The defensive aspect of SuperCoach is just as important as the offensive.
Teams have lifted in the tackling department with the competition average jumping to 67.4 per game – the second-biggest recorded in any season to date.
A tackle can be defined as using physical contact to prevent an opponent in possession of the ball from getting an effective disposal. If a player has on, two, or more players hanging off him and executes an effective kick or handball, then a tackle will not be awarded.
The most rewarding tackle in SuperCoach is the run down tackle that dispossess a player, or otherwise known as the Cyril Rioli chase-down. This act is rewarded with six SuperCoach points.
A standard tackle, when a player prevents his opponent from disposing of the ball, is worth four SuperCoach points.
If a player is tackled and records a clanger or ineffective disposal — for example, kicking the ball out on the full — the tackler is rewarded with a ‘tackled by’ stat. That is also worth four SuperCoach points.
And Champion Data also records ‘disposessed by’ which applies to players who have won possession but doesn’t get a disposal away.
TACKLES SUPERCOACH POINTS
Run-down tackle dispossessed 6
Tackle 4
Tackle from dispossessed 4
Tackle by 4
The leading tackler in the competition after four rounds is Andrew Swallow with 35, five more than any other player. He has built his game around relentless tackling and ranks second in the AFL for tackles since debuting in 2006.
Next best are Will Langford and Jack Ziebell with 30 tackles apiece, with the latter’s 19 against Melbourne in Round 3 making up most of his tally. Ziebell had just 19 disposals but scored 124 SuperCoach points that day.
PLAYER TACKLES
Andrew Swallow 35
Will Langford 30
Jack Ziebell 30
Patrick Cripps 29
Tom Mitchell 29
Scott Thompson 29
Luke Dahlhaus 28
Gary Ablett 27
Zach Merrett 27
Luke Shuey 26
Champion Data also analyses the effectiveness of a tackle. Tackle efficiency is calculated by the percentage of physical pressure acts that lead to an effective tackle. When using this as the measure, Ziebell’s tackle efficiency of 78.9 per cent is the best of the top 10 players in the competition for tackle attempts.
Essendon's Zach Merrett makes a great tackle on Patrick Dangerfield. Picture: Colleen Petch
At the opposing end of that scale is Shane Mumford, recording a tackle efficiency of 56.8 per cent – the lowest of that group. This is a stat Mitch Duncan might find surprising.
PLAYER TACKLE EFFICIENCY
Jack Ziebell 78.9
Andrew Swallow 72.9
Gary Ablett 67.5
Zach Merrett 67.5
Scott Thompson 67.4
Tom Mitchell 65.9
Patrick Cripps 64.4
Will Langford 63.8
Levi Greenwood 57.8
Shane Mumford 56.8
Winning a free kick for holding the ball is another way a player can be rewarded in SuperCoach for a tackle, with a free kick worth four points.
Adelaide’s Eddie Betts has won six holding the ball frees this year, the most in the comp ahead of Cyril Rioli, Patrick Cripps, Dayne Zorko, Paul Puopolo and Jamie Cripps (four each).
On the other side of the coin, Eagle Luke Shuey has been caught holding the ball more than any other player, giving up six frees for that offence in four games. Tom Hawkins is next worst with four.
