It’s a shame the stat for goal assists was not recorded a little earlier. It would have been an easy one to do. We may have had a player setting John Stockton-like records at one stage… but I guess we’ll never know.
Champion Data only started tracking goal assists in 2003 – a shame, really. We’ll never know how many Robbie Flower, Paul Couch or Darrin Pritchard would’ve racked up in their prime
Alas, we have what we have, and the top ten of all time gives credit to those who have both created opportunities, and had the skill to find their teammates in the best possible positions to score.
ALL-TIME TOP TEN
Eddie Betts – 318
Scott Pendelbury – 316
Tom Hawkins – 296
Patrick Dangerfield – 272
Joel Selwood – 264
Robbie Gray – 262
Gary Ablett Jr – 261
Steve Johnson – 256
Jack Riewoldt – 249
Travis Boak – 248
SOME NOTES
Have a look at those Cats in the top ten. Five of them!
Scott Pendlebury – the AFL’s modern-day Wilt Chamberlain of accumulation – will cruise past Eddie Betts sometime in 2026 and claim yet another all-time record. Add goal assists to the pile that already includes games, disposals, handballs, tackles, uncontested possessions… the bloke’s a freak.
But whilst I am happy to give him his chocolates, I am looking at more recent history for this column, and diving into who have been the best goal assist players over the past three seasons.
And once again… bloody Geelong dominate!
There must be something in the water down in Sleepy Hollow – something that embeds unselfishness into its players. Not only do they have five of the top ten all-time goal assist players, but they have the top two of the past three season, as well.
Gryan Miers’ ridiculous 41-assist 2023 season (second only to peak Jason Akermanis in 2004 – never forget how good that bloke was) still has him on top for the 2023-25 window… but the throne is wobbling. Brad Close is coming hard. Drop 2023 off the rolling period after next year and Close leaps ahead (54 assists in ’24-’25 vs Miers’ 46). The king is dead, long live the (slightly shorter) king.
Here are the Top 20 from 2023-25
1 – Gryan Miers – 87
2 – Brad Close – 75
3 – Marcus Bontempelli – 74
4 – Christian Petracca – 65
=5 – Patrick Dangerfield – 64
=5 – Dylan Moore – 64
=5 – Toby Greene – 64
=8 – Darcy Byrne-Jones – 62
=8 – Hugh McCluggage – 62
10 – Aaron Naughton – 58
11 – Tyson Stengle – 55
12 – Taylor Walker – 54
13 – Nick Daicos – 53
14 – Ed Richards – 52
15 – Cam Rayner – 51
=16 – Bobby Hill – 50
=16 – Brent Daniels – 50
=16 – Zak Butters – 50
=16 – Kysaiah Pickett – 50
=20 – Caleb Serong – 49
=20 – Errol Gulden – 49
=20 – Rhylee West – 49
SOME NOTES
It is likely that Brad Close will jump past Miers as the number one assist player over a three year period, post-2026. Miers’ 41 assists in 2023 will be gone, whilst Close has 54 over the past two seasons to Miers’ 46.
Ed Richards went from one solitary goal assist in 2023 to a league-leading 35 in 2025. New role, new postcode, new weapon. I just published an article yesterday, discussing the pressure Luke Beveridge is under, but Richards’ transition from half-back to midfield has been a master stroke, and deserves credit.
Hugh McCluggage had a strange 2024, notching just six goal assists that season. He is propped up by 56 assists shared either side of that year.
And finally, only three players in the top ten from the last three seasons make the all-time top 20.
They are as follows.
Patrick Dangerfield – equal fifth over the last three years, and fourth all-time.
Taylor Walker – 12th over the last three years, and 12th all-time.
Marcus Bontempelli – third over the past three years and 16th all-time.
Toby Greene would be the next to possibly achieve that, as he currently sits 28th all-time, and sits sixth over the past three seasons. He’d need just ten in 2026 to displace Adam Goodes in the top 20.
THE NEXT WAVE
If I were to name some who I believe will make their way into the top 20 of the last three years following the 2026 season, they’d be the following blokes.
Ollie Dempsey – 41 goal assists in the last two years.
Bailey Humphrey – 38 in the last two years.
Jason Horne-Francis – 33 in the last two years.
Errol Gulden – 34 in the last two years.
Chad Warner – 37 in the last two years.
If those two Swans get up and going… watch out!
And one more before I finish – Boomer Harvey sits 13th all-time in goal assists, but the first seven years of his career ticked by without goal assists being officially counted. A pretty incredible effort to be ranked that high with a third of his career ineligible.
Anyway, that’s your Mongrel fix for the day. More actual stats than you’ll find in a dozen “way-too-early” ladder predictors combined. You’re welcome.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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