JOSH Dunkley, the midfielder, returned with a vengeance in the past fortnight.
Video-game numbers of 35.5 disposals (18.5 contested), eight clearances, eight tackles, eight score involvements and five inside 50s make for a stunning return for the Western Bulldogs.
The 22-year-old was a distant sixth at the club for centre attendances this year in the first six rounds, but superstar Marcus Bontempelli is the sole Dog with more in the ensuing games (33-32).
Fifteen AFL Players' Association votes in the same span further highlights Dunkley's top-notch contribution.
NINE THINGS WE LEARNED Dons face another wasted season
The numbers are reminiscent of what he produced in the final nine rounds last season, when coach Luke Beveridge unleashed him as an onballer.
Dunkley spent a month out of the side after round nine, had a 15-possession 'sighter' in his senior return, then went on a rampage until the end of the season in averaging 28.8 disposals.
That withering finish seemed to have him primed for a monster 2019 campaign, but it's not that simple at the Kennel.
Beveridge boasts one of the AFL's deepest midfield units, including Bontempelli, Jack Macrae, Tom Liberatore, Lachie Hunter, Mitch Wallis, Toby McLean and, of course, Dunkley.
Top-10 draftee Bailey Smith has added to that rotation this season, too.
In particular, Liberatore's return from a knee reconstruction and strong early-season form complicated the situation for Dunkley, because there are only so many minutes to go around.
STATS FILES Star mid who's sparked the Dogs' revival
It meant Dunkley was shuffled back to mostly forward duties, where his knack for finding the Sherrin was still apparent – but his goalkicking inaccuracy feeds the Dogs' club-wide issue.
JOSH DUNKLEY'S PLAYING POSITIONS
YEAR | ROUNDS | MIDFIELD | FORWARD |
2018 | 1-9 | 25% | 72% |
2018 | 14-23 | 75% | 24% |
2019 | 1-6 | 40% | 60% |
2019 | 7-8 | 68.5% | 31.5% |
McLean, Saint Blake Acres, Geelong's Gary Ablett and Giant Matt de Boer join Dunkley as the only footballers with close to a 50-50 split of forward and midfield time since the start of last year.
Dunkley ranks second League-wide for possessions and tackles per 100 minutes in attack this season, first for clearances and fourth for groundball-gets.
However, Dunkley's career shot-at-goal accuracy is just 34.5 per cent, which is only marginally better at 36.4 per cent in 2019.
Dunkley on the left! #AFLDogsSuns pic.twitter.com/YrDU5oagAk
— AFL (@AFL) April 7, 2019
The Gippsland Power product's kicking in general was questioned ahead of the 2015 draft and was a black mark in his early seasons in the AFL, but this is another area he has dramatically improved.
Champion Data's kick rating, which factors in the difficulty of each attempt, sums up Dunkley's development.
A positive result means the player is successfully executing their kicks more often than an average footballer is expected to – and vice versa.
JOSH DUNKLEY'S KICK RATING*
YEAR | ALL KICKS | KICKS INSIDE 50 |
2016 | -8.4% | -6.1% |
2017 | -8.9% | -13.4% |
2018 | -3.9% | -4.5% |
2019 | +3.4% | +12.7% |
Dunkley's per-100 minutes statistics as a midfielder are also eye-popping.
He is eighth in the competition for disposals, second for contested possessions, intercept possessions and intercept marks (behind Nat Fyfe) and fourth for groundball-gets.
Over to you, Bevo.
Find Trends on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify
Hawthorn's obscure record
Greater Western Sydney was abysmal in many ways at the MCG on Sunday, but it was possibly encapsulated no better than in one category.
The Hawks strangled the Giants' ball movement to such extremes and used the ball efficiently themselves that they had a run of 40 uncontested marks without GWS having one.
It is the longest such streak since Champion Data began recording the statistic in 1999, and came at the start of the final term, when Hawthorn put the final nail in the Giants' coffin.
YEAR | ROUND | CLUB | OPPONENT | CONSECUTIVE UNCONTESTED MARKS |
2019 | 8 | Hawthorn | GWS | 40 |
2012 | 22 | St Kilda | GWS | 34 |
2007 | 11 | Western Bulldogs | Brisbane | 32 |
2015 | 26 | Hawthorn | Fremantle | 29 |
2010 | 8 | West Coast | Melbourne | 29 |
2016 | 1 | West Coast | Brisbane | 28 |
2013 | 2 | North Melbourne | Geelong | 28 |
2014 | 21 | GWS | Melbourne | 28 |
2012 | 21 | Carlton | Essendon | 28 |
2016 | 15 | Gold Coast | St Kilda | 28 |
Offensive lull continues
Scoring in the 2019 AFL season is still at a 52-year low.
The dour Sydney-Essendon and Gold Coast-Melbourne round eight matches, as well as Greater Western Sydney's 38-point effort, contributed heavily to the average team score being just 79.7 at the weekend.
Clubs are now averaging 80.8 points per game this year, the lowest since teams managed 79.7 for the duration of 1967.
Liam Shiels squanders a massive chance for goal! #AFLHawksGiants pic.twitter.com/ngveClnJWg
— AFL (@AFL) May 12, 2019
Kangaroo in rare company
North Melbourne forward Nick Larkey's 13 score involvements seemed impressive at first inspection, and they are even more so once history is factored in.
The noteworthy contribution came in what was just Larkey's fifth AFL game, making him the seventh footballer to have that many score involvements in any of their first five matches.
The others were Cameron Howat (2006), Michael Barlow (2010), Isaac Smith (2011), Jason Tutt (2012), Lachie Whitfield (2013) and Connor Rozee (2019).
The statistic was tracked from 2003.
Find In the Game on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify
