We look back at some of our leading stat winners from the 2021 season that was.
Disposals
Jack Macrae – 880
No surprises here – ball-magnet Jack Macrae led the way for the not only the Bulldogs, but for the competition, with 880 disposals. The Doug Hawkins Medallist recorded 15 consecutive games of at least 30 touches, and collected 40 or more on three separate occasions. He averaged 33.8 possessions to rank in Champion Data’s elite category.
Top five: Jack Macrae 880, Marcus Bontempelli 695, Caleb Daniel 631, Bailey Dale 623, Bailey Smith 613.
Marks
High-flying young gun Aaron Naughton continued to flourish up forward this season, taking 153 marks from his 25 games. Not only did he clunk the most marks, but nearly half of Naughton’s total marks were contested (65), which was also a competition-high.
Top five: Aaron Naughton 153, Taylor Duryea 132, Lachie Hunter 125, Alex Keath 110, Bailey Williams 104.
Tackles
Midfield bull Tom Liberatore led the way with his defensive efforts, laying 135 tackles at an average of 5.4 a match to rank in Champion Data’s elite category. The Gary Dempsey Medallist recorded five or more tackles in 17 games, including a season-high 10 against the Giants in round six.
Top five: Tom Liberatore 135, Jack Macrae 128, Marcus Bontempelli 127, Bailey Smith 87, Josh Dunkley 78.
Clearances
Tom Liberatore was the clearance king of season 2021, recording a competition-high 189 total clearances. His greatest output came against Carlton in round eight (13), with 79 of his total clearances coming from the centre specifically.
Top five: Tom Liberatore 189, Jack Macrae 177, Marcus Bontempelli 143, Bailey Smith 77, Josh Dunkley 59.
Goals
Key forward Josh Bruce finished atop the Bulldogs’ goalkicking leaderboard this season, slotting 48 majors from 20 games. His greatest haul came in round three, kicking a career-high 10 goals in Good Friday’s Kick for the Kids match. He hit the scoreboard in all but one game, and was on track for a top-three finish in the Coleman Medal before suffering an ACL injury in round 21.
Top five: Josh Bruce 48, Aaron Naughton 47, Marcus Bontempelli 31, Cody Weightman 26, Tim English 19.
Rebound 50s
Bailey Dale – 148
All-Australian defender Bailey Dale had a breakout year this season, finishing atop of the Bulldogs’ leaderboard for most rebound 50s with 148. He averaged 5.7 per game – ranking in Champion Data’s elite category – while recording the fifth-best tally across the competition.
Top five: Bailey Dale 148, Caleb Daniel 123, Bailey Williams 81, Taylor Duryea 79, Jack Macrae 52.
