18.12 - 120

15.17 - 107

4 points.

Edited Sunday at 10:211 day by binman

26 minutes ago, binman said:

JVR the first Dee to kick 5 goals since Jessie Hogan

Fritsch's 6 in the 2021 Granny don't count?

Harry Sharp; 51% time on ground, 6 score involvements.

I think this could be the start of a beautiful player-coach relationship.

Latrelle 59% I would have expected but it is interesting to see Rivers only had 58% time on.

The Stats File posts this season will include a few new stats, including:

• Retention of kicks into forward 50;

• Metres gained by kick and by handball;

• Equity points, including points from ball winning and points from ball use (my implementation of the AFL Player Ratings);

• xChainScore - expected points scored based on the origin of a team's chains, including clearances, turnovers and kick-ins.

Melbourne v St Kilda (Round 1, 2026)

https://www.wheeloratings.com/afl_match_stats.html?ID=20260108

Key Team Stats

Stats in bold were won by Melbourne.

Stat	For	Against	Diff	AFL
Disposal Efficiency
Disposal Retention	73.4	75.4	-2.0	71.3
Disposal Efficiency	74.5	77.9	-3.4	74.1
Kicking Efficiency	67.0	71.8	-4.8	67.7
Kick Into Forward 50 Retention	67.4	56.8	+10.6	47.5
Metres Gained
Kick Metres Gained	5809	6015	-206
Kick Metres Gained / Kick	27.9	25.3	+2.7	26.3
Handball Metres Gained	231	10	+221
Territory/Attack
Time In Forward Half	54.2	45.8	+8.4
Inside 50s	57	53	+4
Shots At Goal	36	33	+3
Scores / Inside 50	52.6	60.4	-7.7	48.0
Goals / Inside 50	31.6	28.3	+3.3	25.1
Marks Inside 50	19	20	-1
Transition
Chain To Score %	29.1	29.9	-0.8	23.4
Defensive 50 To Forward 50 %	27.0	28.9	-1.9	24.5
Defensive 50 To Score %	16.2	18.4	-2.2	10.6
Defensive Half To Forward 50 %	35.5	36.9	-1.4	32.5
Defensive Half To Score %	19.4	23.1	-3.7	14.1
Contest
Contested Possessions	119	129	-10
Ground Ball Gets	79	87	-8
Post Clearance Contested Poss	75	74	+1
Post Clearance Ground Ball Gets	55	52	+3
Contested Marks	10	11	-1
Clearance
Total Clearances	36	41	-5
Centre Clearances	17	15	+2
Stoppage Clearances	19	26	-7
First Possessions	38	44	-6
First Possession To Clearance %	73.7	77.3	-3.6	75.2
Defense
Intercepts	53	55	-2
Intercept Marks	13	13	+0
Tackles	42	41	+1
Tackles Inside 50	5	2	+3
Def One On One Loss %	33.3	50.0	-16.7	27.2
Ruck
Hitouts	44	25	+19
Hitouts To Advantage	10	8	+2
Equity Points
Pre Clearance	33.5	38.0	-4.6
Post Clearance	156.0	142.5	+13.5
Ball Winning	108.6	112.8	-4.2
Ball Use	81.7	68.9	+12.8

Transition stats measure how often chains result in a score or an inside 50. Chains include all kick-in chains, all clearances, and intercepts with at least one disposal in the chain.

• Chain To Score %: proportion of all chains that resulted in a score.

• Defensive 50 To Forward 50 %: proportion of all chains starting in the defensive 50 that resulted in an inside 50.

• Defensive 50 To Score %: proportion of all chains starting in the defensive 50 that resulted in a score.

• Defensive Half To Forward 50 %: proportion of all chains starting in the defensive half that resulted in an inside 50.

• Defensive Half To Score %: proportion of all chains starting in the defensive half that resulted in a score.

Equity is the WheeloRatings implementation of the AFL Player Ratings.

• Ball Winning: Equity points from winning possession of the ball.

• Ball Use: Equity points from disposal, including shots at goal, and carrying the ball.

Player Ratings

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Match	TOG	Ball Win.	Ball Use
Jacob van Rooyen	7.0	10.9	1.1	6.0	25.0	82%	6.1	15.8
Jack Steele	1.1	7.5	4.3	6.7	19.7	72%	6.2	9.6
Max Gawn	2.0	4.6	2.5	6.5	15.7	91%	12.0	2.8
Harry Sharp	1.3	2.3	−1.0	11.2	13.9	51%	5.7	5.2
Xavier Lindsay	0.8	2.7	9.2	0.7	13.4	76%	4.3	5.6
Caleb Windsor	7.2	−0.1	1.6	3.6	12.3	79%	4.5	4.4
Bayley Fritsch	1.5	3.6	3.7	2.8	11.6	81%	4.9	5.7
Kade Chandler	1.3	5.2	3.6	1.4	11.5	81%	3.8	4.0
Trent Rivers	2.9	4.2	3.5	0.9	11.4	58%	2.1	5.2
Harrison Petty	3.7	5.4	1.7	−0.3	10.6	86%	5.5	1.9
Daniel Turner	2.6	3.6	2.2	2.2	10.5	96%	4.4	2.1
Harvey Langford	2.2	4.5	3.3	0.2	10.2	72%	4.0	5.2
Blake Howes	1.6	2.9	3.3	2.4	10.1	82%	6.0	0.1
Koltyn Tholstrup	−0.2	4.2	1.7	3.0	8.8	82%	3.4	3.8
Changkuoth Jiath	4.9	2.5	0.0	0.9	8.2	70%	2.9	2.4
Kysaiah Pickett	0.1	1.0	4.0	2.0	7.0	82%	6.7	−1.2
Jai Culley	2.0	−1.8	5.6	1.2	7.0	79%	4.2	2.5
Latrelle Pickett	1.6	3.9	1.6	−0.2	7.0	59%	2.6	5.5
Brody Mihocek	−1.0	3.7	1.2	3.0	6.9	84%	6.3	−0.5
Christian Salem	1.5	1.4	2.2	1.2	6.3	80%	3.0	0.4
Jake Lever	0.3	−2.0	4.8	2.8	5.8	99%	5.0	−2.3
Tom Sparrow	0.7	2.3	2.5	−0.3	5.1	72%	2.1	2.1
Ed Langdon	1.7	−0.7	3.3	−0.2	4.2	89%	3.0	1.5

