Gold Coast defender John Noble has recently entered the top 10 of a unique stat after his stellar performance against Hawthorn at TIO Stadium.

Noble's 36-possession and eight-inside 50 outing was hard to miss, but footy nuffies and onlookers couldn't help but notice a piece of data that popped up following the eight-point victory... metres gained.

The former Pie recorded a whopping 1001 metres gained from his 36 disposals, whilst his 27 kicks contributed the majority of the distance covered.

So it begged the question, where did Noble's massive night sit?

Looking through the history books, dating back to 2012, Noble rounded out the top 10, but sits in ninth position for his efforts.

Remarkably, former North Melbourne speedster Aaron Hall ranks atop the metres-gained leaderboard, with data capturers documenting 1169 metres gained in Round 15, 2022.

Hall completed the feat from 38 possessions, but his trademark was his long and penetrating kick, with 30 of his disposals by foot.

Sydney premiership star Nick Malceski and Collingwood defender Heath Shaw were the only other players to breach the 1100-metre mark.

The trio were aided by the fact they'd take the majority of the kick-ins for the respective teams, whilst playing in defence suggests there is only one direction the ball could head toward: forward.

Brisbane's Daniel Rich reached the thousand in the least amount of touches, amassing 26 in 2023, but making use of his lethal left foot (23).

The top-10 list holds eight traditional defenders, making the appearance of Patrick Dangerfield (1025) and Chad Wingard (1000) even more impressive.

Dangerfield's 2016 season was capped off by a Brownlow Medal in his maiden season with Geelong, which was littered with highlights.

His performance in Round 12 of that campaign included 48 disposals (27 kicks), 13 marks, two goals, 13 clearances and three Brownlow votes. But more importantly, joining the 1000 metres-gained club.

As for Wingard, who burst onto the scene for the Power, he was pushed further up the ground, proving to be a masterstroke from Ken Hinkley.

Recording 39 possessions (27 kicks), 14 inside 50s, 10 clearances, and exactly 1000 metres gained.

The AFL players who recorded 1000 metres gained*

Player Team Round, Year Metres Gained Disposals (Kicks)
Aaron Hall North Melbourne Round 15, 2022 1169 38 (30)
Nick Malceski Sydney Round 3, 2013 1131 28 (26)
Heath Shaw GWS Round 9, 2016 1125 38 (32)
Pearce Hanley Brisbane Round 18, 2014 1065 45 (29)
Patrick Dangerfield Geelong Round 12, 2016 1025 48 (27)
Brodie Smith Adelaide Round 20, 2022 1019 37 (28)
Riley Bonner St Kilda Round 3, 2024 1018 32 (29)
Daniel Rich Brisbane Round 1, 2023 1010 26 (23)
John Noble Gold Coast Round 10, 2025 1001 36 (27)
Chad Wingard Port Adelaide Round 15, 2017 1000 39 (27)

*Since 2012 (via Wheelortaings)