This is just a quickie… I know some of you are quite partial to them.
So, I have something to tell you to start this column off.
Nobody has ever been able to amass 50 goals and 100 tackles in the same season.
Ever.
It’s like the pub with no beer – the stat club with no members.
It just hasn’t happened. It sounds like one of those stat-combinations that is pretty easy. I mean, we see players notch double-figures in tackles almost weekly, these days. However, the combination of tackles and goals has eluded even the best the game has had to offer.
It remains a bridge too far for some of the best AFL stats stuffers, and as we head into the 2026 season, it is difficult to see who is going to be the first to gain admittance.
For a while, it looked like Luke Breust was going to be the man to do it. His second year in the league (2012), he notched 45 goals and 113 tackles, and followed that up with 40/110 the following year. Once he got that goal average up, it seemed like it was a given he’d be the first.
But it never happened.
He notched 47/94 in 2016, and then went as close as anyone ever has, 54 goals and 99 tackles in 2018.
But that was it. He never got close again.
Over the years, we’ve had some other close calls.
Patrick Dangerfield had 45 goals and 141 tackles in 2017.
Cyril Rioli had 47 goals and 128 tackles in 2016
Jeff Garlett had 48 goals and 96 tackles in 2011
And Gary Ablett Junior had 44 goals and 101 tackles in 2010
2022 saw Isaac Heeney fall one goal short, as he hit 49 goals to go with his 118 tackles in his best season.
Here are the best 2025 had to offer.
Kysaiah Pickett had 40 goals to go with 70 tackles. He is quite a way off the pace, despite looking like the type of player who could give it a shake.
Shaun Mannagh had 31 goals and 112 tackles
Paul Curtis (amongst his suspensions) had 38 goals and 85 tackles
And Rhylee West had 39 goals and 82 tackles.
It seems a bit of a lost cause, doesn’t it?
Who could be the first to join the 50/100 Club? At the moment, the doors are locked and security are not admitting anyone, but sooner or later, surely someone has to step over the threshold and wander into the room?
Can Isaac Heeney be the man? He has that hybrid forward/mid game that allows him to pick up midfield tackles, as well as push forward to hit the scoreboard.
Maybe Kozzie is the man for the job? He’s never cracked 100 tackles, with his best being 93 in 2023. Perhaps a move into the midfield more often will see him set a career-high there, but will that impact his scoreboard impact?
If Paul Curtis had played every game in 2025, he could have had a shot at it. He was at 38 goals and 85 tackles. He missed four games.
Or perhaps Dylan Moore is the one to sneak up and throw his hat into the ring with a career best season? He had 36 goals and 99 tackles in 2024.
If you were forced to choose, who do you pick? Or are we going to be waiting a while before the first member of the 50/100 club shows their face in the league?
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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