After a partial start to the 2025 season, with just two games played in Opening Round, the year will officially feel underway with the first of many nine-game rounds to begin on Thursday night.
Key statistical categories often determine how well your club performs, and indicate which side is controlling the contest. Last week, Sydney's scores off turnover was their key metric to watch. The Swans scored just 23 points off turnover on Friday, 32 fewer points than their 2024 average, resulting in a fairly comfortable loss to the Hawks.
With nine blockbuster fixtures to continue the season, we'll delve into the key statistical category that needs to be mastered for each mouthwatering Round 1 clash.
Collingwood vs Port Adelaide
Scoring shots per inside 50 entry
Collingwood's dismal performance against the Giants last week was compounded by their uncharacteristically poor scoring efficiency from their inside 50 entries.
The Magpies, who averaged an AFL-best scoring rate from 48.1% of their inside 50 entries in 2024, scored from just 40% of their forward arc deliveries on Sunday, recording just 22 scoring shots from 55 inside 50s.
The Giants proved scoring wasn't so difficult however, recording 29 scoring shots from one less entry than the Pies.
Port Adelaide scored from 45.7% of their entries in 2024, ranked sixth in the league, but were previously positioned higher before a poor back-end of the year.
In Collingwood's seven-goal Round 6 win over the Power, the Pies scored 38 times from 66 entries, an impressive rate of 57.6%. Port Adelaide on the other hand scored just 21 times from 47 inside 50 entries, a rate of 44.7%.
In their first home game, coupled with Dan Houston's first outing in Collingwood colours, the Pies will need to improve their efficiency against a fired-up Power side.
