Tom Liberatore is the AFL's quietest achiever.

Despite a storied career and a series of metrics that paint the tenacious Western Bulldogs midfielder as one of the game's top-three players over the last handful of seasons, Liberatore continues to be shunned for individual honours.

The 2016 premiership star has remarkably never featured in an All-Australian side, hasn't even made the 40-man squad since 2014, and is into his ninth consecutive season without a Charles Sutton Medal as the club's best and fairest.

But, should his 2023 campaign rightfully be recognised, this is the season in which all that could change.

According to Champion Data, over the past three seasons Liberatore ranks top-three in the competition for AFL Player Ratings Points – the stats guru's most definitive metric to highlight influence on a game – per 100 minutes.

Liberatore's AFL Player Ratings Points per 100 minutes of 16.60 ranks behind only his teammate and superstar captain Marcus Bontempelli (17.28) and Melbourne jet Clayton Oliver (16.68), underlining the esteemed company he finds himself in.

It's also ahead of some of the game's most renowned stars like Jack Macrae (15.41), Christian Petracca (15.40), Patrick Dangerfield (15.31), Touk Miller (15.10), Zach Merrett (14.95), Darcy Parish (14.82) and Brodie Grundy (14.75) throughout that period.

Across the last three seasons combined, a span stretching 2021-23, it's hard to find a midfield metric in which Liberatore doesn't rate well. He is, along with the aforementioned stars of the game, a complete onballer.

He averages a prolific 25 disposals per game, ranks No.2 in the competition behind only Oliver for clearances (7.4 per match) and ranks No.3 behind Matt Rowell and Jack Steele for pressure points (61 per match).

Liberatore also ranks top-10 in the League for contested possessions (13.4 per match) over the last three seasons, top-20 for tackles (5.4 per match) and fractionally outside the top-20 for score involvements (6.4 per match).

Perhaps, though, recognition both internally and externally will finally arrive later this season. Having finished third behind Caleb Daniel (2020) and Bontempelli (2021), and then second behind Josh Dunkley (2022) in the Dogs' best and fairest recently, Liberatore is soaring in 2023.

The 31-year-old is still averaging career-highs in disposals (27.2 per match), pressure points (69.5 per match), tackles (6.8 per match) and AFL Player Ratings Points (16.4) to start the season. Meanwhile, his contested possession (13.5 per match) and clearance (7.2 per match) numbers also reflect the third-best output of his career.

Liberatore has spent much of his 208-game career thriving out of the spotlight, a role that in part has been enabled by Bontempelli's brilliance. This season, though, the veteran might have a few more acceptance speeches to give at year's end.