Champion Data’s annual list of elite-ranked players has once again generated plenty of discussion.
Four rucks, four mid-forwards, five wingmen, five key forwards, six key defenders, eight midfielders, 10 general forwards and 12 general defenders have been rated elite by the AFL statisticians.
The Western Bulldogs (7), Port Adelaide (6) and Brisbane (5) have the most elite players of all 18 AFL clubs heading into the 2022 season.
Some names who appeared on Champion Data’s elite list surprised Power champion Kane Cornes.
“It’s a fascinating exercise and I love it because it gives us something to talk about each and every day,” Cornes told SEN Mornings.
“The ones that interest me are there are five elite key forwards in the game.
“How can Jeremy Finlayson be an elite key forward on any measure? A player that wasn’t first picked for GWS, was traded for a third-round pick to come in as a back-up to Charlie Dixon.
“How can he be one of the five elite key forwards in the game?
“You would take (Nick) Larkey in front of him, you would take both the Kings in front of him, you would take (Josh) Kennedy from West Coast in front of him, you’d probably take (Harry) Himmelberg from the Giants in front of Jeremy Finlayson.
“Dylan Moore is an elite general forward. He averages 1.3 goals and 15 possessions game.
“They’re solid numbers, but once again, there’s so many more general forwards that I would have in front of Dylan Moore.
“Adam Saad and Zac Williams are elite? They don’t defend!
“Aaron Hall’s an elite half-back – he doesn’t defend. At times he’s a liability.”
See Champion Data’s elite players by position below:
General Defenders
Tom Stewart (Geelong)
Caleb Daniel (Western Bulldogs)
Bailey Dale (Western Bulldogs)
Daniel Rich (Brisbane)
Jordan Dawson (Adelaide)
Adam Saad (Carlton)
Zac Williams (Carlton)
Jack Crisp (Collingwood)
Jack Sinclair (St Kilda)
Nick Hind (Essendon)
Jack Scrimshaw (Hawthorn)
Aaron Hall (North Melbourne)
Key Defenders
Jacob Weitering (Carlton)
Jake Lever (Melbourne)
Harris Andrews (Brisbane)
Darcy Moore (Collingwood)
Aliir Aliir (Port Adelaide)
General Forwards
Toby Greene (GWS Giants)
Isaac Heeney (Sydney)
Liam Ryan (West Coast)
Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide)
Zak Butters (Port Adelaide)
Lincoln McCarthy (Brisbane)
Luke Breust (Hawthorn)
Jamie Elliott (Collingwood)
Sam Switkowski (Fremantle)
Dylan Moore (Hawthorn)
Key Forwards
Tom Hawkins (Geelong)
Lance Franklin (Sydney)
Charlie Dixon (Port Adelaide)
Taylor Walker (Adelaide)
Jeremy Finlayson (Port Adelaide)
Mid-Forwards
Dustin Martin (Richmond)
Jake Stringer (Essendon)
Adam Treloar (Western Bulldogs)
Chad Wingard (Hawthorn)
Midfielders
Clayton Oliver (Melbourne)
Christian Petracca (Melbourne)
Dayne Zorko (Brisbane)
Darcy Parish (Essendon)
Touk Miller (Gold Coast)
Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs)
Jack Macrae (Western Bulldogs)
Wingmen
Paul Seedsman (Adelaide)
Hugh McCluggage (Brisbane)
Sam Menegola (Geelong)
Karl Amon (Port Adelaide)
Bailey Smith (Western Bulldogs)
Rucks
Brodie Grundy (Collingwood)
Sean Darcy (Fremantle)
Tom Hickey (Sydney)
Nic Naitanui (West Coast)