When Collingwood and West Coast play each other this weekend, they will both need to shore up their front thirds since some of the finest one-on-one forwards in the league are expected to be sidelined by injury.
Due to a concussion, star forward Jake Waterman of the Eagles will not play at Marvel Stadium on Sunday. Meanwhile, Brody Mihocek of Collingwood will be sidelined for the Magpies because of a hamstring injury.
In terms of offensive one-on-one contest victories in 2024, Waterman and Mihocek are tied for fourth place in the AFL. Combined, they have won eight of their 15 contests, for a rating of 53.3%.
Compared to their respective colleagues Mason Cox and Jack Darling, both players only participate in about two offensive one-on-one games every game, but they also have higher return rates per game.
Over the next three weeks, GWS will also be without a vital player for their attacking strategies, as Callum Brown is suspended for his team’s next games against GWS, the Western Bulldogs, and Geelong.
Among players who have participated in at least 10 of the matches, Brown has the second-best offensive one-on-one win rating in the competition. The Irishman has won six of his 11 direct matches, yielding a 54.5% return.
With a 55.6% rating, only teammate Jesse Hogan is higher than the rest of the field. Hogan has won 10 of his 18 offensive one-on-one matches.
Charlie Dixon of Port Adelaide has participated in the most offensive one-on-one matches thus far this season, totaling 42 from his seven games at an average of six per outing and a return of 35.7%, which is the 13th-best in the AFL.
Charlie Curnow, the winner of the Coleman Medal, is next most with 35 contests participated; the Carlton star’s 40.0% victory rating places him in the top 10.
Among the top one-on-one forwards are also Harry McKay (47.6%), Bayley Fritsch (50.0%), Tyson Stengle (53.8%), and Curnow’s co-conspirator, Tyson Stengle of Geelong.