THERE was only one round in the bank when AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan was forced to press pause on the 2020 season.
That means it's hard to read much into certain players leading statistical categories at this stage – or is it?
DESPERATE TO PLAY The player at your club who needs footy back the most
AFL.com.au has picked out various front-runners from round one and looked at their circumstance and career to try to figure out whether they can remain on top once the season resumes.
Effective kicks
Shannon Hurn (West Coast) – 16
AFL.com.au reaction: No shock here. Hurn, who stood down as Eagles captain in December after five years at the helm, is arguably the AFL's best kick. He led the competition with 15.7 per game last season and with 14.5 in 2018. Hurn's 14 short kicks were also the most in round one but he's deadly as well when he opts to go long off his trusty right boot.
Contested possessions
Jack Viney (Melbourne) – 20
AFL.com.au reaction: Viney's never found a contest he didn't want to be part of and this was the sixth time in his career he's gathered at least 20 contested possessions, including a career-high 26 against West Coast in 2017. The former Melbourne co-captain will need to maintain the rage to beat Patrick Cripps, who averaged 17.5 last year and had 17 in Carlton's season opener.
Forward-50 tackles
Dan Butler (St Kilda) – 6
AFL.com.au reaction: This is why the Saints were so keen to snag the 2017 premiership Tiger. A huge part of Richmond's triumph that year was the mosquito fleet of Butler, Jason Castagna and Dan Rioli. Butler fell behind Shai Bolton and others in 2019 but was equal-10th for total forward-50 tackles in the flag year and equal-28th in 2018. Butler's 34.2 pressure points in the forward zone also ranked No.1.
Handball receives
Ed Langdon (Melbourne) – 22
AFL.com.au reaction: Get used to numbers like this from Langdon the Demon, who was recruited last year from Fremantle to provide the outside run Simon Goodwin's team lacks. Melbourne is one of the AFL's stronger contested ball-winning sides, so its new wingman will be the chief beneficiary. Langdon was also on top in kicks (23) and uncontested possessions (27).
REPLACEMENT PLAYERS? The top contenders
Hitouts to advantage
Todd Goldstein (North Melbourne) – 15
AFL.com.au reaction: Any big man can get a hitout but hitouts to advantage are the crucial ones. Goldstein was top five in this area last year and is consistently one of the best but hasn't led the field since his All-Australian season in 2015, when he averaged a career-most 14.1. Melbourne's Max Gawn has been the League leader in three of the past four years but managed only six against Nic Naitanui and West Coast in round one.
Score assists
Luke Breust (Hawthorn), Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide) and Brody Mihocek (Collingwood) – 4
AFL.com.au reaction: Goal assists are preferable but the assisting player can't kick the ball for their teammate (there is obviously an art to placing the ball in a good position). Tom Hawkins' 1.7 per game led this category last year among players with more than 10 matches. Breust has never averaged fewer than 1.1 score assists a game – peaking at two in 2013 – and Gray averaged more than two across the 2014-15 campaigns and is always good in this area. Mihocek is the surprising name after averaging 0.9 last year and 0.7 in his debut 2018 season.
Spoils
Caleb Graham (Gold Coast) – 15
AFL.com.au reaction: This Academy product has snuck up on everyone outside the Suns. With Rory Thompson still recovering from his ACL setback, Graham held up a key defensive post against Port Adelaide. Teams increasingly encourage their backmen to try to intercept mark but Lions star Harris Andrews started the same way, as a prolific spoiler. Andrews has developed to the point he's an All-Australian and led the AFL with 12 intercept possessions in round one.
Inside 50s plus rebound 50s
Sam Docherty (Carlton) – 13
AFL.com.au reaction: Docherty didn't play a game in the past two years because of back-to-back ACL ruptures but was an All-Australian defender in 2017. He was ninth for total combined inside 50s and rebound 50s that season – only seven off third-placed Rory Laird – so there's a good chance he can maintain this pace. Most of Docherty's tally comes in rebound 50s (nine out of 13 in round one) but his ability to regularly also drive the ball into the forward 50 is part of what makes him so valuable.
