AFL 2021: Champion Data reveals the players with the biggest drop off in ranking points for each club this season
Some have been dropped, and others are very close. There are also a number of big surprises. Champion Data stats reveal your club’s worst performers in 2021.
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We revealed the biggest improvers this year but who as gone the other way?
Champion Data has crunched the numbers to uncover the major rankings sliders for each club since last year.
Based on Champion Data’s player ranking points, the list reveals the players whose average ranking has dropped the most from season 2020 to this year.
Champion Data’s qualification is a minimum of five matches played in 2020 and five matches played this season.
So, who have been your club’s ranking sliders this year?
ADELAIDE
Player, 2020 ranking points ave., 2021 ranking points ave. Change (%)
Andrew McPherson 68.5, 39.1 -43%
Billy Frampton 53.3, 40.4 -24%
David Mckay 73.0, 55.2 -24%
It’s been a better than expected start to 2021 for the 4-6 Crows after finishing bottom of the ladder last season. But defender Andrew McPherson is one whose ranking from last season had dropped, according to Champion Data. Averaging 68.5 ranking points last year, McPherson has slid to 39.1 in his nine games this season. Fellow defender David Mckay and forward Billy Frampton’s ranking is also down 24 per cent on last season.
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BRISBANE
Lachie Neale 133.6, 96.4 -28 %
Callum Ah Chee 65.6, 47.8 -27%
Keidean Coleman 53.8, 40.3 -25%
He claimed the Brownlow Medal and his fourth best-and-fairest last year but Lions star Lachie Neale has experienced the largest rankings slide at Brisbane this year. After a huge average ranking of 133.6 last season, Neale has slipped to 96.4 in his six matches this season. Neale has been sidelined with an ankle injury since Round 6. Defender Callum Ah Chee (down 27 per cent) and second-year Lion Keidean Coleman (down 25 per cent) were the Lions’ other main rankings sliders.
CARLTON
Will Setterfield 90.1, 63.2 -30%
Levi Casboult 65.2, 45.7 -30%
Sam Petrevski-Seton 74.8, 59.2 -21%
Veteran forward Levi Casboult and midfielder Will Setterfield have experienced the sharpest rankings slide for the 4-6 Blues this year. Casboult, who it was revealed earlier this month had been battling a nagging knee injury, has dropped from 65.2 in 2020 to 45.7 in his nine games this season. Casboult kicked 16 goals last season and has five so far this year. Setterfield has also experienced a 30 per cent rankings slide - he was dropped and was out of the side from Rounds 4-9. Sam Petrevski-Seton’s ranking has also dropped by 21 per cent from last year in his eight games.
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COLLINGWOOD
Jack Magden 68.8, 46.0 -33%
Taylor Adams 11.1, 75.5 -32%
Calum Brown 64.8, 43.9 -32%
It has been a season to forget for the 2-8 Magpies so far with boardroom battles casting a cloud over the team’s on-field struggles. And even some of the team’s biggest names have not been immune from a rankings slide. Vice-captain Taylor Adams had a Champion Data ranking-point average of 111.1 in 2020, but in his five games this year that has slipped to 75.5 – a 32 per cent drop. Adams was felled by a knee injury against GWS in Round 4 before returning in the one-point loss to Port Adelaide last weekend. But, he will miss again in Round 11. The numbers of son-of-a-gun Callum Brown (32 per cent down on last year in his 10 games) and defender Jack Magden (33 per cent down in his seven appearances) were also down.
ESSENDON
Devon Smith 85.1, 65.1 - 24%
Matt Guelfi 60.0, 53.3 -11%
Zach Merrett 115.5, 108.0 -7%
After playing all but one game in a season when he averaged a player ranking of 85.1, Bombers forward-midfielder Devon Smith has slipped 24 per cent this year to 65.1 in his nine games. Smith was subbed out of the Bombers’ Round 9 clash against Fremantle with a hamstring injury and has been out since. There has not been a dramatic slide for many other players with Matt Guelfi and midfielder Zach Merrett experiencing just minor drops.
