Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury is the best kick in the competition according to Champion Data's latest numbers, as the silky left-footer uses the ball better than anyone else.
Pendlebury's kick rating isย +10.7%, which is marginally better than Fremantle veteran Michael Johnson, whose rating is +10.6%.
But what do the numbers mean?
In the latest episode of The Drill Podcast, Daniel Hoyne from Champion Data joined Herald Sun journalist Sam Landsberger, and broke down the meaning of the kick rating.
โKicking efficiency doesnโt take into account the degree of difficulty of the kick,โ Hoyne told the podcast.
โKick rating does. It takes into account how much pressure youโre under, and what type of kick youโre actually trying to pull off.
โIf youโre under physical pressure and youโre trying to kick long to a guy on the lead, your expected hit rate might be 38 per cent.
โIf you hit that kick, youโre +62 per cent. If you miss that kick, youโre -38 per cent.โ
While Pendlebury and Johnson lead the way at the top of the best kicks in the league, Richmond winger Shaun Grigg and Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield stand alone as the worst kicks in the competition.
Grigg's rating isย -9.5% which is just ahead of Dangerfield atย -9.0%, as the pair sit well ahead of Collingwood's Jack Crisp (-5.9%)
Best kick rating in 2017
| Player | Club | Kicks | Expected % | Hit | +/- rating |
| Scott Pendlebury | Collingwood | 186 | 49.0% | 59.7% | +10.7% |
| Michael Johnson | Fremantle | 165 | 63.9% | 74.5% | +10.6% |
| Adam Tomlinson | GWS | 163 | 59.6% | 68.7% | +9.2% |
| Gary Ablett | Gold Coast | 206 | 47.0% | 54.4% | +7.4% |
| Heath Shaw | GWS | 257 | 59.2% | 66.1% | +7.0% |
| Daniel Rich | Brisbane | 198 | 52.4% | 59.1% | +6.6% |
| Zach Tuohy | Geelong | 225 | 51.8% | 58.2% | +6.4% |
| Christian Salem | Melbourne | 159 | 57.9% | 64.2% | +6.2% |
| Jayden Hunt | Melbourne | 154 | 46.0% | 51.9% | +6.0% |
| Jeremy Howe | Collingwood | 193 | 60.0% | 65.8% | +5.8% |
Worst kick rating in 2017
| Player | Club | Kicks | Expected % | Hit | +/- rating |
| Shaun Grigg | Richmond | 164 | 43.6% | 34.1% | -9.5% |
| Patrick Dangerfield | Geelong | 150 | 37.7% | 28.7% | -9.0% |
| Jack Crisp | Collingwood | 157 | 59.4% | 53.5% | -5.9% |
| Tom Rockliff | Brisbane | 183 | 56.4% | 50.8% | -5.5% |
| Ollie Wines | Port Adelaide | 164 | 42.2% | 37.2% | -5.0% |
| Josh Kelly | GWS | 175 | 47.1% | 42.3% | -4.8% |
| Luke McDonald | North Melbourne | 163 | 43.9% | 39.3% | -4.6% |
| Luke Shuey | West Coast | 165 | 52.4% | 47.9% | -4.6% |
| Lachie Weller | Fremantle | 169 | 47.7% | 43.2% | -4.5% |
| Josh P. Kennedy | Sydney | 150 | 44.6% | 40.7% | -3.9% |