Contested Possessions

	For	Against	Diff
Melbourne's Defensive 50
Hard Ball Get	3	4	-1
Loose Ball Get	13	9	+4
Contested Mark	3	3	0
Gather From Hitout	1	2	-1
Contested Knock On	1	0	+1
Free For	0	1	-1
Total	21	19	+2
Melbourne's Forward 50
Hard Ball Get	4	4	0
Loose Ball Get	10	12	-2
Contested Mark	2	3	-1
Ruck Hard Ball Get	1	1	0
Gather From Hitout	1	1	0
Contested Knock On	0	2	-2
Free For	2	2	0
Total	20	25	-5
Post clearance
Hard Ball Get	12	8	+4
Loose Ball Get	43	44	-1
Contested Mark	10	11	-1
Contested Knock On	4	5	-1
Free For	6	6	0
Total	75	74	+1
Pre clearance
Hard Ball Get	4	10	-6
Loose Ball Get	20	25	-5
Ruck Hard Ball Get	7	3	+4
Gather From Hitout	9	7	+2
Contested Knock On	3	2	+1
Free For	1	7	-6
Total	44	54	-10

• Official data on pre- and post-clearance contested possessions are not available. These have been estimated by Wheelo Ratings and should be indicative.

• Ground ball gets are inclusive of hard ball gets and loose ball gets.

• 'Free For' does not include free kicks to advantage or free kicks while in possession of the ball as these are not counted as contested possessions.

Expected scores

	xScore	Score	xWin %	xMargin	Margin	Swing
Melbourne	122.5	120	77%	+15.3	+13
St Kilda	107.2	107	23%			+2.3

	Shots	Score	Accuracy	xScore	+/-
Overall
Melbourne	36	18.11 119	50.0%	121.5	−2.5
St Kilda	33	15.13 103	45.5%	105.2	−2.2
General Play
Melbourne	19	8.7 55	42.1%	62.1	−7.1
St Kilda	15	7.6 48	46.7%	41.8	+6.2
Set Position
Melbourne	17	10.4 64	58.8%	59.4	+4.6
St Kilda	18	8.7 55	44.4%	63.5	−8.5

• xWin %: win probability based on expected scores.

• Swing: difference between expected margin and actual margin.

• xScore: total expected score from all shots taken.

• +/-: total score above or below expected score.

• xSc. / Shot: average expected score per shot. This represents the average shot difficulty.

• Shot Rating: average score above or below expected score per shot at goal.

Notes: Expected scores are calculated by Wheelo Ratings. Each shot at goal is assigned an expected score based on the distance from goal, shot angle, and type of shot (e.g. set shot, general play following contested possession, general play following uncontested possession, ground kick, etc) as a proxy for pressure. The model does not take into account factors like the player, whether the ball was kicked with their preferred or non-preferred foot, and pressure on the player when taking the shot. Rushed behinds are excluded from actual and expected scores.

Territory (time in zones)

Region	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Match	Season
Half
Forward	55%	60%	50%	52%	54%	54%
Defensive	45%	40%	50%	48%	46%	46%
Region
Forward 50	25%	35%	21%	23%	26%	26%
Attacking Midfield	30%	25%	29%	29%	28%	28%
Defensive Midfield	23%	21%	21%	27%	23%	23%
Defensive 50	23%	19%	29%	21%	23%	23%

Source: Calculated by Wheelo Ratings.

Score Sources

Summary

Score Source	xChainScore	Score	Diff
Melbourne
Kick-in	5.9	2.1 13	+7.1
Centre Bounce	15.9	2.3 15	-0.9
Stoppage (Other)	18.5	3.4 22	+3.5
Turnover	35.3	11.4 70	+34.7
Opposition
Kick-in	4.2	1.0 6	+1.8
Centre Bounce	14.0	2.3 15	+1.0
Stoppage (Other)	22.5	4.6 30	+7.5
Turnover	38.7	8.8 56	+17.3
Diff
Kick-in	+1.7	+7
Centre Bounce	+1.9	+0
Stoppage (Other)	-4.0	-8
Turnover	-3.4	+14

xChainScore: expected points scored based on the origin of a team’s chains, including clearances, turnovers, and kick-ins.

Score Source	For		Against
	Match	Season	Match	Season *
Kick-in	13	13.0	6	6.0
Centre Bounce	15	15.0	15	15.0
Stoppage (Other)	22	22.0	30	30.0
Turnover	70	70.0	56	56.0

* Against season average represents average points conceded by Melbourne across the season, not average points scored by St Kilda.

Chain start region

Note: region is from the scoring team's perspective.

Region	For		Against
	Match	Season	Match	Season *
Defensive 50	26	26.0	22	22.0
Defensive midfield	26	26.0	28	28.0
Centre bounce	15	15.0	15	15.0
Attacking midfield	39	39.0	23	23.0
Forward 50	14	14.0	19	19.0

* Against season average represents average points conceded by Melbourne across the season, not average points scored by St Kilda.

