Williamstown’s engine room is driving it directly towards a top-two finish at the end of the Peter Jackson VFL home-and-away season, as Wynstan Stats Central examines.
The first-choice Seagulls stoppage crew has taken all before it in 2016, with ruckman Nick Meese feeding club captain Ben Jolley, Michael Gibbons and Willie Wheeler to devastating effect.
The combative 197cm, 105kg Meese is ranked a clear first in the competition for hitouts (45) and hitouts to advantage (12) per game. His aerial dominance has led to Jolley, Gibbons and Wheeler being the first, second and fifth-ranked players for disposals per game respectively among those to have played at least 10 matches this year.
Jolley is arguably having the best year of his decorated career, averaging almost 31 disposals per game. Gibbons has backed up his Norm Goss Medal-winning performance in the 2015 Grand Final by averaging 30 disposals per game, while Wheeler is the VFL’s top-ranked player for contested possessions per game (10-game minimum).
The foursome proved their worth again in Williamstown’s tense 10-point triumph over the Box Hill Hawks in Round 14. While Box Hill won the disposal and mark counts, the Seagulls’ domination of contested possessions and clearances delivered victory.
In other key stats from Round 14:
20: Lachlan Cassidy led his team for disposals with 22 in North Ballarat’s loss to Collingwood in Round 14, but he almost bettered that total in tackles. Clearly, if his team couldn’t get the chocolates, the 22-year-old Rooster was intent on bringing down some Magpies in the process. Cassidy laid a round-high 20 tackles in a hard-fought contest in difficult conditions.
31: Frankston sent a huge scare through Essendon in Round 14, kicking six unanswered goals after going into three-quarter time 54 points down. The Dolphins recorded 31 more disposals than the Bombers in the final term, led by captain Jason Pongracic (eight), Corey Buchan (seven) and Daniel Capiron (seven). They ultimately fell short by 23 points, but this late effort was full of heart.
Round 14 stats leaders:
KICKS |
|
|
|
Jack Billings |
Sandringham |
25 |
|
Mitch Honeychurch |
Footscray |
22 |
|
Adam Oxley |
Collingwood |
21 |
|
Sam Darley |
Richmond |
21 |
|
Myke Cook |
Sandringham |
21 |
|
Willie Wheeler |
Williamstown |
21 |
|
Josh Dunkley |
Footscray |
20 |
|
Adam Marcon |
Richmond |
20 |
|
Jack Sinclair |
Sandringham |
20 |
|
Brendan Whitecross |
Box Hill Hawks |
19 |
|
Kane Lambert |
Richmond |
19 |
|
Ben Jolley |
Williamstown |
19 |
|
Teia Miles |
Box Hill Hawks |
18 |
|
Leigh Osborne |
Port Melbourne |
18 |
|
Kade Answerth |
Sandringham |
18 |
|
|
|
|
|
HANDBALLS |
|
|
|
Jack Billings |
Sandringham |
20 |
|
Corey Buchan |
Frankston |
20 |
|
Thomas O'Sullivan |
Port Melbourne |
18 |
|
Shannen Lange |
Port Melbourne |
18 |
|
Jack Sketcher |
Frankston |
18 |
|
Matthew Arnot |
Port Melbourne |
17 |
|
Hisham Kerbatieh |
Northern Blues |
17 |
|
Jack Sinclair |
Sandringham |
16 |
|
Adam Marcon |
Richmond |
15 |
|
Kane Lambert |
Richmond |
15 |
|
Michael Gibbons |
Williamstown |
15 |
