GREATER Western Sydney star Dylan Shiel is in the top 15 of the Schick AFL Player Ratings for the first time in his career.

The rise comes off the back of his 34-disposal effort against Carlton last Saturday. He finished with 17 contested possessions, nine clearances and two goals.

After an exceptional first half of the year, Shiel is in contention for the Brownlow Medal.

He polled only six votes last season but his style of game should attract the umpires' attention. The explosive left-footer is exceptional at winning the ball and bursting away from stoppages.

Among midfielders, Shiel is 17th for clearances and seventh for metres gained.

He started the year ranked 79 and has moved up to 14. His improvement, in percentage terms, is the best in the competition.

Shiel's teammate Zac Williams is fifth on that list, after posting the highest-rated performance for round 14, moving him up to No.131.

Williams had 24 disposals at the weekend, kicked a goal and gained 733m.

It has been a remarkable season for Williams, who combines with Heath Shaw and Nathan Wilson to form arguably the most devastating defensive rebounding unit in the AFL.

Williams' consistency sets him apart from other small-medium defenders, and he averages more player ratings points than anyone else in that category this season.

Unafraid to win his own ball, Williams is sixth among small-medium defenders for winning contested possessions, and second for kick rating.

The kick rating statistic takes into account the difficulty of the attempt.

With Shiel and Williams among the top 150 players in the competition, the Giants have 13 in total – second in the AFL. Only Hawthorn has more, with 15.

For context, premiership fancies Geelong (12) and the Sydney Swans (nine) have fewer than the Giants, illustrating the quality and depth of talent available to coach Leon Cameron.