Points from defensive half

For		Against
Match	Season	Match	Season *
52	52.0	50	50.0

* Against season average represents average points conceded by Melbourne across the season, not average points scored by St Kilda.

Centre Bounce Attendances

	CBAs	CBA %	2026 %	2025 %
Max Gawn	32	89%	88.9%	85.5%
Kysaiah Pickett	24	67%	66.7%	69.0%
Jack Steele	22	61%	61.1%	74.3%
Caleb Windsor	20	56%	55.6%	12.1%
Trent Rivers	16	44%	44.4%	19.9%
Koltyn Tholstrup	9	25%	25.0%	0.0%
Harvey Langford	7	19%	19.4%	9.9%
Tom Sparrow	7	19%	19.4%	6.6%
Harrison Petty	4	11%	11.1%	0.4%
Xavier Lindsay	2	6%	5.6%	0.4%
Christian Salem	1	3%	2.8%	1.5%
Brody Mihocek	0	0%	0.0%	0.2%
Daniel Turner	0	0%	0.0%	0.2%
Ed Langdon	0	0%	0.0%	3.1%
Jacob van Rooyen	0	0%	0.0%	13.4%
Kade Chandler	0	0%	0.0%	1.1%

Ruck Contests and Hitouts

Ruck Contests

	Ruck Contests	RC %	2026 %	2025 %
Max Gawn	70	78%	77.8%	81.5%
Jacob van Rooyen	10	11%	11.1%	15.0%
Harrison Petty	9	10%	10.0%	2.8%
Brody Mihocek	1	1%	1.1%	2.7%
Daniel Turner	0	0%	0.0%	0.2%

Hitouts

	Ruck Contests	Hitouts	To Adv.	To Adv. % (2026)	To Adv. % (2025)
Melbourne
Max Gawn	70	36	7	19.4%	27.8%
Harrison Petty	9	5	3	60.0%	23.6%
Jacob van Rooyen	10	3	0	0.0%	30.3%
Brody Mihocek	1	0	0		45.4%
Opposition
Tom De Koning	67	20	6
Isaac Keeler	14	3	1
Mitch Owens	9	2	1

Edited Sunday at 08:451 day by WheeloRatings

Harry Sharp; 51% time on ground, 6 score involvements.

I think this could be the start of a beautiful player-coach relationship.

Latrelle 59% I would have expected but it is interesting to see Rivers only had 58% time on.

3 minutes ago, bing181 said:

Fritsch's 6 in the 2021 Granny don't count?

And didn't Petty kick 6 vs the Tigers a few years back. I have a recollection of him, Melky and someone (maybe Fritta) combining for 14 goals?

32 minutes ago, gs77 said:

And didn't Petty kick 6 vs the Tigers a few years back. I have a recollection of him, Melky and someone (maybe Fritta) combining for 14 goals?

@bing181

...by half time.

48 minutes ago, gs77 said:

And didn't Petty kick 6 vs the Tigers a few years back. I have a recollection of him, Melky and someone (maybe Fritta) combining for 14 goals?

Yes.

1 hour ago, bing181 said:

Fritsch's 6 in the 2021 Granny don't count?

It felt wrong when I posted it - and it wasn't evwn an Ai error, I was repeating what they said on ABC post hame (but perhaps they meant key forwards or more likely first half).

Edited Sunday at 21:071 day by binman

9 (non ruck) players had CBAs today.

Surely that's an increase on our average under Goodwin?

18 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

9 (non ruck) players had CBAs today.

Surely that's an increase on our average under Goodwin?

Absolutely

Was just thinking about how fluid the midfield rotations were.

Rather than the standard starting mid model there's core mids in Kozz, Steele, Rivers and Windsor and a bunch of others who roll thru the middle, like Langford (who otherwise plays on the wing), Sparrow, Kolt and Lindsay.

Interesting mix of players, many of whom are big boys, and skill sets.

3 hours ago, WheeloRatings said:

The Stats File posts this season will include a few new stats, including:

• Retention of kicks into forward 50;

• Metres gained by kick and by handball;

• Equity points, including points from ball winning and points from ball use (my implementation of the AFL Player Ratings);

• xChainScore - expected points scored based on the origin of a team's chains, including clearances, turnovers and kick-ins.

Melbourne v St Kilda (Round 1, 2026)

https://www.wheeloratings.com/afl_match_stats.html?ID=20260108

Key Team Stats

Stats in bold were won by Melbourne.

Stat	For	Against	Diff	AFL
Disposal Efficiency
Disposal Retention	73.4	75.4	-2.0	71.3
Disposal Efficiency	74.5	77.9	-3.4	74.1
Kicking Efficiency	67.0	71.8	-4.8	67.7
Kick Into Forward 50 Retention	67.4	56.8	+10.6	47.5
Metres Gained
Kick Metres Gained	5809	6015	-206
Kick Metres Gained / Kick	27.9	25.3	+2.7	26.3
Handball Metres Gained	231	10	+221
Territory/Attack
Time In Forward Half	54.2	45.8	+8.4
Inside 50s	57	53	+4
Shots At Goal	36	33	+3
Scores / Inside 50	52.6	60.4	-7.7	48.0
Goals / Inside 50	31.6	28.3	+3.3	25.1
Marks Inside 50	19	20	-1
Transition
Chain To Score %	29.1	29.9	-0.8	23.4
Defensive 50 To Forward 50 %	27.0	28.9	-1.9	24.5
Defensive 50 To Score %	16.2	18.4	-2.2	10.6
Defensive Half To Forward 50 %	35.5	36.9	-1.4	32.5
Defensive Half To Score %	19.4	23.1	-3.7	14.1
Contest
Contested Possessions	119	129	-10
Ground Ball Gets	79	87	-8
Post Clearance Contested Poss	75	74	+1
Post Clearance Ground Ball Gets	55	52	+3
Contested Marks	10	11	-1
Clearance
Total Clearances	36	41	-5
Centre Clearances	17	15	+2
Stoppage Clearances	19	26	-7
First Possessions	38	44	-6
First Possession To Clearance %	73.7	77.3	-3.6	75.2
Defense
Intercepts	53	55	-2
Intercept Marks	13	13	+0
Tackles	42	41	+1
Tackles Inside 50	5	2	+3
Def One On One Loss %	33.3	50.0	-16.7	27.2
Ruck
Hitouts	44	25	+19
Hitouts To Advantage	10	8	+2
Equity Points
Pre Clearance	33.5	38.0	-4.6
Post Clearance	156.0	142.5	+13.5
Ball Winning	108.6	112.8	-4.2
Ball Use	81.7	68.9	+12.8

Transition stats measure how often chains result in a score or an inside 50. Chains include all kick-in chains, all clearances, and intercepts with at least one disposal in the chain.

• Chain To Score %: proportion of all chains that resulted in a score.

• Defensive 50 To Forward 50 %: proportion of all chains starting in the defensive 50 that resulted in an inside 50.

• Defensive 50 To Score %: proportion of all chains starting in the defensive 50 that resulted in a score.

• Defensive Half To Forward 50 %: proportion of all chains starting in the defensive half that resulted in an inside 50.

• Defensive Half To Score %: proportion of all chains starting in the defensive half that resulted in a score.

Equity is the WheeloRatings implementation of the AFL Player Ratings.

• Ball Winning: Equity points from winning possession of the ball.

• Ball Use: Equity points from disposal, including shots at goal, and carrying the ball.

Player Ratings

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Match	TOG	Ball Win.	Ball Use
Jacob van Rooyen	7.0	10.9	1.1	6.0	25.0	82%	6.1	15.8
Jack Steele	1.1	7.5	4.3	6.7	19.7	72%	6.2	9.6
Max Gawn	2.0	4.6	2.5	6.5	15.7	91%	12.0	2.8
Harry Sharp	1.3	2.3	−1.0	11.2	13.9	51%	5.7	5.2
Xavier Lindsay	0.8	2.7	9.2	0.7	13.4	76%	4.3	5.6
Caleb Windsor	7.2	−0.1	1.6	3.6	12.3	79%	4.5	4.4
Bayley Fritsch	1.5	3.6	3.7	2.8	11.6	81%	4.9	5.7
Kade Chandler	1.3	5.2	3.6	1.4	11.5	81%	3.8	4.0
Trent Rivers	2.9	4.2	3.5	0.9	11.4	58%	2.1	5.2
Harrison Petty	3.7	5.4	1.7	−0.3	10.6	86%	5.5	1.9
Daniel Turner	2.6	3.6	2.2	2.2	10.5	96%	4.4	2.1
Harvey Langford	2.2	4.5	3.3	0.2	10.2	72%	4.0	5.2
Blake Howes	1.6	2.9	3.3	2.4	10.1	82%	6.0	0.1
Koltyn Tholstrup	−0.2	4.2	1.7	3.0	8.8	82%	3.4	3.8
Changkuoth Jiath	4.9	2.5	0.0	0.9	8.2	70%	2.9	2.4
Kysaiah Pickett	0.1	1.0	4.0	2.0	7.0	82%	6.7	−1.2
Jai Culley	2.0	−1.8	5.6	1.2	7.0	79%	4.2	2.5
Latrelle Pickett	1.6	3.9	1.6	−0.2	7.0	59%	2.6	5.5
Brody Mihocek	−1.0	3.7	1.2	3.0	6.9	84%	6.3	−0.5
Christian Salem	1.5	1.4	2.2	1.2	6.3	80%	3.0	0.4
Jake Lever	0.3	−2.0	4.8	2.8	5.8	99%	5.0	−2.3
Tom Sparrow	0.7	2.3	2.5	−0.3	5.1	72%	2.1	2.1
Ed Langdon	1.7	−0.7	3.3	−0.2	4.2	89%	3.0	1.5

Contested Possessions

	For	Against	Diff
Melbourne's Defensive 50
Hard Ball Get	3	4	-1
Loose Ball Get	13	9	+4
Contested Mark	3	3	0
Gather From Hitout	1	2	-1
Contested Knock On	1	0	+1
Free For	0	1	-1
Total	21	19	+2
Melbourne's Forward 50
Hard Ball Get	4	4	0
Loose Ball Get	10	12	-2
Contested Mark	2	3	-1
Ruck Hard Ball Get	1	1	0
Gather From Hitout	1	1	0
Contested Knock On	0	2	-2
Free For	2	2	0
Total	20	25	-5
Post clearance
Hard Ball Get	12	8	+4
Loose Ball Get	43	44	-1
Contested Mark	10	11	-1
Contested Knock On	4	5	-1
Free For	6	6	0
Total	75	74	+1
Pre clearance
Hard Ball Get	4	10	-6
Loose Ball Get	20	25	-5
Ruck Hard Ball Get	7	3	+4
Gather From Hitout	9	7	+2
Contested Knock On	3	2	+1
Free For	1	7	-6
Total	44	54	-10

• Official data on pre- and post-clearance contested possessions are not available. These have been estimated by Wheelo Ratings and should be indicative.

• Ground ball gets are inclusive of hard ball gets and loose ball gets.

• 'Free For' does not include free kicks to advantage or free kicks while in possession of the ball as these are not counted as contested possessions.

