As we plod along through a weekend without AFL footy, teams are either preparing for an assault on the flag, or an assault on the unsuspecting tourism spots in Bali.
Without games to cover, it has given me a chance to reflect on the season past, and in fact, seasons past in general. Many of you know that I love the weird little stats. Like most footy heads, I follow Useless AFL Stats and their random numbers they may not think mean much, but sometimes do, and I like to dabble in stats of my own making, as well.
A couple of years back, I started charting players who had achieved double figures in two of the main three defensive stat categories; intercepts, one-percenters, and rebound 50s. I called it the Defensive Double-Double (D2D) and it has been a part of our weekly Defensive Player of the Year column during each season.
However, whilst plenty of players have been able to join the D2D Club (sounds like a B&D community, but it’s not. Not yet, anyway) only a handful have been able to take it a step further and hit double figures in all three defensive stat categories in the same game.
The Defensive Triple-Double (D3D) is one of the toughest achievements in footy. For starters, you have to be the type of player that can impact contests, zone off and pick off errant kicks for an intercept, as well as have the trust of your teammates to take responsibility for delivering the footy outside 50.
And damn it, you have to put it all together in a single game.
It is a defender’s Everest and has been scaled just five times in the history of the game. Amazingly, three of those belong to the same bloke.
The first to scale this Stats Everest was Robbie Tarrant
Back in Round 17, 2019, the North Melbourne defender had a blinder against the Bombers. Despite his team falling over, Tarrant did it all for his team, collecting 22 touches and 11 marks, but it was the lesser-heralded stats that caught the eye of your more hardcore footy lovers.
In that game, Tarrant recorded 12 Rebound 50 disposals, 11 one-percenters, and 14 intercepts. Hell, as a bloke who hardly ever got recognised by the AFL or umpires in general, he even managed to pick up a Brownlow vote for his efforts.
It was two long years until we were troubled by another player on Mount D3D.
In Round 13 against the Crows, Dougal Howard joined the elite club, as he gave the Saints a glimpse of the player he threatened to become at Port Adelaide before Ken Hinkley gave him the ultimatum of becoming a forward… or moving on.
He moved on to St Kilda, and with 24 disposals and seven marks from full-back, put in a healthy day’s work. Again, it was only once you drilled down into the stats that you found the gem of an outing he had. His ten rebound 50s were accompanied by 16 one-percenters and 13 intercepts as the Crows emerged victorious at Cazaly Stadium and the Saints rued selling off a home game. It’s nevr a good idea if you want to play finals.
And then came James.
When he recorded his first Defensive Triple-Double,James Sicily had yet to record a game where he had double figures in even two of the categories. But then again, Sicily has never been one to muck about, has he?
Of course he has!
But not in 2022. From Round 10 through to Round 16, the future captain of the Hawks went nuts.
In an incredible seven-game stretch, Sicily recorded three Defensive Triple-Doubles.
He started with a blast, as the Hawks upset the Lions. Sicily was his usual boisterous self, and patrolled half-back like he owned it. He did in this game, recording 24 touches and seven marks, but the stats we’re looking for emphasised just how incredible he was. His 12 rebound 50 disposals combined with 12 one-percenters and 11 intercepts to notch his first D3D.
But he wasn’t finished there.
Two weeks later, he was back at it. After narrowly missing in Round 11 (9R50s, 14 one-percenters, and nine intercepts), he was back in the saddle in Round 12, notching 12 rebounds, 11 one-percenters, and 11 intercepts, making him the first man to ever reach the defensive apex twice.
And if he could do it twice, why not three times?
Round 16 saw Sicily on fire yet again. This time against GWS, Sicily had himself a picnic in defence, slotting in with 15 rebounds, 14 one percenters, and 15 intercepts in probably the most statistically impressive defensive outing of his career. To clear each required metric so easily, when so many players have struggled to even get to the mark, was freakish.
Following this, I started to think that we may now be entering an era of players collecting D3D stats a little more often, but since then, things have cooled off dramatically. Some have gone close – Sicliy, himself, missed by just two rebounds on making it four D3Ds in a year in Round 18 against the Eagles, but since he rattled off those three spectacular games, no one else has got close.
They’re settling for the Defensive Double-Doubles, which are still bloody hard to achieve in their own right.
Blow is a full list of those who have scaled the D2D mountain – it is like the smaller mountain off to the left of the colossus that Sicily, Howard, and Tarrant straddle. They kind of look down at these guys and smile… aren’t they cute with their little D2Ds.
Maybe one day a few will join the other three and hit the higheer peak?
THE DEFENSIVE DOUBLE-DOUBLE LIST
ALEX RANCE – 19 TIMES
7 in 2018, 8 in 2017, 2 in 2016, 2 in 2015.
