With the bye rounds now upon us, we have decided to take a few deep breaths and look back at some of the clubs and their players to date.
Adelaide, Geelong, Gold Coast, Sydney, Western Bulldogs and West Coast, all have the bye this weekend and with that we’ve dived into those six clubs and assessed a number of different categories.
In our consideration is: who is leading the best and fairest and the other top contenders, the biggest surprise, the players who need a big second half of the year and the players we aren’t talking about enough.
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See the Crows, Cats, Suns, Swans, Eagles and Bulldogs below:
Best and Fairest leader
Rory Laird
It’s been an up and down year for the Crows, making the task of choosing the best and fairest leader tough.
Last year’s winner Rory Laird has had another strong start to the season, continuing to improve his 2021 numbers.
The 28-year-old is averaging 32.1 disposals, 14.7 of them contested, 7.6 clearances and a whopping 7.4 score involvements – numbers all above his career average.
Laird is one of those players that you just know what you’re going to get each week, making him a prime candidate to poll best and fairest votes.
Top contenders
Veteran Taylor Walker has had a terrific season.
Adelaide’s all-time leading goal kicker has piled on great numbers for a key forward, averaging 16 disposals, 2.6 goals and 8.3 score involvements – terrific stats for a 32-year-old key forward.
Given he’s missed four games this year due to suspension and injury, Walker might struggle to poll enough votes to win the Malcolm Blight award but there’s no doubt he’ll be making a charge for it.
Recruit Jordan Dawson is another one that’ll be making a charge. The former Swan hasn’t taken a backwards step since returning to his home state.
The utility is a coach’s dream given his ability to play in defence and on the wing whilst cutting up the opposition with his silky kick. He is averaging 24 disposals and 583 metres gained with the Crows.
Biggest surprise
Shane McAdam has been one of Adelaide’s shining lights this year.
This is no doubt McAdam’s best year as a Crow, excelling as both a pressure small/medium forward and a high-flying marker.
He has kicked 15 goals from 12 games with a strong average of 1.9.
Previously a solid but somewhat inconsistent player, his numbers this year have all been above career average elevating himself into one of Adelaide’s best forwards.
Players that need a big second half of the year
Reilly O’Brien is one that needs to fire up in the second half of 2022.
O’Brien has gone from being Adelaide’s dominant no.1 ruck to being dropped to the SANFL in six months.
The 2020 best and fairest, who was added to the club’s leadership group in pre-season, responded to his shock axing with an emphatic performance against Geelong in Round 11.
It was a performance that should ignite him for the second half of the season.
Players we're not talking about enough
2017 best and fairest winner Matt Crouch has had a below-par year for a player of his standing.
Crouch didn’t make a single AFL appearance in 2021 due to a groin injury that required surgery in May, gifting him some wiggle room when it comes to being critiqued for his poor performances.
The 27-year-old midfielder was reportedly shopped around to rival clubs before signing a two-year contract extension with the Crows last year – and given his current form, the Crows were wise in their ambitions to put him on the trade table.
Crouch has featured in both the senior and reserves side this year, but there hasn’t been much commentary about his drop-off in form.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
Best and Fairest leader
Tom Stewart
Contrary to a few teams this year, the Cats’ best players have been at either end of the ground instead of around the ball.
Stewart has been the best of those and is having another exemplary season, picking himself as a clear front-runner for a spot in what would be his fourth All-Australian team.
As well as being remarkably consistent, Stewart’s added the ability to have monstrous impacts on games, as highlighted by his two 40-possession games this season.
Geelong’s Round 12 match against the Western Bulldogs highlighted Stewart’s importance to the side. When he went down, the Cats looked up against it for the entire night, just as they did in last year’s finals series.
The 29-year-old is averaging career-highs in disposals (25.8), inside 50s (2.3) and rebound 50s (6.6) this year.
Top contenders
If Stewart isn’t leading Geelong's count, there’s every chance Jeremy Cameron is.
Cameron has won games off his own boot for the Cats in 2022. Inspired fourth-quarter performances against Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs spring to mind, and you’d be incredibly surprised if the current Coleman Medal leader wasn’t in the running for his club’s best and fairest.
