Pure Footy: Stats men David King, Corey Mobilio lift lid on AFL trends after round 7

It was a ‘Sliding Doors’ moment when Collingwood traded Jarrod Witts for a pair of late draft picks. Now he is putting together one of the all-time great ruck seasons. See the amazing stats.

When Jarrod Witts was traded he took a parting shot at Collingwood, declaring Gold Coast had more chance of finals success.

That hasn’t quite worked out but Magpies list managers could be forgiven for wondering how the Pies’ midfield would stack up right now if Witts had stayed.

They backed in young ruckman Brodie Grundy after Darren Jolly’s retirement and shipped Witts north. Now Grundy is sitting the stands with a PCL injury and Witts is putting together “a massive season”, in the words of David King.

In this week’s episode of the Herald Sun’s exclusive digital AFL show Pure Footy, King and Champion Data’s Corey Mobilio revealed Witts has amassed 102 hitouts to advantage in the first seven rounds, ranked No.1 in the AFL and a whopping 32 more than the second-best player in that crucial stat, Adelaide’s Reilly O’Brien.

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The North Melbourne premiership champ said trading Witts was a “Sliding Doors” moment.

“He was traded just prior to the 2017 season for steak knives really, pick 44 and 62. Brodie went on and won the next two best-and-fairests and was All-Australian in both years, so I don’t think it’s a shock to say it’s been a success for Collingwood, but what could have been if they had hung on to Jarrod Witts,” King said.

“I just wonder if they made the right call because his hitout work, he has absolutely smashed them so far in 2022.”

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Jarrod Witts (right) battles with Magpies ruckman Darcy Cameron. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Witts’ hitout to advantage numbers are the third-best recorded by Champion Data over the first seven rounds of a season, and he is being helped by a strong supporting cast in the Suns midfield – Witts to Touk Miller is the No.1 ruckman to rover combination in the competition, and Witts to Matt Rowell is No.2.

“I want to highlight that Jarrod Witts is the most dominant ruckman at stoppage in the forward 50 in the comp, he creates the most scores,” King said.

“He’s the third-best ruckman at creating scores from stoppages full stop, but step into the forward half and you enter his zone.

“I think most would be surprised by the form of Jarrod Witts.

“It’s a massive season that he’s putting together.”

King and Mobilio also revealed the real impact of Damien Hardwick’s “magnet flips” on Friday night, why Bulldogs fans should be confident their team is on the right track and the competition’s biggest underrated stars.