FREMANTLE
Connor Blakely 61.2, 41.0 -33%
Michael Walters 99.0, 69.3 -30%
Mitch Crowden 54.5, 40.8 -25%
Midfielder Connor Blakely has already matched his 2020 tally of five matches this season but Champion Data has his ranking down by 33 per cent. Blakely has been named as the medical sub three times for the Dockers this year. Forward Michael Walters, who missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury, has also had a 30 per cent drop off in his ranking in his eight games this year, as has fellow forward Mitch Crowden (down 25 per cent).
GEELONG
Jed Bews 60.7, 49.8 -18%
Shaun Higgins 95.2, 78.1 -18%
Sam Menegola 107.5, 90.4 -16%
In his first season at Geelong, former Kangaroo Shaun Higgins has dropped from 95.2 to 78.1. Higgins played the opening three games of the season before he fractured his thumb against Hawthorn in Round 3 and did not return to the Cats’ side until Round 8. Defender Jed Bews also suffered an 18 per cent drop on last year in his 10 games while Sam Menegola is 16 per cent down on 2020. Menegola was subbed out of the Cats’ Round 1 loss to the Crows with a shoulder injury and did not return until Round 4.
GOLD COAST
Alex Sexton 61.7, 30.8 -50%
Ben Ainsworth 75.7, 51.9 -31%
Caleb Graham 52.4, 42.3 -19%
Gold Coast forward Alex Sexton has experienced a 50 per cent drop off in his player ranking from last year. Sexton averaged 61.7 points in his 14 games in 2020, which has fallen to 30.8 in his nine games this year. He kicked six goals in the first five rounds, but hasn’t kicked a goal since. Former top-10 draft pick Ben Ainsworth has experienced a 31 per cent drop off in his eight games while young defender Caleb Graham is down 19 per cent.
HAWTHORN
Shaun Burgoyne 70.6, 48.7 -31%
James Cousins 85.6, 66.3 -23 %
James Worpel 87.9, 68.5 -22 %
It hasn’t been the happiest of seasons to date for the 2-8 Hawks, who are languishing second-last on the AFL ladder. And the player with more experience than anyone in the team, four-time premiership player Shaun Burgoyne, has been the player to suffer the biggest rankings slide on the Hawthorn list. After an average of 70.6 ranking points last season, the 38-year-old’s ranking has slipped 31 per cent to 48.7 this year. Burgoyne played the opening six rounds of the season before he was hit by an ankle injury in Round 6 and has been sidelined since. Midfielders James Worpel (down 22 per cent in his 10 games) and James Cousins (down 23 per cent) were also in the team’s top three rankings sliders.
MELBOURNE
Jake Melksham 55.0, 40.2 -27%
Nathan Jones 54.3, 45.9 -15%
Angus Brayshaw 81.0, 71.5 -12%
They’ve lost just one game, and sit second on the AFL ladder, so there hasn’t been too many form concerns for the Demons this year. But experienced forward Jake Melksham is one who has seen a drop in his rankings from last year. Sitting on an average ranking of 55 from his 17 games last year, Melksham has fallen to 40.2 from eight games this season. Veteran Nathan Jones, who now finds himself in the VFL, is also down (15 per cent) on last year, as is midfielder Angus Brayshaw (12 per cent down)
NORTH MELBOURNE
Bailey Scott 62.0, 42.8 -31%
Cameron Zurhaar 63.0, 45.9 -27%
Curtis Taylor 59.3, 43.0 -27%
With just one win for the season, there hasn’t been an awful lot to get excited about for the struggling Kangaroos and young midfielder Bailey Scott is one who has dropped the most, according to the numbers. The father-son selection averaged 62 ranking points in his 13 games last year and that has slipped to 42.8 in six games this season, sitting below average for disposals, marks, tackles and total clearances. Forward Curtis Taylor, who suffered concussion in Round 1 and didn’t return until Round 5 but has played every game since, has experienced a ranking drop alongside Cameron Zurhaar, who has slid from 63 to 45.9 this year.