Meanwhile, skipper Joel Selwood has enjoyed a resurgence in 2022. He’s certainly nowhere near his career-best numbers, but in a Geelong midfield that hasn’t been dominant in 2022, Selwood’s hard-nosed edge is hard to miss.
Spending more time on the ball this year, he’ll also certainly be up there in the count.
Biggest surprise
There were big raps on Sam De Koning, but he’s outdone all of them to start 2022.
The 21-year-old started the season in the senior side and has never looked like being unseated, despite Geelong packing huge depth in defenders. He’s been trusted to play on the opposition’s key forward in recent weeks and has done an exemplary job for a youngster just 12 games into his career.
He’s allowed Mark Blicavs to roam higher up the ground and even kept Jake Kolodjashnij out of the team on occasion, well and truly surprising Cats fans.
Players that need a big second half of the year
The difference between Patrick Dangerfield the Brownlow Medallist and Patrick Dangerfield in the last game he played couldn’t have been clearer.
The gun Cat started brilliantly in Round 1 against Essendon but has lacked his trademark dash and energy for much of the year, Geelong ultimately deciding to cut their losses and get a mid-season training block into Dangerfield.
He’s now got no excuses for the second half of the season and will need to return to his best if Geelong is to go deep into September this year.
Players we're not talking about enough
He’s been pigeon-holed as too small for much of his career, but Zach Guthrie is beginning to prove why Geelong has so much faith in him.
The 23-year-old has developed physically in recent years but has also improved his reading of the play and defensive abilities in a fantastic turnaround.
He’s no longer the defender Geelong calls upon when all options are exhausted. Guthrie well and truly deserves his chance at AFL level and has almost cemented his spot in the side despite Geelong’s defensive depth.
He’s averaging career-highs in disposals (16.2), marks (6.1), inside 50s (2.0) and rebounds 50s (3.4) this year.
Seb Mottram
Best and Fairest leader
Touk Miller
The Suns co-captain has picked up where he left off last year with another brilliant start to the season. Only this year, his performances are having a much larger influence on games as a result of the Suns’ improved form.
Not just a ball winner, Miller has a big focus on taking territory. He’s ranked 10th in metres gained per game in 2022 and 8th in inside 50s, alongside all the clearances and disposal stats you’d expect from the 26-year-old.
Perhaps surprisingly, Miller is only 184cms and 84kgs, but plays above his height and weight to well and truly put himself in the conversation of the best midfielders in the competition.
He’s set to win his second best and fairest award in as many years if he can maintain the form.
Top contenders
Miller’s fellow co-captain, Jarrod Witts, is also leading from the front in 2022.
There weren’t high hopes for the 29-year-old after returning from an ACL injury suffered last year, but Witts has proved all the doubters wrong to post-career best stats.
He’s averaging the most hitouts of any ruckman in the competition and his impact has been impressive.
The former Magpie also stood up in Gold Coast’s crucial wins over Sydney and Fremantle that got some momentum into their season, another factor sure to catch the eyes of coaches.
Noah Anderson has also taken the next step forward that would have him in contention.
Biggest surprise
There was little chance footy fans would ever see Levi Casboult again when he was delisted by Carlton again. However, the former Blue has been a big part of the Suns’ climb up the ladder this season with his revitalisation up north.
Casboult is averaging a tick under two goals a game, alongside 4.5 marks. But it’s the way he’s combined with Mabior Chol to not just hold the forward line together in Ben King’s absence but have thriving as one of the best offences the Suns have ever had.
There would have been few to predict how important he’d become to Stuart Dew’s lineup this year.
Players that need a big second half of the year
Gold Coast has seen an uptick from almost all of its list in 2022, resulting in the improved form.
Jack Lukosius is expected to be out for another month with a knee injury suffered in the Suns’ win over Sydney, but his season after that will be important to his future.
He showed plenty of promise as a forward earlier this year after spending most of his AFL career in the backline and it’s still yet to be seen where he’ll play in the future.
He might only have a handful of games to play in 2022 when he returns from injury, but if Lukosius can recapture the talent that made him a No.2 draft pick back in 2018, it could be influential in the Suns' push for a top eight spot.
