Pure Footy: Stats gurus David King and Daniel Hoyne on the big trends ahead of round 17

Tom Mitchell is a star of the game, but could a selection squeeze force him out of Collingwood’s star midfield line-up? The numbers say he’s got to lift his game.

Could Tom Mitchell be forced out of Collingwood’s midfield line-up?

Kangaroos great and Fox Footy analyst David King says that the pressure to hold a place in a star-studded Pies onball brigade will be huge as the ladder leaders gear up for the pointy end of the season.

Mitchell had a great start to his Collingwood career – averaging six clearances a game – but has only managed 18 in the last five weeks at an average of 3.6 per match.

With Jordan De Goey returning from suspension this week and demanding high midfield minutes due to his dominant form, a squeeze could be on in the centre of the ground.

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Jordan De Goey will return this week. Picture: Getty Images

“There’s no more damaging midfielder in the competition this year in terms of actually turning his possessions into a score than what De Goey is doing at the moment, so one in three chains that he’s involved in results in a Collingwood score,” Champion Data analyst Daniel Hoyne said in a new episode of Pure Footy.

“So to be able to welcome this bloke back into a team that’s currently sitting on top of the ladder is just … a luxury.”

King said De Goey and other Collingwood midfielders do more damage than Mitchell, which could leave the Brownlow Medallist on the outer.

“When I look at the squeeze that’s on for midfield minutes, they’re gonna play multi ball,” he said.

“Right now when De Goey goes back in they’ll have De Goey, Pendlebury, Adams, Nick Daicos, Josh at times. Mitchell is the one I want to talk about, Mitchell’s had a terrific year as a clearance player…he’s won 18 clearances in five weeks. So is that enough to absolutely stamp yourself?

Tom Mitchell might need to lift his game to stay in the Collingwood midfield. Picture: Getty Images

“I’m not worried about his possessions around the ground and people will say ‘oh he’s getting 30 possessions a week’, doesn’t matter, because his 30 are nowhere near the 30 of Pendlebury, [Nick] Daicos, [Josh] Daicos, De Goey.

“So now is a horrific time to drop off. Don’t be dropping off now, Tom Mitchell for me is the one under the squeeze and it’s not denigrating what he’s done to this point, [but] he’s only had 32 score involvements in six weeks.

“So the pressure’s on. The squeeze is on, not for the brumbies around the edges, for the marquee ones who are owning marquee positions.”

Also on this week’s episode, Hoyne and King discuss the Blues’ stoppage game, the best and worst inside 30 targets in the competition, the league accuracy ladder and more.

Originally published as Pure Footy: Stats gurus David King and Daniel Hoyne on the big trends ahead of round 17