Art of possession: Where the AFL’s best midfielders won the ball in 2025

In 2025, just 22 listed midfielders averaged at least 25 disposals per game (minimum 15 games played). While that ousted 2024's group of 20, it's a much tighter-knit group than the ones from a few seasons ago, including 2019, which had 42 midfielders average at least 25 touches every weekend.

It suggests that winning the Sherrin at that rate is harder to come by, and those who do have specialised in the hot areas of the ground.

Possession location data, according to WheeloRatings, refers to the distribution of possessions won in the four zones of an AFL field: defensive 50, defensive midfield, attacking midfield and forward 50.

So, where are the AFL's elite winning possession?

Among the 22 eligible players, just six win the ball inside their attacking half more regularly than their defensive half, and only four have a higher percentage of possessions coming from their forward 50 than the defensive 50.

That's understandable, given that midfielders are typically further down the ground in scoring chains, but it's evident that the league's most damaging players are the ones who push further up the ground to win the ball.

Ed Richards leads the way with 42.3 per cent of his possessions coming from the attacking midfield, and a further 14.2 per cent coming inside forward 50. That total of 56.5 per cent is most closely followed by teammate Marcus Bontempelli (54.7 per cent), indicating the impact the Bulldogs' elite midfield truly had on their historical attack in 2025.

Similarly, Nick Daicos regularly found himself in possession of the footy in attacking positions, with 41.3 per cent of them coming in the attacking midfield, which ranks third. It explains his elite score involvement percentage of 32.5 per cent, or an average of 7.8 per game.

Giants young star Finn Callaghan is the biggest outlier among this crop, with the biggest disparity between his percentage of possessions won in defensive and attacking areas. Close to 69 per cent of his possessions are behind the midway line - no other qualified midfielder claims more than 62 per cent.

His dynamic partner, Tom Green, joins him with a similarly high percentage of defensive possessions, with 17.8 per cent coming inside defensive 50. The numbers back up a poor clearance-winning year for GWS, who ranked 13th in the metric in 2025, forcing them to play behind the ball more often.

However, what will excite Giants fans is the addition of Clayton Oliver to the engine room. Just shy of 50 per cent of his possessions came from the attacking half of the ground, with 40.4 per cent in the attacking midfield, which ranks sixth on this list.

That's particularly impressive coming from a Melbourne side that ranked 14th in clearances in 2025, suggesting he has the ability to bolster that area of the oval in Western Sydney and give the Giants the edge they need to gain greater scoring opportunities from the forward half of the ground.

Below: the 22 AFL-listed midfielders who averaged at least 25 disposals per game, minimum 15 games played. Sorted by percentage of possessions won in the attacking midfield zone (AM%)