach points

One of the other major surprise packets of the season was this clash between two eventual non-finalists, who fought out one of the best games of the season on a Friday night at Marvel.

Ben Keays was the hero on the night, leading Adelaide's scintillating second quarter onslaught with three goals for the quarter, and keeping the ship steady when Essendon charged back.

Thrown up the ground to find more of the footy, Keays continued his white-hot patch in an epic fourth quarter, winning 10 critical disposals, laying five tackles, kicking a pivotal set-shot goal and setting up Josh Rachele's match winner with a hard-ball get and clearance with a minute remaining.

Helped by some much needed assistance from key forward Darcy Fogarty late, Ben Keays almost single-handedly dragged the Crows home on the night, with a performance that may have topped this list if the stakes were higher.

2Brent Daniels,ย Round 23 vs Fremantle

  • 29 disposals
  • 3 goals
  • 13 tackles
  • 11 score involvements
  • 7 clearances
  • 7 marks
  • 195 SuperCoach points

This was a ridiculous performance from a high half-forward in one of the most important matches of the season.

With the top eight and double-chance honours in flux, both sides needed a win, and thanks to some Brent Daniels brilliance and Jesse Hogan dominance, the Giants secured their top four spot.

Daniels is an impact possession winner, a workhorse and a crafty forward, so 29 disposals mean more coming from him than your typical midfielder.

All of his touches were important; linking up in chains toward goal, kicking majors himself, intercepting off the opposition, winning clearances at stoppage and doing most of it in the front half.

All three goals took elite skill also, a check-side running to the wrong pocket, a launch from outside 50 on the run and a forward 50 crumb and banana in the blink of an eye.

Combined with the fast-pressing defensive pressure and tackling, it was truly aย small forward masterclass of the highest order.

1Marcus Bontempelli,ย Round 12 vs Collingwood

  • 38 disposals
  • 2 goals
  • 9 tackles
  • 8 score involvements
  • 10 clearances
  • 186 SuperCoach points

Clinical Bont at his brilliant best.

It takes a generational player to stop another generational player from stealing a must-win match in our competition. For three quarters, Nick Daicos was best afield on this Friday night at Marvel Stadium.

That was until Bont's 14 disposals, five clearances, four tackles and goal in the final quarter turned a two-goal deficit into a three goal win, once again lifting his club in a season that appeared to be on a knifes edge.

In an undermanned midfield missing Tom Liberatore and Ed Richards, Bontempelli typically put the Dogs on his back and influenced every facet of the game, recording nine tackles and 31 pressure acts along with his clear offensive impact.

38 disposals were a career-high, perhaps surprisingly, but nonetheless a true testament to his presence as one of the great impact players ever.