ESSENDON pair Darcy Parish and Zach Merrett are on track for uncharted territory this season.
The prolific midfield duo, who combined for 79 disposals on Friday night against Geelong, are projected to break the all-time record for combined disposals for two players at one club in a single season.
Parish (481) and Merrett (477) have tallied 958 disposals so far this season, with the record of Adelaide pair Matt Crouch and Rory Laird (1388 disposals in 2017) now in sight.
>> CHECK OUT ALL THE STATS BELOW
The two Bombers are projected to hit 1405.1 disposals for the season at their current rate, which would see them take the No.1 spot for the most prolific duo ever recorded in a season.
They would be the first to break the 1400-disposal barrier, which would stand as an astonishing mark given Parish's ascent to stardom in a season that has included best-on-ground awards for his performances on Anzac Day, Dreamtime in Perth and the Country Game against Geelong.
The mindboggling misuse of Parish across half-forward for several seasons has delayed his breakout campaign but he has come on in a hurry, with the 23-year-old signing a new lucrative deal boosted by his off-the-charts past three months.
Merrett, too, didn't let the uncertainty of a contract call become a distraction to his form, with the two-time best and fairest winner again enjoying a brilliant campaign as he inked a six-year extension to snub free agency.
The pair of Bombers aren't across the line yet, though, with two Western Bulldogs guns snapping at their heels. Jack Macrae and Marcus Bontempelli have combined for 929 disposals so far this season, with Macrae amassing more than 30 disposals in every game so far in 2021.
On Champion Data's projections, they are tipped to reach 1362 disposals as a pair this season – which would put them in third place since statistics were recorded. Macrae already features in second place on that list, with the All-Australian midfielder joining forces with Josh Dunkley to gather 1366 disposals in 2019.
Adelaide's Rory Laird and Ben Keays rank third this season for pairings with 907 disposals, while Port Adelaide's Ollie Wines and Travis Boak are fourth with 880. Richmond is in last spot for duos, with Jayden Short and Dustin Martin collecting 674 disposals.
Your club's top two ball-magnets in 2021
|
Players |
Combined Disposals |
Projection |
|
|
Essendon |
D.Parish, Z.Merrett |
958 |
1405.1 |
|
Western Bulldogs |
J.Macrae, M.Bontempelli |
929 |
1362.5 |
|
Adelaide Crows |
R.Laird, B.Keays |
907 |
1330.3 |
|
Port Adelaide |
O.Wines, T.Boak |
880 |
1303.7 |
|
Melbourne |
C.Oliver, C.Petracca |
887 |
1300.9 |
|
Sydney Swans |
L.Parker, C.Mills |
828 |
1214.4 |
|
GWS Giants |
T.Taranto, J.Hopper |
826 |
1211.5 |
|
Hawthorn |
T.Mitchell, B.Hardwick |
824 |
1208.5 |
|
Gold Coast Suns |
T.Miller, B.Ellis |
800 |
1187.6 |
|
Carlton |
S.Walsh, P.Cripps |
809 |
1186.5 |
|
West Coast Eagles |
D.Sheed, A.Gaff |
799 |
1184.7 |
|
Brisbane Lions |
J.Lyons, D.Rich |
807 |
1183.6 |
|
North Melbourne |
J.Ziebell, A.Simpkin |
799 |
1171.9 |
|
St. Kilda |
J.Steele, B.Crouch |
767 |
1149.9 |
|
Fremantle |
A.Brayshaw, D.Mundy |
772 |
1145.2 |
|
Collingwood |
J.Crisp, S.Pendlebury |
770 |
1129.3 |
|
Geelong Cats |
C.Guthrie, T.Stewart |
747 |
1123.1 |
|
Richmond |
J.Short, D.Martin |
674 |
999.4 |
Record for a duo's combined disposals in a season
|
Season |
Players |
Combined Disposals |
|
2017 |
M.Crouch, R.Laird |
1388 |
|
2019 |
J.Macrae, J.Dunkley |
1366 |
|
2013 |
D.Swan, S.Pendlebury |
1359 |
|
2019 |
A.Treloar, S.Pendlebury |
1352 |
|
2016 |
D.Hannebery, J.Kennedy |
1344 |
