Long gone are the days when inside 50s and disposal counts were the be-all and end-all.
The ability statisticians have to break elements of Australian Rules Football down is a data analyst's dream, with 2024 having more aspects to the game than ever before.
But that begs the question, what is the most important stat in the modern game?
Thanks toย Wheelo ratings, the AFL can be broken down into over 50 facets that have significance, admittedly varying, in achieving premiership success.
Today's football has emphasised the importance of turning the ball over, something Collingwood under Craig McRae was arguably the best at across the past 24 months.
GWS' coined term of the 'Orange Tsunami' represents a wave of Giants players linking up via handballs from one end to the other.
2023 grand finalists Brisbane utilise their foot skills to cut through the opposition.
Safe to say, all clubs have their modus operandi.
In a season that has had just about everything to date, with still a month of home and away football to go plus finals, it is extremely difficult to predict what is about to happen.
However, looking at the past five weeks, where we've seen Brisbane roar back into premiership contention; Hawthorn shock the competition with a compelling run; Sydney falter - losing the past four out of five; and Essendon bow out after sitting top four for much of the year, and plenty more.
So, looking exclusively at that block of games, we'll attempt to decipher some of the more significant stats. Some that will be worth looking out for in the weeks to come.
Loose ball gets
A disputed ball at ground level not under direct physical pressure that results in an opportunity to record a legal disposal.
1. Hawthorn 2. Melbourne 3. Western Bulldogs 4. St Kilda 5. Adelaide.
Not generally a well-regarded statistic externally but one that would no doubt be of high significance at clubland.
A loose ball symbolises a club and a player's ability to spread from the congestion and win the ball in dispute.
It assists with the hand-ball chains and overlap run, hence why the Hawks and Bulldogs are leaders in this space, something both Sam Mitchell and Luke Beveridge'sย cohorts thrive on.
St Kilda and Adelaide have also turned their seasons around in the back half of the year, clearly taking the game on with nothing left on the line in 2024.
West Coast, Sydney and Collingwood are the three worst teams at loose ball gets differential, losing the stat on average by at least seven possessions in the past five weeks.
Intercepts
1. Brisbane 2. St Kilda 3. Gold Coast 4. Geelong 5. Carlton
The ability of clubs to win the ball back from the opposition is crucial, especially depending on which part of the ground.
Intercepts indicate how well the team is structured across the field, forcing the opposing side into forced errors - as well as some unforced ones.
Brisbane and Geelong rely heavily on stacking their back half with elite, intercepting players such as Tom Stewart and Harris Andrews.
It is from there that both clubs bounce out of the backline to start setting up scores whilst also having defensive contingencies if they were to turn the ball over.
St Kilda's past five weeks have been exactly that while the Blues and Suns remain strong interceptors in the competition.
Collingwood is the game's worst across the studied block.
Contested possessions
1. St Kilda 2. Fremantle 3. Hawthorn 4. Carlton 5. Western Bulldogs
Contested possessions suggest how well a club's midfielders - and other players in contested situations - are at winning the ball before their opponent.
There is no shock that the Bulldogs, Blues and Dockers are high in this facet of the game given their elite midfielders.
However, St Kilda's improvement has seen the club gain territory with purpose, giving forwards more of an opportunity without opposition players flooding the defensive half.
And as for the Hawks, their contest game is super strong, a level that we saw in 2023.
Handball receiveย
1. Hawthorn 2. GWS 3. Fremantle 4. North Melbourne 5. Essendon
This statistic relies on a coaching group's strategy and how they determine the best way to win AFL games.
We are all well aware of the methods Hawthorn, GWS and Fremantle work off, by utilising handballs to go from inside to outside the contest.
Justin Longmuir's reluctance to let the Dockers free halted their improvement. Once releasing the shackles, they're well in the hunt for a top-four spot.
'Northball' is supposed to cut opposition teams open via handballs while the Bombers have altered their game style often, and unfortunately for their fans, it hasn't worked.
Clearances
1. Fremantle 2. Brisbane 3. Hawthorn 4. Western Bulldogs 5. Port Adelaide
Arguably the five most in-form teams in the competition and it's no surprise they have led clearance differential over the past five weeks.
Clearances help gain territory, allowing the defensive structures to set up.
It is also no shock given their midfield strength in all five sides that opposition coaches have struggled to combat on game day.
A statistic as old as they come but still tells a story.
Score sources
Kick-in
1. GWS 2. Hawthorn 3. Carlton 4. Sydney 5. Port Adelaide
A unique scoring source yet reflects a team's ability to move it from one end to the other.
At their best, GWS' ball movement from defence into attack is second to none and being the outright leader from the score source is a mode that will help in finals, should they make it.
Stoppages
1. Port Adelaide 2. Sydney 3. Hawthorn 4. Fremantle 5. Adelaide
No surprise given the clearance dominance over the past five weeks.
Ironically, despite Carlton's midfield prowess, they rank 16th for scores from stoppage, an area Michael Voss will need to fix if they're to go deep into September.
Turnover
1. Fremantle 2. St Kilda 3. Carlton 4. Hawthorn 5. Brisbane
Again, four of the top five ranked teams are clubs in serious form.
As for Carlton, their overcorrection from 2023 to 2024 has seen an increase in scores from turnover, but a steep decline in stoppage scores.
Defensive half
1. Fremantle 2. Hawthorn 3. GWS 4. Geelong 5. St Kilda
No bombshell to see teams who use handballs to turn defence into attack leading this category of score origins.
Collingwood won a premiership playing this style, relying on turnovers closer to their goal.
A more sustainable on-field approach runs the risk of giving the opposition a look.
Will it work again?
Forward half
1. Brisbane 2. Hawthorn 3. Melbourne 4. St Kilda 5. Western Bulldogs
This score origin relies heavily on frontal pressure and an unrelenting attitude to defend.
When it works, it puts the fear of God into the eyes of the opposition.
But it can backfire.
If clubs can work out mechanisms to cut through the forward press, it is unlikely to be a successful way to score, meaning it needs to work in tandem with other areas of scoring.
In finals, it can work given the heightened sense of occasion and subsequent rise in pressure.
Centre Bounce
1. Port Adelaide 2. Adelaide 3. Sydney 4. West Coast 5. Geelong
The ability to score from clearances is just as crucial as any other scoring origin.
Albeit one score origin that isn't depended on as much, it still has its value.
Just cast your minds back to Carlton and North Melbourne in Round 19, when the Blues put multiple goals from centre bounce on the young Kangaroos.
Michael Voss' men were able to swing the momentum in their favour, slotting four majors from the source and ultimately breaking the game open.