A couple of very different physical specimens, the 190 cm Nick Riewoldt and the 179 cm Paul Chapman, took my eye over the Easter weekend with outstanding games.
In these days of teams regularly accumulating over 400 disposals per game, raw stats have to be analysed closely to assess performance value.
Riewoldt played the whole game at centre half-forward against the Eagles' Eric Mackenzie, who would have been attempting a shutdown, very negative defensive role.
According to the stats sheet Riewoldt had 11 contested possessions, 12 uncontested possessions and a total of 26 disposals.
A couple of observations.
Getting 26 disposals would be a reasonable game for a midfielder, but to get his hands on the footy that much with the defender on his tail is exceptional, which leads to my second point.
In order to get an uncontested touch a forward must first get clear of his direct opponent. Therefore I've always believed that, strictly speaking, every possession a forward gets means he has won a contest.
Forwards get no easy, drop-into-space receives; no hanging around the outskirts to receive a handball. Every time a forward gets the footy it must be earned.
Riewoldt complemented his great ball skills with gut-busting repetition sprints across the St Kilda forward half, leaving Mackenzie gasping in his wake.
It was a work rate few players can match and he got his fitting reward with a lot of footy, with space between him and his Eagles opponent.
Chapman's performance against Collingwood was in a completely different role, but equally valuable.
Again, according to the stats sheet, he had 28 uncontested possessions as part of a 35-disposal night. They're very good numbers, but Dane Swan for Collingwood had 30 touches with not much impact at all.
It was Chapman's forward work that elevated his game enormously. Four goals and another four goal assists was the cream on top of his midfield ball-getting.
Midfielders who get plenty of the footy are not that hard to find. Midfielders who get 30-plus disposals and kick goals are very rare and, as match-winners, are worth their weight in gold.
Geelong has Gary Ablett, who is definitely in this elite category. And with Chapman looking fit and sharp, the Cats have a couple when most teams search in vain for even one.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
