CARLTON'S task of replacing knee victim Sam Docherty next year has been further highlighted by the star defender's effort to claim a key statistical record last season.

Along with Docherty's leadership, composure and dash, the Blues will also desperately miss his precision kicking, with the 24-year-old delivering the most effective kicks in a home and away season since Champion Data first recorded the stat in 1999. (Unless otherwise specified, 1999 will be the starting point for all records in this story.)

Docherty's 353 effective kicks edged past the previous record of 351 set last year by Greater Western Sydney veteran Heath Shaw.

The 2016 Carlton club champion's kicking efficiency was no doubt boosted by his decision-making – he also distributed record tallies of short kicks (228) and kicks backwards (43).

To cap it off, Docherty also equalled the record for the most uncontested marks in a season, matching the 188 taken by St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt last year.

The Blues' leadership group member was among a raft of players to break season stats records this year, along with Melbourne youngster Clayton Oliver, Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield, West Coast wingman Andrew Gaff, Adelaide young gun Matt Crouch, Hawthorn ball magnet Tom Mitchell and Richmond premiership heroes Alex Rance and Dustin Martin.

Oliver's achievement was astounding for such a young player. The second-year Demon, 20, dished off the most handballs in a season in history, including finals, even though the Demons didn't feature in September. He was just two clear of Mitchell.

Oliver, who won Melbourne's best and fairest this year, also posted unprecedented season numbers for effective handballs (385) and groundball gets (276).

Most handballs in a home and away season (1999-2017)

Handballs Player Average Season 482 Clayton Oliver (Melb) 21.91 2017 480 Tom Mitchell (Haw) 21.82 2017 448 Lachie Neale (Frem) 20.36 2016 439 Matt Priddis (WC) 19.95 2015 431 Matt Crouch (Adel) 19.59 2017

Dangerfield continued to take all before him, winning the most contested possessions in a season with 385 – 37 more than when he won the Brownlow Medal last year.

Between them, Dangerfield and Swans skipper Josh Kennedy occupy the top five positions in this category.

As for career contested possessions average, Kennedy (14.97) leads the way, followed by Carlton's emerging star Patrick Cripps (14.31), Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe (13.74) and Dangerfield (13.49).

Most contested possessions in a home and away season (1999-2017)

Contested

possessions Player Average Season 385 Patrick Dangerfield (Geel) 18.33 2017 368 Josh Kennedy (Syd) 16.72 2012 365 Josh Kennedy (Syd) 16.59 2013 362 Josh Kennedy (Syd) 16.45 2015 361 Patrick Dangerfield (Geel) 16.41 2012



Gaff broke his own record in collecting the most uncontested possessions in a season. In fact, the classy left-footer holds the first three spots on the list.

In terms of career uncontested possessions average, the leaders are Gaff (18.86), Hawks defender Grant Birchall (16.92), young Bulldog Jack Macrae (16.80), Tom Mitchell and Roo-turned-Crow Sam Gibson (both 16.54).

Most uncontested possessions in a home and away season (1999-2017)

Uncontested

possessions Player Average Season 502 Andrew Gaff (WC) 22.82 2017 488 Andrew Gaff (WC) 22.18 2015 472 Andrew Gaff (WC) 22.48 2016 464 Rory Laird (Adel) 21.09 2017 458 Lachie Hunter (WB) 20.82 2016

As has been well documented, the extraordinarily prolific Mitchell posted the most disposals in a home and away season.

The left-footer easily boasts the highest career disposal average (27.83), followed by Collingwood jet Adam Treloar (26.97) and Brownlow medallists Greg Williams (26.88) and Dane Swan (26.85), and Crows star Crouch (26.71).

Mitchell is also well clear in highest career handball average (16.44).

Most disposals in a home and away season (1999-2017)

Disposals Player Average Season 787 Tom Mitchell (Haw) 35.17 2017 737 Lachie Neale (Frem) 33.50 2016 726 Matt Crouch (Adel) 33.00 2017 721 Matthew Boyd (WB) 32.77 2012 701 Matthew Boyd (WB) 31.86 2011 701 Dane Swan (Coll) 31.86 2010

* Going further back, other sources place Collingwood great Wayne Richardson second with 748 disposals in 1971.

Crouch accumulated the most disposals in a season (including finals), his tally of 825 eclipsing Collingwood great Swan's 820 in 2010.

Most disposals in a season incl. finals (1999-2017)

Disposals Player Average Season 825 Matt Crouch (Adel) 33.00 2017 820 Dane Swan (Coll) 31.54 2010 802 Dan Hannebery (Syd) 30.85 2016 787 Tom Mitchell (Haw) 35.77 2017 787 Josh Kennedy (Syd) 31.48 2016

Crows sharpshooter Eddie Betts is also the most prolific goal-assist merchant on record, this year surpassing retiring genius Steve Johnson.

