Can you believe it’s been over a year since I updated this ‘Dropping 50” concept?
Can you believe that most of you haven’t heard of it?
Can you believe I am going to tell you about it and you’re going to think ‘Hey, that is pretty cool… I should become a member here and support this bloke to provide innovative and sexy ways of covering footy, whilst managing to retain such rugged good looks and manly exterior’?
Yeah, the last couple are a stretch, I know.
Anyway, are there Monty Python fans amongst the Mongrels that read this? I sure hope so, or I hope that you’ve at least watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail at some point, otherwise the next line will be totally lost on you.
“Fifty shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be fifty...”
No, I’m not going to request you throw the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch at a killer rabbit. Nevertheless, 50 is a number of great importance to this article.
How so?
Well, I am always in search of ways to accurately rate the individual games of the players who seem to dominate, and listening to a basketball podcast a few years back, I heard someone talking about a simplistic way of assessing the value of an individual on a game of basketball. They used the number 42 as a cumulative measure of stats that indicates whether a player had a significant influence on a game. The higher the number, the more influence on the game that player has had.
It’s a relatively simple equation in a sporting landscape that tends to over-complicate matters at every turn. Hell, this time last year, we had some bozo telling everyone that Lance Franklin actually tops the all-time goal-kicking ladder if we allow for weighted stats due to the era he played in. You know… the era with stadiums with roofs, the era where defenders cannot arm chop and there is an umpire watching them all the time in case a defender holds them, they play extra games and finals – that difficult era.
Anyway… the concept in basketball is as follows. Points + Rebounds + Assists + Steals + Blocks = the total score of an individual player. If you’re tracking at a score of 42 points or over, you’re performing well. If you’re under, you’re probably playing a role and not a genuine star of the game.
Sound fair? There are probably holes in it all over the place, but for simplicity’s sake, I genuinely liked it.
I got to thinking about how I could apply a principle so simplistic to our beloved game, and whether there’d be any merit in it.
This is not meant to be some sort of revolutionary idea – more thought usually goes into ideas of that nature. It’s just a novelty kind of stat that may be of interest to some. Save the “you’re Americanising our game” stuff, please. If you don’t like the little more outside-the-circle stats, you may as well stop reading.
However, if you’re still here, congrats! You’re not a knob.
In regard to getting a simple game score for Aussie Rules Football, I started thinking that if we simply add possessions, tackles, marks and goals all together, we may get a total number representative of the impact a player had on a game, or at least his standing in the game as compared to his peers?
I hit a couple of snags initially, as midfielders pick up a ton of possessions, and in the case of Tom Mitchell, or Lachie Neale, could have 50 points in possessions alone. Remember the start of the article?
“50 shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be 50.”
But how about if we counted only effective disposals?
Hmmmm, that throws a spanner into the works of the players that throw the footy on their boot and hope for the best. ind of means Tim Taranto likely won’t be making his way onto this list at any point, doesn’t it?
To test this, I applied it to the most significant record-breaking effort in recent memory – Tom Mitchell’s 54-disposal clinic against Collingwood in Round One, 2018.
I thought Mitchell would make the cut in this game. It seemed as though he was more or less over the line before he started, with the disposal count, alone. However, the elimination of ineffective disposals had a significant impact on his total score. He scored 48 total points, falling short by two, due to inefficiency with the ball. Yep, “only” 36 of those 54 were considered effective. He also only laid two tackles for the game.
However, his second 50-disposal game of the year in 2018 got him to the mark as a result of hitting the target with 80% of his disposals. Not only did he get to 50 points with the game that returned 40 effective disposals, nine marks and 13 tackles, but he also smashed through the 60-point barrier as well.
Make no mistake; this is no Mount Buller in terms of statistics – this is Everest. I am struggling to find those who’ve hit 50, and Mitchell notches a 62. He is the only man to reach 60 points in this format, to this day.
The 50-point game isn’t a mountain that’s meant to be easy to climb. It’s supposed to be a rarity. Some will never achieve it despite having sterling careers. Not that it means much, but you know what? I like it. I’m a bit of a numbers geek and seeing names on a list like this makes me happy. Shoot me.
To test how the formula works, and to demonstrate how difficult it is to achieve this number, we look at the games of James Sicily in Round 11 and Dom Sheed in Round 12, 2023 – both had 43 touches in their respective outings, which were equal season-high figures.
