TOM Mitchell has rightfully made headlines for his ball-winning exploits this season.

But perhaps the footy world should keep a close eye on the man behind him.

Adelaide defender Rory Laird is also on track for a record-breaking campaign, sneaking up behind Mitchell to sit just six disposals from the Hawthorn midfielder through seven games.

Laird has racked up 247 touches so far this season. He’s hit the 40-mark twice and is yet to dip beneath 30 disposals in a single match, averaging a career-high 35.3 per game.

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In doing so, Laird has incredibly become the first player to ever have at least 30 disposals in each of his first seven games of an AFL season.

Mitchell broke the AFL/VFL record for most disposals in a home-and-away season last year and now remarkably looks on track to eclipse his own feats 12 months later.

But if he doesn’t manage to, Laird just might.

This season, Brodie Grundy and Max Gawn have made some question whether a ruckman can break the dominance of midfielders on Brownlow Medal night. Laird might soon enter the equation to become the first defender since Gavin Wanganeen back in 1993 to claim it.

In three of seven games this year, Laird has been in Champion Data’s top three ranked players on the field. In five of seven games, he’s been in Adelaide’s top three.

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“He’s having a super year and he’s really important to us,” Laird’s Adelaide teammate Tom Lynch told Channel 7 after Saturday night’s convincing win over Carlton.

“He’s strutting around ... and he’s really playing fantastic footy. He’s a real character in our group and he provides great energy for us. He’s in great form.”

Importantly, Mitchell and Laird also both win their own footy. Just in different ways.

While Mitchell wins his through contested possessions, averaging the third most in the competition, Laird wins the ball back for his team through intercept possessions.

The defender’s average of 10.3 intercepts per game is the second-most in the league, behind only Richmond superstar and reigning All-Australian captain Alex Rance.

But while it’s the offensive side of Laird’s game that makes him such an important piece of Adelaide’s jigsaw puzzle, he doesn’t shy away from his defensive duties.

In fact, Champion Data has recorded the 24-year-old winning 72.7 per cent of his defensive one-on-one contests so far this season.

Laird’s prolific season has seen his Brownlow odds shorten to just $31 with Sportsbet, making him the seventh favourite to claim the award. It also makes him the shortest-priced favourite of all non-midfielders, in front of Gawn, Grundy and Lance Franklin.

However, the former rookie has not always caught the eye of the umpires.

Despite averaging 27 and 29 disposals per game over the last two years, Laird has attracted just 11 and nine Brownlow votes per season in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

But the sheer weight of numbers might finally — and justifiably — be rewarded this season.