Expected scores

	xScore	Score	xWin %	xMargin	Margin	Swing
Melbourne	122.5	120	77%	+15.3	+13
St Kilda	107.2	107	23%			+2.3

	Shots	Score	Accuracy	xScore	+/-
Overall
Melbourne	36	18.11 119	50.0%	121.5	−2.5
St Kilda	33	15.13 103	45.5%	105.2	−2.2
General Play
Melbourne	19	8.7 55	42.1%	62.1	−7.1
St Kilda	15	7.6 48	46.7%	41.8	+6.2
Set Position
Melbourne	17	10.4 64	58.8%	59.4	+4.6
St Kilda	18	8.7 55	44.4%	63.5	−8.5

• xWin %: win probability based on expected scores.

• Swing: difference between expected margin and actual margin.

• xScore: total expected score from all shots taken.

• +/-: total score above or below expected score.

• xSc. / Shot: average expected score per shot. This represents the average shot difficulty.

• Shot Rating: average score above or below expected score per shot at goal.

Notes: Expected scores are calculated by Wheelo Ratings. Each shot at goal is assigned an expected score based on the distance from goal, shot angle, and type of shot (e.g. set shot, general play following contested possession, general play following uncontested possession, ground kick, etc) as a proxy for pressure. The model does not take into account factors like the player, whether the ball was kicked with their preferred or non-preferred foot, and pressure on the player when taking the shot. Rushed behinds are excluded from actual and expected scores.

Territory (time in zones)

Region	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Match	Season
Half
Forward	55%	60%	50%	52%	54%	54%
Defensive	45%	40%	50%	48%	46%	46%
Region
Forward 50	25%	35%	21%	23%	26%	26%
Attacking Midfield	30%	25%	29%	29%	28%	28%
Defensive Midfield	23%	21%	21%	27%	23%	23%
Defensive 50	23%	19%	29%	21%	23%	23%

Source: Calculated by Wheelo Ratings.

Score Sources

Summary

Score Source	xChainScore	Score	Diff
Melbourne
Kick-in	5.9	2.1 13	+7.1
Centre Bounce	15.9	2.3 15	-0.9
Stoppage (Other)	18.5	3.4 22	+3.5
Turnover	35.3	11.4 70	+34.7
Opposition
Kick-in	4.2	1.0 6	+1.8
Centre Bounce	14.0	2.3 15	+1.0
Stoppage (Other)	22.5	4.6 30	+7.5
Turnover	38.7	8.8 56	+17.3
Diff
Kick-in	+1.7	+7
Centre Bounce	+1.9	+0
Stoppage (Other)	-4.0	-8
Turnover	-3.4	+14

xChainScore: expected points scored based on the origin of a team’s chains, including clearances, turnovers, and kick-ins.

Score Source	For		Against
	Match	Season	Match	Season *
Kick-in	13	13.0	6	6.0
Centre Bounce	15	15.0	15	15.0
Stoppage (Other)	22	22.0	30	30.0
Turnover	70	70.0	56	56.0

* Against season average represents average points conceded by Melbourne across the season, not average points scored by St Kilda.

Chain start region

Note: region is from the scoring team's perspective.

Region	For		Against
	Match	Season	Match	Season *
Defensive 50	26	26.0	22	22.0
Defensive midfield	26	26.0	28	28.0
Centre bounce	15	15.0	15	15.0
Attacking midfield	39	39.0	23	23.0
Forward 50	14	14.0	19	19.0

* Against season average represents average points conceded by Melbourne across the season, not average points scored by St Kilda.

Points from defensive half

For		Against
Match	Season	Match	Season *
52	52.0	50	50.0

* Against season average represents average points conceded by Melbourne across the season, not average points scored by St Kilda.

Centre Bounce Attendances

	CBAs	CBA %	2026 %	2025 %
Max Gawn	32	89%	88.9%	85.5%
Kysaiah Pickett	24	67%	66.7%	69.0%
Jack Steele	22	61%	61.1%	74.3%
Caleb Windsor	20	56%	55.6%	12.1%
Trent Rivers	16	44%	44.4%	19.9%
Koltyn Tholstrup	9	25%	25.0%	0.0%
Harvey Langford	7	19%	19.4%	9.9%
Tom Sparrow	7	19%	19.4%	6.6%
Harrison Petty	4	11%	11.1%	0.4%
Xavier Lindsay	2	6%	5.6%	0.4%
Christian Salem	1	3%	2.8%	1.5%
Brody Mihocek	0	0%	0.0%	0.2%
Daniel Turner	0	0%	0.0%	0.2%
Ed Langdon	0	0%	0.0%	3.1%
Jacob van Rooyen	0	0%	0.0%	13.4%
Kade Chandler	0	0%	0.0%	1.1%

Ruck Contests and Hitouts

Ruck Contests

	Ruck Contests	RC %	2026 %	2025 %
Max Gawn	70	78%	77.8%	81.5%
Jacob van Rooyen	10	11%	11.1%	15.0%
Harrison Petty	9	10%	10.0%	2.8%
Brody Mihocek	1	1%	1.1%	2.7%
Daniel Turner	0	0%	0.0%	0.2%

Hitouts

	Ruck Contests	Hitouts	To Adv.	To Adv. % (2026)	To Adv. % (2025)
Melbourne
Max Gawn	70	36	7	19.4%	27.8%
Harrison Petty	9	5	3	60.0%	23.6%
Jacob van Rooyen	10	3	0	0.0%	30.3%
Brody Mihocek	1	0	0		45.4%
Opposition
Tom De Koning	67	20	6
Isaac Keeler	14	3	1
Mitch Owens	9	2	1

Brilliant, many thanks @WheeloRatings. Really like the new stats.