|
Ozgur Uysal |
Coburg |
15 |
|
George Horlin-Smith |
Geelong |
15 |
|
Robbie Fox |
Coburg |
15 |
|
Thomas Gribble |
Werribee |
14 |
|
|
|
|
|
MARKS |
|
|
|
Matthew Dick |
Northern Blues |
11 |
|
Brendan Whitecross |
Box Hill Hawks |
10 |
|
Brenton Payne |
Sandringham |
10 |
|
Myke Cook |
Sandringham |
9 |
|
Luke Ryan |
Coburg |
9 |
|
Tom Stewart |
Geelong |
9 |
|
Sam Darley |
Richmond |
9 |
|
Nathan Drummond |
Richmond |
9 |
|
Mabior Chol |
Richmond |
9 |
|
Jack Billings |
Sandringham |
8 |
|
Will Sexton |
Geelong |
8 |
|
Jack Dorgan |
Williamstown |
8 |
|
Ayden Kennedy |
Box Hill Hawks |
8 |
|
Sam Critchley |
Williamstown |
8 |
|
Adam Marcon |
Richmond |
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
HITOUTS |
|
|
|
Braydon Preuss |
Werribee |
65 |
|
Nick Meese |
Williamstown |
51 |
|
Jarrod Witts |
Collingwood |
49 |
|
Michael Sikora |
Frankston |
34 |
|
Khan Haretuku |
Port Melbourne |
32 |
|
Will Minson |
Footscray |
30 |
|
Orren Stephenson |
North Ballarat |
24 |
|
Ivan Maric |
Richmond |
23 |
|
Kalem Post |
Frankston |
22 |
|
Cameron Wood |
Northern Blues |
21 |
|
Marc Pittonet |
Box Hill Hawks |
20 |
|
Lewis Pierce |
Sandringham |
19 |
|
Isaac Muller |
Essendon |
19 |
|
Tom Goodwin |
Coburg |
19 |
|
Padraig Lucey |
Geelong |
17 |
|
|
|
|
|
TACKLES |
|
|
|
Lachlan Cassidy |
North Ballarat |
20 |
|
Josh Dunkley |
Footscray |
17 |
|
Daniel Toman |
Port Melbourne |
16 |
|
Isaac Conway |
Werribee |
14 |
|
Lachlan George |
North Ballarat |
14 |
|
Rupert Wills |
Collingwood |
13 |
|
Kayne Turner |
Werribee |
13 |
|
Gus Borthwick |
Collingwood |
13 |
|
Jarrod Witts |
Collingwood |
12 |
|
Keegan Mellington |
North Ballarat |
12 |
|
Nick Gray |
Collingwood |
12 |
|
Khan Haretuku |
Port Melbourne |
11 |
|
Marc Pittonet |
Box Hill Hawks |
11 |
|
Kade Answerth |
Sandringham |
11 |
|
Thomas O'Sullivan |
Port Melbourne |
11 |
|
|
|
|
|
VFL LEADING GOALKICKERS |
|
|
Seniors |
|
Goals |
Total |
Ahmed Saad |
Coburg |
3 |
35 |
Sam Dunell |
Williamstown |
1 |
24 |
Dylan Conway |
Williamstown |
2 |
23 |
Ayce Cordy |
Williamstown |
1 |
22 |
Daniel Younan |
Coburg |
1 |
21 |
Trent Dennis-Lane |
Sandringham |
3 |
21 |
Aaron Black |
Werribee |
INJ |
21 |
Lech Featherstone |
Coburg |
_ |
20 |
Kristian Jaksch |
Northern Blues |
_ |
19 |
Liam McBean |
Richmond |
* |
19 |
|
|
|
|
Development League |
|
|
|
Billy Hogan |
Port Melbourne |
5 |
21 |
Hudson Thomas |
Frankston |
7 |
20 |
Jake Kalanj |
Coburg |
1 |
17 |
Mitchell Vandenberg |
Werribee |
1 |
15 |
Thomas Baker |
Casey Scorpions |
BYE |
14 |
Lachlan Langford |
Box Hill Hawks |
4 |
13 |
Bradley Xavier |
Werribee |
1 |
13 |
Tyler Curtis |
Williamstown |
1 |
13 |
Jake Summers |
Box Hill Hawks |
** |
12 |
Sean Bolger |
Northern Blues |
_ |
12 |
* Photo: Michael Gibbons clears the ball for Williamstown against the Box Hill Hawks in Round 14
Related content:
Stats Central Rd 13: Dons fall short of Port
Stats Central Rd 12: The kicking Roosters
Stats Central Rd 11: Dogs bite Dols late
Stats Central Rd 10: Box Hill's Blues
Stats Central Rd 9: Pies running hot
Last Modified on 13/07/2016 15:40