Stats aren’t necessarily the be-all and end-all in footy, but there’s no better time than the mid-season bye to look at some of the important ones and the quirky ones.
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Our leading disposal winner is… Jack Macrae, who’s racked up 328 touches across 11 games, with an average of 29.8 per match.
He’s sitting seventh in the competition, with Brisbane’s Lachie Neale (361) leading the way.
Remarkably, the Bulldogs have the most players in the top 20 for disposals – four – with Macrae joined by Caleb Daniel (17th, 299), Marcus Bontempelli and Lachie Hunter (=19th, 296).
Hunter leads the competition for uncontested possessions with 235 – six ahead of Sydney’s Jake Lloyd.
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Moving on now to the aerial stuff… the big, contested marks.
It will come as no surprise that second-year player Aaron Naughton leads the Bulldogs for contested marks – with 26 for the year.
But, you may be surprised to hear he sits second in the competition for the stat – three behind Carlton’s Harry McKay.
Only 11 players in the competition have taken 20 or more contested marks for the season.
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Who has spent the most time on ground for the Bulldogs in 2019?
That would be Zaine Cordy, who has played all 11 games and spent an average of 92.8 per cent of them on the field.
He’s closely followed by Lachie Hunter, who has spent 89.9 per cent of matches on the field.
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Caleb Daniel leads a number of key stats for the Bulldogs, as does Marcus Bontempelli.
Daniel’s kicked the ball 195 times – and sits fifth in the competition for kicking efficiency, with 157 of those kicks classed as effective.
With 70 rebound-50s, Daniel has almost double the next-best Bulldog – Hayden Crozier, with 36.
Heading forward, Bontempelli has been a key factor.
He’s had 87 score involvements (third in the AFL), 5,327 metres gained (11th in the AFL) and 56 inside-50s (seventh in the AFL).
After 11 rounds, the Bulldogs’ stats leaders are…
Disposals: Jack Macrae (328)
Contested possessions: Jack Macrae (139)
Uncontested possessions: Lachie Hunter (235)
Clearances: Tom Liberatore/Marcus Bontempelli (65)
Marks: Lachie Hunter (78)
Inside 50s: Marcus Bontempelli (56)
Rebound 50s: Caleb Daniel (70)
Effective disposal %: Jason Johannisen (83.7 per cent)
One percenters: Zaine Cordy (69)
Tackles: Josh Dunkley (59)
Goals: Sam Lloyd/Aaron Naughton (17)
Goal assists: Jack Macrae (10)
Hit-outs: Tim English (164)