Well, well… will you look at that? Sicily romps into the 50-point club with a big game, notching 39 effective disposals, 16 marks, and one tackle. Though he added no goals, his total is 56, making his game one of the highest recorded.
But how about Dom Sheed?
Well, Dom had plenty of the footy, but unfortunately, he kicks like a mule most of the time. 30 of his 43 touches were deemed effective, and when you add his nine marks, one tackle, and one goal, he ends up with only 41.
Dan Houston came perilously close, registering 49 in Round 18, 2023 with 34 effective touches, nine marks and six tackles, but failure to kick a goal saw him reach 49… so close, yet so far.
So, do we need to go historical to find some more company for Sicily and friends throughout the 2024 season?
You bet your ass we do, because he and his Hawks teammate, Jai Newcombe, were the only blokes to score a 50-point game in 2023. Let’s jump back in time before we look at the 2024 season.
With Lance Franklin now a fond footy memory, his “13… 13… 13!!!” game in 2012 was as big a game as you’ll find from a modern forward, but Buddy actually wasted the ball a bit that day. From the 23 touches he collected, only 16 were effective. It cost him a score of 50, as he dipped to 47 as a result of those stray disposals.
How about Wayne Carey’s 31-possession, 11-goal effort in 1996? Sadly, there are no advanced stats available for that game, but if we assume, naively, that all of Carey’s 31 touches hit a target on the day, he clocks in at 61 points. Sadly, I’m not going to count that in here, as if we can’t discount his ineffective possessions, we probably shouldn’t be deducting them for any player. And I’m not here to make reaching this mark easier. You don’t install an escalator on the side of the mountain to help the old blokes, right?
The Little Master chimes in with a 50-point game, though, courtesy of his career-high 53 touches against the Pies in 2012. 37 of his 53 touches hit the mark, dropping him down from 68 points to 52 overall. He added nine marks and six tackles.
Patrick Dangerfield had a massive 58-point game in his 2016 Brownlow Year against the Roos, collecting 40 effective touches (out of 48 total… amazing), taking 13 marks, laying three tackles, and kicking two goals to be Mitchell’s closest competitor.
Another Cat, Steve Johnson, went for 51 against the Dees in an absolute massacre in 2011. Not only did Stevie J have 31 effective disposals, seven goals, nine marks and four tackles, he did what only he has ever done, and added a record 10 goal assists to the stat-line as well. Unbelievable.
Tom Rockliff has a 50-pointer to his name as well, notching 54 in 2016 against Carlton. 36 of his 48 possessions were effective, and his nine tackles, eight marks and a goal put him over the top.
So, what about the most recent? About time I got to the current blokes, right?
Oh yes… indeed, it is.
Caleb Serong kicked this off with a blistering start to his season. He opened up his year with 37 effective disposals, six marks, and seven tackles for a total of 50 against the Lions in Round One.
Harry Sheezel saw his star continue to rise, notching his maiden 50-point game with 31 effective disposals, 15 marks, three tackles, and a goal in Round Five against the Cats.
Bailey Dale scored the season-high, with a 54-point blast in Round Six against the Saints. His 36 effective disposals, 15 marks, two tackles, and a goal came a week after he was used as the sub. What a way to answer a challenge from your head coach!
Luke Ryan picked up his second career 50-point game in Round Eight, notching 34 effective disposals, 15 marks, and two tackles against the Tigers.
And in the same round, Dayne Zorko was pretty bloody handy filling in at half-back for Keidean Coleman, notching his own 50-point game, with 29 effective disposals, 16 marks, and five tackles. Not bad for an old fella.
It was great to see five players hit this mark in 2024, after such a drought in 2023. I was genuinely thinking Sicily would be the only bloke to do it last year, until his teammate bobbed up.
Below is the list we’ve come up with. Feel free to list any we’ve missed along the way and we’ll add them as we go.
The 50 Club
* note – none from 2020… what a horrible season, that was. Let’s never do it again.