Am I right to assume the equity points is an aggregate of player ratings to arrive at a whole of team score?

that sharp last quarter rating is incredible

7 hours ago, binman said:

Brilliant, many thanks @WheeloRatings. Really like the new stats.

Am I right to assume the equity points is an aggregate of player ratings to arrive at a whole of team score?

Yes, the team equity is an aggregate of (my estimate of) the player ratings. Ball winning and ball use equity are also in the Player Ratings table (last two columns).

Joe Cordy wrote an article on these equity ratings on thisweekinfootball last week.

While the total player ratings is not that useful at the team level as the difference between the two teams is basically the game margin, the split between pre- and post-clearance and ball winning and ball use can be much more useful. In 2025, teams that won the ball use equity won the game at a higher rate (86%) than teams that won the ball winning equity (71%). In 2021, this was the other way around (79% for winning ball use and 86% for winning ball winning equity) which illustrates the shift in game style.

Melbourne v St Kilda (Round 1, 2026)

https://www.wheeloratings.com/afl_match_stats.html?ID=20260108

Pressure

Team pressure

Quarter	For	Agn	Diff
1	156	164	-8
2	162	171	-9
3	177	172	+5
4	166	179	-13
Match	165	172	-7

Source: Herald Sun

Most Pressure Points

Note: pressure points are the weighed sum of pressure acts. Physical pressure acts are worth 3.75 points, closing acts are worth 2.25 points, chasing acts are 1.5 points and corralling are 1.2. ( https://www.championdata.com/glossary/afl/ )

Player	Pressure Acts	Pressure Points	Season Average
Kysaiah Pickett	19	50	50.0
Caleb Windsor	23	48	48.0
Kade Chandler	19	40	40.0
Tom Sparrow	20	40	40.0
Trent Rivers	16	35	35.0
Harrison Petty	15	31	31.0
Daniel Turner	15	30	30.0
Jai Culley	11	28	28.0
Jack Steele	13	27	27.0
Harry Sharp	11	26	26.0
Christian Salem	9	25	25.0
Ed Langdon	11	25	25.0
Harvey Langford	10	23	23.0
Changkuoth Jiath	12	23	23.0
Koltyn Tholstrup	9	21	21.0
Xavier Lindsay	10	21	21.0
Max Gawn	7	21	21.0
Jake Lever	11	18	18.0
Brody Mihocek	7	15	15.0
Jacob van Rooyen	6	12	12.0
Bayley Fritsch	3	10	10.0
Blake Howes	3	6	6.0
Latrelle Pickett	2	2	2.0

Source: Herald Sun

43 minutes ago, WheeloRatings said:

Melbourne v St Kilda (Round 1, 2026)

https://www.wheeloratings.com/afl_match_stats.html?ID=20260108

Pressure

Team pressure

Quarter	For	Agn	Diff
1	156	164	-8
2	162	171	-9
3	177	172	+5
4	166	179	-13
Match	165	172	-7

Source: Herald Sun

Most Pressure Points

Note: pressure points are the weighed sum of pressure acts. Physical pressure acts are worth 3.75 points, closing acts are worth 2.25 points, chasing acts are 1.5 points and corralling are 1.2. ( https://www.championdata.com/glossary/afl/ )

Player	Pressure Acts	Pressure Points	Season Average
Kysaiah Pickett	19	50	50.0
Caleb Windsor	23	48	48.0
Kade Chandler	19	40	40.0
Tom Sparrow	20	40	40.0
Trent Rivers	16	35	35.0
Harrison Petty	15	31	31.0
Daniel Turner	15	30	30.0
Jai Culley	11	28	28.0
Jack Steele	13	27	27.0
Harry Sharp	11	26	26.0
Christian Salem	9	25	25.0
Ed Langdon	11	25	25.0
Harvey Langford	10	23	23.0
Changkuoth Jiath	12	23	23.0
Koltyn Tholstrup	9	21	21.0
Xavier Lindsay	10	21	21.0
Max Gawn	7	21	21.0
Jake Lever	11	18	18.0
Brody Mihocek	7	15	15.0
Jacob van Rooyen	6	12	12.0
Bayley Fritsch	3	10	10.0
Blake Howes	3	6	6.0
Latrelle Pickett	2	2	2.0

Source: Herald Sun

Low all team pressure - however I think that is a function of both team's method and will be a trend for us and the competition (the same factor drving the increased importance of ball use equity compared to ball winning equity).

Fewer stoppages, less emphasis on winning contested balls (except post clearance - i think that willl remain critical) and more outside run and carry combine to mean less opportunity to accumulate pressure points from physical contact (the highest scoring actions).

Edited Sunday at 21:061 day by binman

31 minutes ago, binman said:

Low all team pressure - however I think that is a function of both team's method and will be a trend for us and the competition (the same factor drving the increased importance of ball use equity compared to ball winning equity).

Fewer stoppages, less emphasis on winning contested balls (except post clearance - i think that willl remain critical) and more outside run and carry combine to mean less opportunity to accumulate pressure points from physical contact (the highest scoring actions).

Low pressure was typical across the whole round with only two teams averaging 180+ (the typical AFL average) so I agree that it will be the trend for the competition.

Carl 170 - 173 Rich
Ess 161 - 178 Haw
Geel 178 - 173 Frem
Coll 167 - 168 Adel
WB 165 - 167 GWS
Syd 168 - 163 Bris
GC 178 - 182 WCE
NM 180 - 172 Port
Melb 165 - 172 St K

Winning the post-clearance contested possession count doesn't correlate with winning as much in 2023-2025 (63-65%) as it did in 2021-2022 (73-75%). Probably still important, but not as much as it was.