Players we're not talking about enough
Collins is as underrated as they come in the competition. Without the 27-year-old, the Suns’ defensive stocks suddenly become a whole lot lighter, but it’s not just his role for the team that is impressive.
As Luke Beveridge brought to the table last month when questioning the treatment of his star forward Aaron Naughton, Collins is just a strong and smart one-on-one defender.
Stuart Dew can confidently start planning at the start of each week knowing he’s got a great matchup for any key forward in the competition.
Seb Mottram
Best and Fairest leader
Callum Mills has had a terrific first half to the season for the Swans, elevating himself into the competition’s elite.
Sydney’s co-captain has been a pillar of consistency this year, averaging 25.9 disposals at 75.2 per cent efficiency, 410 metres gained, and 5.8 score involvements – numbers rated in the above average to elite category in the AFL.
Mills’ flexibility makes him a coach’s dream, with his ability to lock down the opposition's best player whilst winning the ball himself being a trademark of his year so far.
His start to the season would probably see him leading Sydney’s best and fairest comfortably.
Top contenders
Nick Blakey has been explosive for the Swans this year, leading their drive from defence, his ball use out of the backline has made John Longmire's side far more dynamic.
The 22-year-old is averaging 521 metres gained each game, ranking him 13th in the competition.
Isaac Heeney has been at his energetic best this year. His first five games would have seen him nearly leading the club’s best and fairest, but he has tailed off in the past month. His ability to impact games will see him contending this year.
Three-time Bob Skilton Medallist Luke Parker and two-time club champion Jake Lloyd will also feature such is the consistency of the pair.
Biggest surprise
One of the stories of season 2022 is that of Paddy McCartin.
The former no.1 draft pick, who was forced into retirement due to concussion issues, has had an immediate impact on the Swans.
McCartin, alongside brother Tom, has showcased his elite intercept marking ability and has proved to be a great recruitment decision by the Swans.
Players that need a big second half of the year
All-Australian forward Tom Papley will be desperate to see the back of the first half of the year.
Having missed the first six rounds due to a pre-season hamstring injury, Papley has shown in his return to the senior side how impactful he is.
Papley's match-winning performances against Richmond and Melbourne highlight how much of a better side Sydney is with him running around.
Players we're not talking about enough
Errol Gulden is flying under the radar this year.
Having burst onto the scene last year, the skilful left footer is putting together another terrific season on the back of his breakout year in 2021.
Despite his form, Gulden isn’t receiving the same amount of praise that he did in his first campaign.
Gulden has featured in every game this year, highlighting how much the Swans value the former no.32 draft pick.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
Best and Fairest leader
Although he hasn’t achieved the consistent output that he would’ve hoped for in 2022, Tim Kelly would likely be leading the West Coast Eagles’ best and fairest count at the halfway point of the season.
West Coast’s decision to give up multiple draft picks to get Kelly at the end of 2019 came under criticism earlier this year, but the 27-year-old has done his best to justify the Eagles’ move with his impressive play in recent weeks.
In a midfield that’s been seriously struggling, he’s averaging 5.9 clearances to go with his 25 disposals, and at this stage he’s been the most consistent contributor at the Eagles.
Top contenders
Jeremy McGovern was the best player on the ground in West Coast’s one and only win this season, and a player of his class will always be in contention for the club’s top honour.
His 3.9 intercept marks per game puts him in the elite level of the competition, and he’s averaging a career high in disposals, which could be boiled down to the amount of time the ball is entering the Eagles’ defensive 50.
2015 winner Andrew Gaff has managed to average 24 disposals and while it’s been far from his best year, he doesn’t have a lot of teammates taking votes off him.
Former Lion Alex Witherden has also been impressive in a disappointing side so far.
Biggest surprise
Not many would’ve predicted the impressive start to 2022 from delisted Tiger Patrick Naish.
The 23-year-old was given a lifeline by the COVID-battered Eagles after failing to earn a spot on St Kilda’s list in the pre-season, and he’s been one of their shining lights at the start of the year.