HARRIS ANDREWS – 16 TIMES
4 in 2023 (R5, R15, R17, R22), 1 in 2022 (R16), 4 in 2021 (R7, R10, R20, R21), 1 in 2020, 4 in 2019, 2 in 2018
PHIL DAVIS – 13 TIMES
1 in 2022 (R15), 1 in 2019, 6 in 2018, 2 in 2017, 2 in 2016, 1 in 2015
SAM TAYLOR – 11 TIMES
4 in 2023 (R5, R16, R17, R20), 4 in 2022 (R2, R7, R9, R16), 3 IN 2021 (R3, R17, R21)
JEREMY MCGOVERN – 10 TIMES
2 in 2022 (R2, R3), 2 in 2021 (R21), 2 in 2019, 1 in 2018, 2 in 2017, 1 in 2016
DANIEL TALIA – 9 TIMES
4 in 2018, 2 in 2017, 3 in 2016
LIAM JONES – 8 TIMES
3 in 2023 (R5, R21, R23), 5 IN 2021 (R3, R6, R12, R14, R15)
DANE RAMPE – 6 TIMES
1 in 2021 (R13), 2 in 2019, 3 times in 2016
TOM JONAS – 6 TIMES
1 in 2022 (R4), 1 in 2021 (R7), 2 IN 2018, 2 in 2017
JAMES SICILY – 5 TIMES
1 IN 2023 (R1), 4 IN 2022 (R10*, R12*, R16*, R18)
JAKE LEVER – 5 TIMES
1 IN 2023, 2 IN 2021 (R4, R18, R19, R21)
LUKE RYAN – 5 TIMES
3 IN 2023 (R1, R17, R20), 1 IN 2021 (R5), 1 IN 2020
NICK HAYNES – 4 TIMES
1 in 2020, 1 in 2019, 1 in 2018, 1 in 2016
ROBBIE TARRANT – 4 TIMES
1 TIME in 2022 (R17), 1 TIME IN 2019*, 2 IN 2016
DARCY MOORE – 4 TIMES
3 IN 2023 (R7,R8, R10), 1 IN 2022 (R13)
STEVEN MAY – 4 TIMES
2 in 2022 (R4, R10), 1 in 2017, 1 in 2015
MICHAEL HURLEY – 3 TIMES
1 in R3 2017, 2 in 2015
JACOB WEITERING – 3 TIMES
1 IN 2022 (R6), 2 IN 2021 (R4, R15)
HARRY HIMMELBERG – 3 TIMES
3 IN 2022 (R11, R13, R18)
ALIIR ALIIR – 3 TIMES
1 in 2023 (R5), 2 IN 2021 (R14, R21)
TOM BARRASS – 3 TIMES
1 IN 2023 (R6), 2 IN 2022 (R12, R19)
BRANDON ZERK-THATCHER – 3 TIMES
3 IN 2023 (R10, R17, R21)
ADAM SAAD – 3 TIMES
1 in 2023 (R23), 2 IN 2022 (R16, R21)
HEATH SHAW – 2 TIMES
2 in 2018
DOUGAL HOWARD – 2 TIMES
1 in 2021 (R13)*,1 in 2018
BACHAR HOULI – 2 TIMES
1 IN 2021 (R16), 1 in 2019
TOM MCCARTIN – 2 TIMES
1 IN 2022 (R3), 1 IN 2021 (R17)
TOM STEWART – 2 TIMES
2 IN 2022 (R3, R11)
JORDAN DAWSON – 2 TIMES
1 IN 2021 (R10), 1 in 2022 (R14)
LEWIS YOUNG – 2 TIMES
2 IN 2022 (R13 R22)
CALLUM WILKIE – 2 TIMES
1 in 2023 (R5), 1 IN 2022 (R10)
SAM COLLINS – 1 TIME
1 in 2021 (R2)
JAYDEN SHORT – 1 TIME
1 IN 2021 (R4)
BRAYDEN MAYNARD – 1 TIME
1 IN 2021 (R5)
TOM CLUREY – 1 TIME
1 in 2021 (R8)
SHANNON HURN – 1 TIME
1 in 2019
TOM DOEDEE – 1 TIME
1 in 2021 (R9)
JACK ZIEBELL – 1 TIME
1 IN 2021 (R14)
CONNOR BUDARICK – 1 TIME
1 IN 2022 (R6)
RYAN BURTON – 1 TIME
1 IN 2022 (R7)
JOSH WALKER – 1 TIME
1 IN 2022 (R9)
AIDAN CORR – 1 TIME
1 IN 2022 (R10)
SEAN LEMMENS – 1 TIME
1 IN 2022 (R10)
JEREMY HOWE – 1 TIME
1 IN 2022 (R11)
PADDY MCCARTIN – 1 TIME
1 IN 2022 (R12)
NATHAN MURPHY – 1 TIME
1 IN 2022 (R12)
BRENNAN COX- 1 TIME
1 IN 2023 (R1)
LIAM BAKER – 1 TIME
1 IN 2023 (R3)
WILL POWELL – 1 TIME
1 IN 2023 (R7)
CHARLIE BALLARD – 1 TIME
1 IN 2023 (R9)
NATHAN BROAD – 1 TIME
1 IN 2023 (R9)
JOSH BATTLE – 1 TIME
1 IN 2023 (R14)
BLAKE HARDWICK – 1 TIME
1 IN 2023 (R15)
NOAH BALTA – 1 TIME
1 IN 2023 (R16)
ED RICHARDS – 1 TIME
1 IN 2023 (R18)
NICK MURRAY – 1 TIME
1 IN 2023 (R18)
NICK BLAKEY – 1 TIME
1 IN 2023 (R22)
BRODIE KEMP – 1 TIME
1 IN 2023 (R22)
* indicates part of a Defensive Triple-Double (D3D)
As you can see, this is where Alex Rance excelled, but as the careers of Harris Andrews and Sam Taylor continue, they will likely rein him in.
It is also a good chance to reflect on how good players like Daniel Talia, Phil Davis, and even Tom Jonas, who has copped some almighty whacks this season, were in their primes.
This season, Andrews has added four to his name, as has Sam Taylor, whilst Darcy Moore has three of his four in 2023, and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher has really stepped it up since Tom Hawkins got hold of him early in the year – he has three for 2022.
Still, Alex Rance’s 15 across 2017-18 are freakish. He was something else in those couple of seasons.
Finally, James Sicily has only five in total, with more of the D3Ds to his name than the simpler D2D version. Crazy stuff…
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