23 minutes ago, WheeloRatings said:

Low pressure was typical across the whole round with only two teams averaging 180+ (the typical AFL average) so I agree that it will be the trend for the competition.

Carl 170 - 173 Rich
Ess 161 - 178 Haw
Geel 178 - 173 Frem
Coll 167 - 168 Adel
WB 165 - 167 GWS
Syd 168 - 163 Bris
GC 178 - 182 WCE
NM 180 - 172 Port
Melb 165 - 172 St K

Winning the post-clearance contested possession count doesn't correlate with winning as much in 2023-2025 (63-65%) as it did in 2021-2022 (73-75%). Probably still important, but not as much as it was.

Fantastic stuff wheelo.

You read my mind as knowing the CD pressure ratings are not readily available I was going to use AI to test my hypothesis that the pressure ratings were low accross all games (highlighting the weakness of AI LLMs it's likely no bots would be able to source that info as it's behind paywalls).

But reports of the death of pressure as the key indicator are premature.

Early days, and come the last third of the season - and in particular finals - it will once again be all about pressure.

Morning Binman, morning Wheel-o, morning all. Back for another Stats file season.

Kick into forward 50 retention around 67% surprised me as I did expect a bit more pinging back out. We were getting it in quick but there was much less sky balling and we got it to the deck when we could.

Score from turnover still king. 11.4 is an amazing return.

Maxy with 78% of the ruck contests. The 24 y.o running machine just keeps on going. Chop him out when needed but otherwise just keep going with it till it stops working I say.

Thank goodness someone can make sense of these statistics.

I was perhaps totally wrong . I felt in watching all games so far that pressure was high . I commented many times that you just could not afford to fumble as opponents were close checking and turnovers occurred. Turnovers also seemed to lead to chains that led to scoring.

The pace of the game looked faster as well, which affected the precision of disposal.

I will keep watching and hoping that we continue our winning results.

Hey @WheeloRatings thanks again for this awesome work. I am wondering if it would be possible to add in last year's averages to some of the stats so we can get a gauge of the change with the new regime and game style. Many thanks in advance.

3 hours ago, Its Time Again said:

Hey @WheeloRatings thanks again for this awesome work. I am wondering if it would be possible to add in last year's averages to some of the stats so we can get a gauge of the change with the new regime and game style. Many thanks in advance.

Thanks mate, and no problem at all! I have updated the format of the Key Team Stats table to include Melbourne's average for 2025 and 2026 with 2026 bolded to hopefully assist readability. If this becomes too overwhelming, I could look at including the key season summary stats in a separate table.

Here is the updated table for round 1:

Stat	For	Against	Diff	2025	2026	AFL
Disposal Efficiency
Disposal Retention	73.4	75.4	-2.0	70.5	73.4	71.3
Disposal Efficiency	74.5	77.9	-3.4	73.2	74.5	74.1
Kicking Efficiency	67.0	71.8	-4.8	67.8	67.0	67.9
Kick Into Forward 50 Retention	67.4	56.8	+10.6	46.2	67.4	48.0
Metres Gained
Kick Metres Gained	5809	6015	-206	5545.5	5808.9	5747.4
Kick Metres Gained / Kick	27.9	25.3	+2.7	26.2	27.9	26.3
Handball Metres Gained	231	10	+221	169.1	231.4	251.8
Territory/Attack
Time In Forward Half	54.2	45.8	+8.4	51.4	54.2	50.0
Inside 50s	57	53	+4	52.8	57.0	54.7
Shots At Goal	36	33	+3	26.4	36.0	28.9
Scores / Inside 50	52.6	60.4	-7.7	45.1	52.6	48.3
Goals / Inside 50	31.6	28.3	+3.3	22.3	31.6	25.5
Marks Inside 50	19	20	-1	10.9	19.0	12.2
Transition
Chain To Score %	29.1	29.9	-0.8	21.5	29.1	23.6
Defensive 50 To Forward 50 %	27.0	28.9	-1.9	24.4	27.0	24.3
Defensive 50 To Score %	16.2	18.4	-2.2	9.7	16.2	10.8
Defensive Half To Forward 50 %	35.5	36.9	-1.4	31.1	35.5	32.6
Defensive Half To Score %	19.4	23.1	-3.7	12.6	19.4	14.5
Contest
Contested Possessions	119	129	-10	135.2	119.0	127.0
Ground Ball Gets	79	87	-8	87.3	79.0	84.9
Post Clearance Contested Poss	75	74	+1	82.7	75.0	79.7
Post Clearance Ground Ball Gets	55	52	+3	56.7	55.0	55.4
Contested Marks	10	11	-1	10.5	10.0	8.4
Clearance
Total Clearances	36	41	-5	36.8	36.0	35.8
Centre Clearances	17	15	+2	12.8	17.0	14.1
Stoppage Clearances	19	26	-7	24.0	19.0	21.7
First Possessions	38	44	-6	42.3	38.0	38.4
First Possession To Clearance %	73.7	77.3	-3.6	72.3	73.7	75.2
Defense
Intercepts	53	55	-2	64.8	53.0	66.4
Intercept Marks	13	13	+0	16.3	13.0	13.2
Tackles	42	41	+1	57.2	42.0	52.8
Tackles Inside 50	5	2	+3	11.4	5.0	10.1
Def One On One Loss %	33.3	50.0	-16.7	27.9	33.3	26.5
Ruck
Ruck Contests	90	90	+0	92.2	90.0	86.5
Hitouts	44	25	+19	41.1	44.0	34.0
Hitouts To Advantage	10	8	+2	11.5	10.0	8.9
Equity Points
Pre Clearance	33.5	38.0	-4.6	33.3	33.5	33.9
Post Clearance	156.0	142.5	+13.5	115.9	156.0	128.7
Ball Winning	108.6	112.8	-4.2	112.5	108.6	111.1
Ball Use	81.7	68.9	+12.8	39.6	81.7	54.0

2 hours ago, WheeloRatings said:

Thanks mate, and no problem at all! I have updated the format of the Key Team Stats table to include Melbourne's average for 2025 and 2026 with 2026 bolded to hopefully assist readability. If this becomes too overwhelming, I could look at including the key season summary stats in a separate table.

