Top AFL forward-half pressure numbers revealed in The Drill podcast
ANTHONY McDonald-Tipungwuti is much more than a cult figure at Essendon. The crazy stats that show why he’s a key to the Bombers finals hopes, and why Richmond doesn’t need another key forward.
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RICHMOND forward Jason Castagna has kicked 23 goals this season, but he says he isn’t judged on that by the club.
“It’s almost like a little competition between us small forwards when we’re playing, who can get higher pressure points,” Castagna said this week after winning the Round 19 Rising Star nomination.
“It’s always good to kick goals and get some crumbs, but our main role would definitely be just putting on pressure.”
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The Tigers have been questioned over the lack of a second key forward, but they have found another way to score this season via an army of small forwards applying manic pressure to the opposition.
Champion Data statistics revealed in The Drill podcast show Richmond has five players ranked elite or above average for forward-half pressure: Daniel Rioli (elite), Dan Butler (elite), Shai Bolton (above average), Castagna (above average) and full-forward Jack Riewoldt (above average).
Rioli and Castagna rank in the top five in the AFL for creating forward-half turnovers, and for points generated from those turnovers.
But they are both in the shadow of Essendon’s Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, who is much more than a cult figure based on these stats.
McDonald-Tipungwuti has created more forward-half turnovers than any other player — three ahead of Demon Alex Neal-Bullen — but has incredibly generated 28 more points than any other player from this source. No wonder opposition players get nervous when he’s in the vicinity.
Also in this week’s episode of The Drill, the Herald Sun’s Sam Landsberger and Champion Data analyst Daniel Hoyne reveal just how valuable Daniel Wells is to Collingwood, why Carlton’s game plan has fallen apart and drill into huge tests this week for Geelong, St Kilda and Port Adelaide.
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TURNOVERS CREATED BY GENERAL FORWARDS
POINTS FROM TURNOVERS CREATED BY GENERAL FORWARDS
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