PORT ADELAIDE
Peter Ladhams 81.5, 61.6 -24%
Hamish Hartlett 78.3, 61.2 -22%
Connor Rozee 70.9, 62.2 -12%
Emerging big man Peter Ladhams has suffered the largest rankings drop off for the Power this year. Ladhams has fallen from an average player ranking of 81.5 in his 10 games in 2020 to 61.6 in his six games this season. Ladhams returned to the Port line-up in Round 9 for his first game since Round 4. Veteran defender Hamish Hartlett has experienced a 22 per cent drop off in his nine games this year - and has been dropped by coach Ken Hinkley - while young gun Connor Rozee has failed to recapture his best form.
RICHMOND
Daniel Rioli 65.8, 54.6 -17%
David Astbury 69.9, 59.5 -15%
Tom Lynch 70.1, 62.9 -10%
He made off-field headlines for his involvement in a nightclub incident, along with teammate Shai Bolton, and Daniel Rioli has also emerged as Richmond’s biggest rankings slider this year. Sitting on 65.8 average ranking points last season, the Tigers forward has dropped to a rankings average 54.6 in his 10 games. Defender David Astbury (down 15 per cent on last year in his 10 games) and key forward Tom Lynch (down 10 per cent on 2020), who the Tigers revealed this week would be sidelined with a torn cartilage in his right knee, also experienced ranking slides.
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ST KILDA
Ben Long 69.2, 27.2 -61%
Jack Lonie 63.6, 42.0 -34%
Dan Butler 77.1, 51.5 -33%
It’s not the John Butler trio, but St Kilda’s Dan Butler one. Butler has emerged as one of St Kilda’s biggest rankings sliders this year as the spotlight shines on the Saints after an 111-point drubbing from the Western Bulldogs last round. After a rankings point average of 77.1 last season, the former Tiger has dropped to 51.5 in his 10 games this season. Defender Ben Long suffered the biggest slide for the Saints, falling from 69.2 last year to 27.2 in his seven matches this season. But Long has been the medical sub several times for the Saints. Small forward Jack Lonie has also suffered a 34 per cent rankings slide.
SYDNEY
George Hewett 77.6, 54.2 -31%
Nick Blakey 59.5, 40.9 -31%
Harry Cunningham 74.6, 59.7 -20%
Champion Data has measured young Swans tall Nick Blakey’s ranking as 31 per cent down on last year in his nine games this season. Blakey, 21, spent much of his debut season in the forward line last year but has been used on the wing as a second-ruck option. Defender George Hewett has also experienced a 31 per cent drop in his eight matches this season with Harry Cunningham down 20 per cent.
WEST COAST
Liam Ryan 78.3, 54.7 -30%
Jackson Nelson 72.0, 53.1 -26%
Brad Sheppard 89.9, 70.5 -22%
He might be a high-flyer, but exciting forward Liam Ryan’s player ranking has been the largest fall in the Eagles line-up this year according to Champion Data. Ryan played the opening four games of the season before he was sidelined with a stress reaction in his shin before returning in Round 10 against GWS. He kicked 26 goals last season and has six so far in his five games in 2021. Jackson Nelson (down 26 per cent) and Brad Sheppard (down 22 per cent) also suffered ranking slides.
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Jason Johannisen 82.7, 54.3 -34%
Patrick Lipinski 77.7, 58.8 -24%
Lachie Hunter 111.8, 86.7 -22%
They’ve had just one loss for the season, so there haven’t been too many form concerns for the Western Bulldogs. But 2016 Norm Smith medallist Jason Johannisen has had the largest rankings slide for the ladder leaders. Johannisen, who was left out of the Bulldogs’ Round 1 team but has played every game since, has seen a 34 per cent drop in his player ranking from last year. The numbers of midfielders Patrick Lipinski and Lachie Hunter are also down
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Originally published as AFL 2021: Champion Data reveals the players with the biggest drop off in ranking points for each club this season
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