Tom Mitchell – 62 points (Round 15, 2018)
Patrick Dangerfield- 58 points (Round 12, 2016)
Heath Shaw – 57 points (Round Nine, 2016)
Lachie Neale – 57 points (Round 23, 2019)
Lachie Neale – 56 points (Round Three, 2015)
Tom Mitchell – 56 points (Round 18, 2018)
Lachie Whitfield – 56 points (Round Nine, 2019)
James Sicily – 56 points (Round 11, 2023)
Brandon Ellis – 56 points (Round Seven, 2021)
Kade Simpson – 55 points. (Round 24, 2011)
Brent Stanton – 55 points (Round Six, 2012)
Tom Rockliff – 54 points (Round 11, 2016)
Bailey Dale – 54 points (Round Six, 2024)
Stephen Coniglio – 54 points (Round 11, 2019)
Gary Ablett – 53 points (Round One, 2012)
Matt Rosa – 53 points (Round Nine, 2012)
Jack Ziebell – 53 points. (Round 6, 2021)
Harry Himmelberg – 53 points (R13, 2022)
Brent Stanton – 52 points (Round Four, 2012)
Gary Ablett – 52 points (Round 10, 2012)
Jake Lloyd – 52 points (Round Nine, 2018)
Jack Macrae – 52 points (Round 14, 2019)
Jack Macrae – 52 points (Round 23, 2018)
Steve Johnson – 51 points (Round 19, 2011)
Kane Cornes – 51 points (Round Four, 2013)
Josh Gibson – 51 points (Round Two, 2016)
Tom Mitchell – 51 points (Round Ten, 2016)
Bryce Gibbs – 51 points (Round 13, 2017)
Tom Mitchell – 51 points (Round 21, 2021)
Tom Stewart – 51 points (Round 11, 2022)
Jai Newcombe – 51 points (Round 22, 2023)
Harry Sheezel – 51 points (Round Five, 2024)
Luke Ryan – 51 points (Round Eight, 2024)
Dane Swan – 50 points (Round 23, 2012)
Jack Steven – 50 points (Round Eight, 2015)
Leigh Montagna – 50 points (Round Three, 2016)
Sam Gibson – 50 points (Round Eight, 2016)
Kade Simpson – 50 points (Round 6, 2017)
Tom Mitchell – 50 points (Round Nine, 2017)
Joel Selwood – 50 points (Round Five, 2017)
Sam Docherty – 50 points (Round Six 2017)
Steele Sidebottom – 50 points (Prelim Final, 2018)
Angus Brayshaw – 50 points (Round Three, 2022)
Tom Stewart – 50 points (Round Seven, 2022)
Luke Ryan – 50 points (Round 21, 2022)
Caleb Serong – 50 points (Round One, 2024)
Dayne Zorko – 50 points (Round Eight, 2024)
A few of you threw Nick Riewoldt’s 26 possession, 21 mark and nine-goal effort in 2016 out there as a possibility the last time I updated this column. Close… but no cigar. He had only one tackle, and only 16 of his disposals were considered effective, for a grand total of 47.
Interesting that this year, three defenders made the list this year and two mids.
Dropping 50 now sits as an elite indicator in the Mongrel Stats realm. You can have a look at all our weird stats HERE.
Who will be next, and who have we missed? Let me know.
OVERALL 50-POINT LEADERS
5 – Tom Mitchell
2 – Gary Ablett, Lachie Neale, Jack Macrae, Brent Stanton, Kade Simpson, Tom Stewart, Luke Ryan
Stanton notching two may come across as surprising to some, particularly given the heat he’d receive from Bombers supporters at times, but he is the in here twice and makes an appearance in as one of the eight players to ever notch a Quadruple Double (double figures in kicks, marks, handballs and tackles in the same game) since stats have been kept. He’s a statistician’s dream.
TEAMS WITH THE MOST 50+ PLAYERS
The Hawks have seven, with four of Tom Mitchell’s 50+ games coming in brown and gold, and one each for Sicily, Newcombe, and Josh Gibson, as well. The Cats, by virtue of the double from Tom Stewart, have five. And the Blues and Dockers have four apiece, as well.
Just two teams have never had anyone register this stat – The Crows, and Tigers are all yet to have a player crack 50.
WHERE ARE THE FORWARDS?
It seems it’s pretty difficult for forwards to make the cut, doesn’t it? But Stevie J’s inclusion indicates it can be done.
A few of you threw Nick Riewoldt’s 26 possession, 21 mark and nine-goal effort in 2016 out there as a possibility. Close… but no cigar. He had only one tackle, and only 16 of his disposals were considered effective, for a grand total of 47. Sorry, St Nick…
