After a successful trip to Adelaide, 16 clubs are ready to storm ovals nationwide, as Collingwood and Sydney take their byes after playing in Opening Round.
As the season progresses, finals chances are already on the line, as well as undefeated streaks. Let's take a look at the key stat for your club's match this week, in what could be the defining factor of taking home the four points.
Melbourne vs Brisbane โ clearances
Last year a total of 12 points was the combined margin of both Lions-Demons clashes. Despite the tight finishes, both the Lions and Demons won their respective games by dominating the clearance.
In Round 2, 2023, the Lions smashed the Demons in the middle, winning the clearances 60-32. In Round 18, the Demons completed a dramatic late comeback by winning the clearances 45-32.
This year, the Lions average the fifth most clearances per game, whilst Melbourne are sitting mediocrely at 11th. With Clayton Oliver playing through a hand injury, the Lions have the midfield advantage, as they look to win at the MCG for the first time since September 2022.
Western Bulldogs vs Essendon โ tackles inside 50
Both the Bulldogs and Bombers have utilised inside 50 pressure to generate scores and cause turnovers in 2024. The Bulldogs and Bombers are ranked second and third respectively for tackles inside 50, laying 12.5 and 12.3 per game.
Cody Weightman has played at an all-time level this year for the Bulldogs, and his pressure is a key factor to this. Weightman currently averages two tackles inside 50 per game this season, ranked tenth in the entire competition.
For the Bombers, Ben Hobbs and Harrison Jones are also sticking tackles in their forward half.
Last year the Dogs got the upper hand over the Bombers, but with Essendon's tackling โedgeโ, it could be anyone's to win this year.
GWS vs St Kilda - scoring efficiencyย
The undefeated Giants go into a home game versus the Saints โ a team whose form is hard to judge yet.
The Saints have been competitive in their losses and impressive against the reigning premiers, but their ability to score could be an issue against the Giants.
GWS have scored 100+ points in every game so far this season, with Toby Greene and Jesse Hogan damaging the scoreboard week in and week out.
The Saints severely missed Max King in their loss to the Bombers, scoring only 67 points against the Dons, who have had 25+ scoring shots against them in every other game this year.
Last year in Round 10, the Saints had 27 scoring shots to GWS's 20 as they ran out 12-point winners. Yet they were outscored in their elimination final to end up four-goal losers. So, although Ross Lyon has a defensive style, the Saints may find themselves overrun early if they cannot keep up with the high-scoring Giants.
Carlton vs Adelaide โ tackles and marks inside 50
The Crows have been underwhelming to start 2024, and an 0-4 start has been detrimental to their finals dreams. The potential to go 0-5 is alarmingly real too, as they take on the undefeated Blues at Marvel Stadium.
The real concern for the Crows is in their forward 50. They can get it in there well โ averaging the eighth most in the AFL (54.5) โ however, they are last in marks inside 50 (6.5), and 12th for tackles inside 50 (9.8). In other words, their effectiveness with the ball in the forward half is extremely poor.
Their opponent, on the other hand, has been extremely effective with their inside 50s. Averaging only 1.5 more inside 50s per game than the Crows (56), Carlton average 3.5 more marks inside 50 (10), and 8.2 more tackles inside 50 (18).
For Adelaide to knock off the undefeated Blues, they will need to improve on capitalising on their forward 50 entries, and that starts with creating turnover pressure with tackles, or marking the ball in range of a shot on goal.
Gold Coast vs Hawthorn โ clearances
When Hawthorn are beaten in the clearance, they are beaten badly. In their 55-point loss to Melbourne, Hawthorn lost the clearance count 23-35, and had only five centre clearances for the entire game. Against Collingwood, the Hawks had a first half to forget but managed to improve their clearance work which brought them back to within a kick.
Hawthorn will have to maintain a four-quarter effort against the Suns, a team that includes Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson and Touk Miller. Rowell is currently first in the league for clearances per game (10.3), whilst Anderson and Miller average 6.3 and 5 respectively.
As the Suns look to bounce back from their Gather Round loss, the Hawks will need big-bodied midfielders James Worpel and Jai Newcombe to get amongst the contested footy on the weekend if Hawthorn are to win.
Port Adelaide vs Fremantle โ inside 50s
The Power-Dockers game poses to be a fascinating battle between defence and offence. It is very clear what their playstyles are, as Port Adelaide are ranked first for inside 50s (62.2 per game), whilst Fremantle are 16th (47.5).
Yet inside 50 pressure from Carlton ultimately prevailed in a controversial win against Fremantle. This means that against the best-attacking side currently, Fremantle may have to garner more inside 50s themselves if they are to halt the Power.
Interestingly, Fremantle are ranked second for shots at goal inside 50 (52.6), despite their low inside 50 ranking. This highlights that they have incredible efficiency from their inside 50 entries, and if they can increase their attacking presence on Saturday, they may find themselves with a win this week at Adelaide Oval.
Geelong vs North Melbourne โ centre clearances
In last year's clash at GMHBA Stadium, the Cats thumped the Kangaroos by 62 in a game where North Melbourne only managed four centre clearances.
At a long, yet thin, ground, winning the centre clearance is vital to producing scoring opportunities in Geelong.
Currently, North Melbourne are third in the competition in centre clearances (14.5), thanks to their young midfield core of Luke Davies-Uniacke, Tom Powell and ruckman Tristan Xerri. Geelong ranks ninth, averaging 12 per game, but it is important to not underestimate Geelong's home advantage. In their only game at GMHBA Stadium this year, the Cats won the centre clearance against St Kilda to run out victorious.
The Roos will have their work cut out for them against an undefeated Cats side, but with their current clearance work, they give themselves a hopeful shot.
West Coast vs Richmond โ ย turnovers
After a solid performance against Sydney, the Eagles will be looking to go one step further against Richmond. Th Tigers will also be looking to bounce back after a tight loss against St Kilda in Gather Round.
This game's deciding metric will be West Coast's ability to score off turnovers. Richmond averages the most turnovers in the competition, at 74.8 per game. There will be limited opportunities for Richmond to do the same against West Coast though, as the Eagles are ranked 16th for turnovers (62.5), and worst for clangers (52.3).
If Richmond can produce less turnovers, they should get the job done on the Eagles. But sloppy skill errors could well give West Coast a chance to upset.
