Each year, the AFL Rising Star give us a glimpse of the future stars of the game. An assorted group of youngsters are examined, scrutinized and reviewed until the best young player in the league can be crowned.
However, while the award is meant to highlight these player’s impressive seasons, the spotlight is rarely ever shone on where these young players did not impress, and how those who follow in their footsteps can learn from these mistakes.
In this piece, we will explore where the young players of today have excelled compared to their predecessors, and also, the facets of the game our future stars must improve on to succeed.
[infogram id=”934f4701-8888-47ff-9d91-97ab3669b8d4″]WHAT THEY’RE DOING RIGHT
Handballs – an indicator of the pacey and frenetic modern game, the class of 2016 averages 8.8 handballs a game, an improvement on the 6.8 of the draft class of 2006. The lowest point was 6.2 handballs per game, from the class of 2007.
Behinds – it appears the new generations have a better knack for goal kicking than their predecessors, as a steady decrease in behinds can be noted from 2006 onward. While the draft class of that year averaged 1 behind per game, the average from 2007 to 2016 stands at just 0.4. Looks like those forward coaches are doing something right.
WHAT HAS REMAINED
Goals – while the Rising Stars of each year appear to be cutting back on behinds, that is certainly not to say their output of majors has experienced a significant boost. Each year, the average tends to stay around the 0.6 goals per game mark, with the only real outlier being an average of 0.9 from the class of 2008. Granted, that year was notably high due to the introduction of notorious goal sneak Cyril Rioli, however, most young players should not bank themselves to have similar superstar qualities. Remember gentlemen, you have to kick it through the big ones!
Tackles – In a similar vein to the lack of any goal kicking improvement, it seems that there is little rise or decline in the tackling rates of our best young players. The biggest deviation from the average rate of 2.8 tackles per season occurred in 2013, when the average rose to 3.4. That said, the 2016 average of 2.9 is a marked drop from the 3.2 in 2015, so coaches around the league will want to make sure another drop is not in store.
AREAS TO IMPROVE
Kicks – While one can argue that the hack-and-slash style of old school football is the reason for the high amount of kicks in the early years of the 21st century, the notable drop in this key stat over the years could be cause for concern. Of 17.1 disposals in 2006, each member of the Rising Star finalists averaged 10.1 kicks, a clear majority over handballs. However, the closest a class would get to that again was in 2013, when the average was 9.8. With the pace and intricacy of today’s tactics, players are using the boot less and less, much to the disdain of traditionalists such as Brett Anderson.
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Marks – While the period of 2006 to 2012 saw a sustained amount of 4.4 marks per game, the era of 2013 to 2016 saw a noted drop to 3.8. Our next crop of young players can look to make the most of this deficiency by learning to duke the footy now.
