We all know this season has been one of the tightest in years and we have seen an incredible number of comeback wins.
But with so many tight contests and come from behind wins, it has also meant some teams have managed to record wins despite being down for a large portion of the game. Similarly, many sides have thrown away games despite leading for a large portion of the match.
Some teams, such as the Cats, who currently sit fourth, have just found a way to win the close games and be ahead at the right time of the game this season, despite only being in front 45 % of the time this year.
Inversely, West Coast struggle to finish the job when it matter most. The Eagles have been in front 61% of the time this season, second behind only Adelaide, yet sit ninth with only 10 wins and nine losses.
Fremantle incredibly has only been in front 32% of the time this season, ranked 16th, yet the Dockers have managed to record eight wins and sit 14th on the ladder.
If the ladder was based purely on time in front, it would look very different.
Below is a table of the percentage of the time each side in the competition has been in the lead this season, demonstrating what an incredible season it has been.
| Club | % of time in front |
| Adelaide | 63% |
| West Coast | 61% |
| Richmond | 60% |
| Essendon | 59% |
| Port Adelaide | 56% |
| Sydney | 52% |
| GWS | 50% |
| St Kilda | 45% |
| Geelong | 45% |
| Collingwood | 45% |
| Hawthorn | 45% |
| Melbourne | 41% |
| Western Bulldogs | 40% |
| North Melbourne | 40% |
| Gold Coast | 36% |
| Fremantle | 32% |
| Carlton | 31% |
| Brisbane | 23% |