He was averaging 21 disposals after the first eight rounds, but his output has waned in recent weeks, starting as the medical sub in Round 9 and 12, and being omitted in Round 11.
And with the current environment in Perth, his availability cannot be underestimated, being at Adam Simpson’s disposal for almost every game in 2022.
Players that need a big second half of the year
One person who will certainly be feeling the pinch at the West Coast Eagles is Jack Darling.
When the Eagles’ injury woes were being compounded by COVID outbreaks in the pre-season, Darling chose to remain unvaccinated, bringing an incredible amount of criticism his way.
He changed his mind on the eve of the season, allowing him to return for Round 2, but he hasn’t been able to have the impact up forward that his coach Simpson would’ve been hoping for.
He’s averaging 1.36 goals a game, the lowest since his debut year in 2011, and with Josh Kennedy seemingly on the way out, there will be even more pressure on him to perform in the second half of the year.
Players we’re not talking about enough
Connor West's output for West Coast has been understated in 2022.
In an ideal world, the 23-year-old would have been given some time in defence or up forward to start his career, but he’s been thrown to the wolves by being asked to spend quite a bit of time in the midfield.
The minutes in the midfield has seen him average 16.4 disposals, and 2.8 clearances, showing the Eagles they may have a player on their hands for the future.
Mature-age draftee Greg Clark has also been having an impressive debut season, averaging 15 disposals and 5.4 tackles in his five games.
Sam Watson
Best and Fairest leaders
Bailey Smith and Jackson Macrae have both had dominant seasons in 2022.
Smith’s pace and effective use with ball in hand in his fourth season has been brilliant, and his ability to hit the scoreboard would have Dogs fans salivating.
As always, Macrae is finding plenty of the footy, and his stoppage work would have him right in the picture to claim his first Charles Sutton Medal, after finishing second in 2021.
Funnily enough, they’re both averaging 31.6 disposals, putting them in the upper echelon of ball winners in the league.
Top contenders
Adam Treloar has also been in strong form this season, averaging 27 disposals and nearly a goal a game.
His best game came against his former side Collingwood in Round 9, racking up 35 touches and slotting three goals, and he’ll be right in the picture for the best and fairest if his form continues in the second half of the year.
Bailey Dale has backed up his All-Australian year in 2021, averaging 27 disposals and a whopping 605 metres gained down back for the Doggies.
And despite having a quiet start to the year, three-time winner Marcus Bontempelli can certainly put himself in the picture if he has a massive second half of the season and wills his side into the top eight.
Biggest surprise
After being tried in multiple positions by Luke Beveridge in his five seasons at the top level, Ed Richards has been a revelation as a rebounding defender this year.
The 22-year-old only managed five games in 2021, but he’s yet to miss one in 2022, proving to be a very reliable contributor, averaging 17.3 disposals and 5.4 marks.
His best game came in Round 10 against the Suns, when he tied the intercept marks record at the Bulldogs with eight.
While he’s certainly shown potential in the early stages of his career, not many Bulldogs fans would’ve been expecting to see these levels of consistency from Richards.
Players that need a big second half of the year
Livewire forward Cody Weightman has been serviceable so far in 2022, however, Dogs fans will be hoping he can get back to his best in the second half of the year.
His 1.6 goal average was boosted by a five-goal performance against a hapless North Melbourne, and he’s recently been the subject of criticism after it appeared he was “playing” for free kicks rather than attempting to mark the ball.
A broken collarbone against Port Adelaide in Round 8 wasn’t ideal for the 21-year-old, but him returning to form will go a long way to solving the Bulldogs’ issues up forward.
It might be unfair to rely on someone who’s still recovering from an ACL injury, but Josh Bruce will also be asked to make a big impact up forward if the Dogs are to get back into contention.
Players we’re not talking about enough
If Tim English had played more than seven games this season, we’d probably be talking about him as a potential All-Australian ruckman.
His form in those seven games has been nothing short of incredible, playing like a fifth midfielder for the Dogs at times.
The 24-year-old is averaging up 22 disposals, six clearances, and six marks a game, putting him amongst the best rucks in the competition.
Sam Watson