Kyabram is ranked ahead of only two teams, Tatura and Benalla, in regard to its tackle count in the Goulburn Valley league this season.
The Bombers lay only 48 tackles, on average, each week and are almost 20 behind the competition pace setter — ironically the bottom-ranked team Shepparton United.
Tatura’s 43 tackles a week is the lowest of the 12 GVL teams.
Considering the Bombers are third from the bottom (sandwiched between 11th-ranked Benalla and ninth-ranked Shepparton) in regard to total disposals they are spending significant amounts of time without the ball.
United averages 68.2 tackles a game, marginally ahead of Mansfield (66.5) and Shepparton Swans (63.9) as the best tackling teams.
Adam Pigatto from United is the leading tackler, averaging 7.8 a week, while Ben Rigoni from Seymour and Mitchel Elliott (both averaging 6.7 tackles a week) from Tatura are next best on the list.
Against Rochester last week the work effort increased slightly when the Bombers laid 57 tackles in slippery conditions. That figure, however, paled against the Tigers 80 tackle total.
That is despite Rochester only being ranked as the eighth best tackling team in the competition. The Tigers tackle count was well above its average of 53.4.
Kade Mueller and Josh Dillon topped the tackle count against Rochester, with six apiece. Neither are, however, ranked inside the top 50 tacklers in the league.
Only Kaine Herbert, 25th with 45 tackles from 11 games, features in the top 50 and Dillon is next best with 37 tackles.
Herbert’s work ethic is reflected in his strong statistics this season, being the Bombers leader in disposals (233, 22nd in the league). Zach Keogh has only nine less touches for the year, with Lachie Smith’s 186 touches (11 games) is next best.
Jack Sheldon and Jason Morgan lead the way for Kyabram in relation to defensive acts, Sheldon at his very best in the Rochester game when he had six one percenters (double any other teammate), made five spoils (again the category leader) and rebounded from 50 on 10 occasions (next best was four by Herbert and Cade Mueller).
Sheldon is the 10th ranked player in the league for spoils, but like the league’s defenders are well behind Shepparton’s Edward Lindon.
He is clear of Mansfield’s AFL recruit Jack Hutchins, while Jason Morgan (15th) is the only other Kyabram player in the top 20 in regard to the defensive stat.
Lindon also has 113 rebound 50 disposals to his credit (in 10 games), with Bombers stars Sheldon and Morgan ranked 12th and 14th (with less than half that total for the season — from the same amount of games).