Here is the updated table for round 1:

Stat	For	Against	Diff	2025	2026	AFL
Disposal Efficiency
Disposal Retention	73.4	75.4	-2.0	70.5	73.4	71.3
Disposal Efficiency	74.5	77.9	-3.4	73.2	74.5	74.1
Kicking Efficiency	67.0	71.8	-4.8	67.8	67.0	67.9
Kick Into Forward 50 Retention	67.4	56.8	+10.6	46.2	67.4	48.0
Metres Gained
Kick Metres Gained	5809	6015	-206	5545.5	5808.9	5747.4
Kick Metres Gained / Kick	27.9	25.3	+2.7	26.2	27.9	26.3
Handball Metres Gained	231	10	+221	169.1	231.4	251.8
Territory/Attack
Time In Forward Half	54.2	45.8	+8.4	51.4	54.2	50.0
Inside 50s	57	53	+4	52.8	57.0	54.7
Shots At Goal	36	33	+3	26.4	36.0	28.9
Scores / Inside 50	52.6	60.4	-7.7	45.1	52.6	48.3
Goals / Inside 50	31.6	28.3	+3.3	22.3	31.6	25.5
Marks Inside 50	19	20	-1	10.9	19.0	12.2
Transition
Chain To Score %	29.1	29.9	-0.8	21.5	29.1	23.6
Defensive 50 To Forward 50 %	27.0	28.9	-1.9	24.4	27.0	24.3
Defensive 50 To Score %	16.2	18.4	-2.2	9.7	16.2	10.8
Defensive Half To Forward 50 %	35.5	36.9	-1.4	31.1	35.5	32.6
Defensive Half To Score %	19.4	23.1	-3.7	12.6	19.4	14.5
Contest
Contested Possessions	119	129	-10	135.2	119.0	127.0
Ground Ball Gets	79	87	-8	87.3	79.0	84.9
Post Clearance Contested Poss	75	74	+1	82.7	75.0	79.7
Post Clearance Ground Ball Gets	55	52	+3	56.7	55.0	55.4
Contested Marks	10	11	-1	10.5	10.0	8.4
Clearance
Total Clearances	36	41	-5	36.8	36.0	35.8
Centre Clearances	17	15	+2	12.8	17.0	14.1
Stoppage Clearances	19	26	-7	24.0	19.0	21.7
First Possessions	38	44	-6	42.3	38.0	38.4
First Possession To Clearance %	73.7	77.3	-3.6	72.3	73.7	75.2
Defense
Intercepts	53	55	-2	64.8	53.0	66.4
Intercept Marks	13	13	+0	16.3	13.0	13.2
Tackles	42	41	+1	57.2	42.0	52.8
Tackles Inside 50	5	2	+3	11.4	5.0	10.1
Def One On One Loss %	33.3	50.0	-16.7	27.9	33.3	26.5
Ruck
Ruck Contests	90	90	+0	92.2	90.0	86.5
Hitouts	44	25	+19	41.1	44.0	34.0
Hitouts To Advantage	10	8	+2	11.5	10.0	8.9
Equity Points
Pre Clearance	33.5	38.0	-4.6	33.3	33.5	33.9
Post Clearance	156.0	142.5	+13.5	115.9	156.0	128.7
Ball Winning	108.6	112.8	-4.2	112.5	108.6	111.1
Ball Use	81.7	68.9	+12.8	39.6	81.7	54.0

Thanks wheelo - that's really interesting.

Funnily enough i just said on the pod (or after talking to Andy and George - i cant recall which) that for all the talk about us being a long bomb team under Goody, which was true from 2020 to the 2024, but decidedly not true last season, that I'd be willing to bet that under King we will actually kick long for territory more often and that will be reflected in higher average metres gained per kick.

Obviously a small sample, but our metres gained per kick yesterday was 27.9 against a season average last season of 26.2 metres gained per kick (we were mid table for that stat last season - the Suns were on top of that table).

Thanks Wheelo. The comparative stuff is handy and a nice addition.

Not that my contributions will be missed but with the latest iteration of DL's software i've personally found it tricky to just copy & paste my Ratings in anything resembling their original format like i was able to for many years prior to the update.

In the past i was also able to format those tables a tad after posting them to make them more appealing and legible. Even vs their original formatting at my end. That option has gone too unfortunately.

If there happens to be a future software update that makes it plausible / more legible once again then i might do an Arny.

So after 8 years of team & player ratings it's...

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by Demon Dynasty

7 minutes ago, Demon Dynasty said:

Thanks Wheelo. The comparative stuff is handy and a nice addition.

Not that my contributions will be missed but with the latest iteration of DL's software i've personally found it tricky to just copy & paste my Ratings in anything resembling their original format like i was able to for many years prior to the update.

In the past i was also able to format those tables a tad after posting them to make them a tad more appealing and legible. Even vs their original formatting at my end. That option has gone too unfortunately.

If there happens to be a future software update that makes it plausible / more legible once again then i might do an Arny.

So after 8 years of team & player ratings it's...

That is very disappointing demon Dynasty, you are my third go to after joeboy and Demonland Votes, those stats helped me back up what I thought I was seeing at the games and making me reassess my thoughts on some players. Let’s hope there is a fix just around the corner. 👍😎