It’s impossible to quantify who are the AFL’s most clutch players, right? Think again.
Competitions analysis boss Daniel Hoyne joins SEN’s Sportsday every Tuesday and this week was given the task of finding the league’s most clutch players.
“We’ve just got a smallish sample size of the last two years and we're just trying to keep it simple,” Hoyne said on the prospect.
“We decided to have a look at games decided by under two goals and how (players) performed in that final quarter, just to keep it really simple and as a starting point.
“It’s thrown up a really good list, I must be honest.
“This is a minimum of five games you must have played in games decided by under two goals.”
See Champion Data’s top 15 with comments from Hoyne below.
1. Noah Anderson (Gold Coast)
“Noah Anderson comes out as the no.1 clutch player in the competition over the last two years in games decided by under two goals, clearly number one.
“His performance over the last two years in those moments and those games have been enormous… it’s his overall rating, so how he’s won the ball, how he’s used it and where on the ground he’s impacted the game.
“His ability to be able to win clearance and contest in those five matches he’s played in the final quarter has been superb and then he’s been able to get it on the scoreboard as well.”
2. Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs)
“Libba comes in at number two. So often we go straight to Bont (Marcus Bontempelli)… but Libba’s ability to be able to impact the game at clearance in these tight last quarters and get the ball going forward has been superb.”
3. Sam Taylor (GWS Giants)
“This one took my interest. He’s played in six quarters over the last two years where games have been decided by under 12 points and what he’s done in those six quarters, his intercept marking, ability to hold up against momentum has been a bit of a point of difference.
“A lot of these players we’re seeing their work ahead of the ball and seeing their work at clearance and contest, but his ability to hold up behind the footy and be that roadblock (has been the standard).”
4. Errol Gulden (Sydney)
5. Izak Rankine (Adelaide)
6. Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong)
7. Tim Kelly (West Coast)
8. Clayton Oliver (Melbourne)
9. Jordan Dawson (Adelaide)
10. Harry Perryman (GWS Giants)
11. Harris Andrews (Brisbane)
12. Chad Warner (Sydney)
13. Caleb Serong (Fremantle)
14. Zach Merrett (Essendon)
15. Lachie Whitfield (GWS Giants)