Meanwhile, Port Adelaide gun Robbie Gray has the best career goal assist average (1.10), followed by Hawthorn genius Cyril Rioli (0.98), Betts (0.96), along with Hawk Luke Breust and Brisbane Lions champ Jason Akermanis (both 0.93).

Most goal assists (2003-2017)

Goal assists Player Average 265 Eddie Betts (Carl/Adel) 0.96 256 Steve Johnson (Geel/GWS) 0.91 233 Brent Harvey (NM) 0.77 224 Nick Riewoldt (StK) 0.73 221 Gary Ablett jnr (Geel/GC) 0.76

Freo giant Aaron Sandilands has the most hit-outs in history, but the career hit-out average list reads like this: Adelaide's Sam Jacobs (32.42), North Melbourne's Todd Goldstein (31.98), Melbourne's Max Gawn (31.34), Sandilands (31.02) and retired Swan/Giant Shane Mumford (30.03).

Intercept extraordinaire Rance set the season record for the most uncontested marks from opposition kicks (49), while Eagles counterpart Jeremy McGovern equalled Bulldog Easton Wood's 2015 record for the most marks from opposition kicks (75).

Essendon's explosive little man Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti laid the most rundown tackles in a season (since first recorded in 2007).

Among the single game records set this year, Dockers youngster Luke Ryan, in just his eighth AFL game, posted the most uncontested marks from oppositions kicks, while Carlton captain Marc Murphy produced the most baulks in a game (since first recorded in 2011) during a controversial clash with St Kilda in which he was subjected to some intensely personal sledging.

Tigers superstar Martin shattered his own 2016 record for the most broken tackles in a season, including a game record of eight in the preliminary final against Great Western Sydney.

Less flattering for Martin was that although he is one of the most damaging kicks in the game, he also claimed season records for the most ineffective kicks and the most clanger kicks. This was perhaps a result of Martin backing himself to hit high-risk, high-reward targets.

Meanwhile, several retiring champions finished their great careers as stats record holders – St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt (most marks, most contested marks and most marks inside 50), Brownlow winners Matt Priddis (most tackles) and Sam Mitchell (most clearances, most handballs, average handballs) and Josh Gibson (one-percenters).

2017's record breakers

Player Stat Count First

recorded Previous

record Player Sam Docherty (Carl) Effective kick 353 1999 351 Heath Shaw (GWS), 2016 Sam Docherty (Carl) Short kick 228 1999 226 Joel Bowden (Rich), 2007 Sam Docherty (Carl) Uncontested mark 188 1999 188 Nick Riewoldt (StK), 2016 Sam Docherty (Carl) Kick backwards 43 2005 41 Sam Docherty (Carl), 2016 Anthony McDonald-

Tipungwuti (Ess) Rundown tackle 13 2007 12 Alwyn Davey (Ess), 2007 Lachie Neale (Frem) Missed tackles 18 2011 15 Jack Crisp (Coll), 2016 Patrick Dangerfield (Geel) Contested possessions 385 1999 368 Josh Kennedy (Syd), 2012 Tom Mitchell (Haw) Disposal 787 1999 737 Lachie Neale (Frem), 2016 Tom Mitchell (Haw) Effective disposal 573 1999 554 Shane Crawford (Haw), 1999 Clayton Oliver (Melb) Handball 482 1999 448 Lachie Neale (Frem), 2016 Clayton Oliver (Melb) Effective handball 385 1999 370 Lachie Neale (Frem), 2016 Clayton Oliver (Melb) Ground ball get 276 1999 263 Patrick Dangerfield (Adel), 2012 Dustin Martin (Rich) Ineffective kick 150 1999 148 Matthew Boyd (WB), 2011 Dustin Martin (Rich) Clanger kick 61 1999 54 Ollie Wines (PA), 2016 Dustin Martin (Rich) Ground kick 48 1999 40 Adem Yze (Melb), 2004 Dustin Martin (Rich) Broken tackle 68 2011 45 Dustin Martin (Rich), 2016 Alex Rance (Rich) Uncontested mark

from opposition 49 1999 44 Tom McDonald (Melb), 2016 Andrew Gaff (WC) Uncontested possessions 502 1999 488 Andrew Gaff (WC), 2015 Jeremy McGovern (WC) Mark from opposition kick 75 1999 75 Easton Wood (WB), 2015

Want more stats stories?

- Stats glossary: Every stat explained

- Stats leaders in every category in 2017

- All-time season stats record-holders