10 STATS TO SURPRISE
1. Hand ball receives: Kyabram is number one in the competition.
2. One per centers: Teenager Archie Watt, from his two senior games, is seventh in the GVL for loose ball gets and second for chases.
3. Brad Mangan: Mangan has scored 20.6 this season, from 38 kicks, and is sixth in the league for marks inside 50.
4. Tom Holman: He has kicked 17.12 in the last seven games and has laid 18 of his 36 tackles for the season in the forward 50 (equal third in GVL).
5. Kicking efficiency: On average, Kyabram is 22 per cent more efficient than its opposition this year by foot.
6. Points pig: A becoming, yet highly sought-after title, that belongs to Kyabram ruckman Zac Norris - averaging 133.3 ranking points this season.
7. Frees against: After several seasons of frustration with the umpires, Kyabram now gives away the second least free kicks in the competition.
8. Centre clearances: Kyabram averages the most centre clearances in the competition, ahead of Echuca and, surprisingly, Benalla.
9. Contested possessions: Only Echuca, a standout in the GVL, averages more contested possessions than the Bombers. For total disposals the Bombers are fifth in the competiton.
10. Marking domination: No-one will be surprised, but here it is anyway. Kyabram is number one for contested marks and intercept marks.
Kyabram has more handball receives than any other club in the competition, despite statistics from its round five match with Mooroopna not included in the figures.
The Bombers are always looking to have the ball in the hands of designated kickers Brad Whitford, Riley Ironside, Kaine Herbert and Will Golds.
In spite of the missing game Ironside (18), Herbert and Whitford (both 16) are all top 10 players in the handball receives category.
Rochester’s Blake Evans has the most (27), while Euroa’s Ryan Pendlebury and Swans star Nathan Hrovat making up the top three.
Golds averages more than three handball receives a game, the most in the competition, from his five games this season.
Golds has had two stand out games this season, a 31 disposal-three-goal best afield performance in the thrilling one point win against Seymour and a 26 possession-four goal effort against Shepparton United the following week.
Teenager Archie Watt, who made his Coates Talent League debut with Oakleigh Chargers a fortnight ago, has made an immediate impact on the competition with his defensive forward play.
Watt, who has played at half forward in games against Euroa and Shepparton Swans, is averaging five loose ball gets and is credited with 2.5 chases from his limited experience in the top flight.
He had 17 disposals, four inside 50s and three tackles (along with a goal) against the Swans in round nine. He also has an 85 per cent efficiency rating from his 15 kicks.
After not kicking a goal in the opening two rounds, Tom Holman has kicked 17.12 in the next seven games. He is rated elite for forward 50 tackles, having laid 18 of his 36 tackles for the season in attack.
Kyabram’s kicking efficiency this year has been among the best in the competition (65.8 per cent), with Brad Whitford — not surprisingly — leading the charge with 85.75 per cent of his kicks hitting their target.
Against Tatura in round four this season he had 18 disposals at 94 per cent efficiency, and then against Benalla, he had a 95 per cent efficiency for his 21 disposals (including his only goal of the season).
Kyabram ruckman Zac Norris is elite in a variety of categories this season, but it is his ranking points average (fifth in the GVL) that makes him a standout for the Bombers.
He has a season high of 162 (round one against Rochester) and has topped the 140 mark on six occasions this season (scoring 138 in another match).
Against Mansfield Norris had an extraordinary 32 disposals, 11 clearances, seven inside 50s and 33 hit outs.
He is the leading clearance player in the competition (10.1 a match), the one game appearance of former Fremantle Dockers star Michael Barlow at Shepparton United (12 clearances) the only thing stopping him from being on top of the list for the category.
After several seasons of frustration with the umpires, Kyabram now gives away the second least free kicks in the competition.
The ledger is somewhat balanced by the fact the Bombers receive the least free kicks in the GVL on a weekly basis (17.3), but the result is much better than last season’s unbalanced return.
Kyabram’s status as the team with the second most inside 50s this season (48.5 a week) is influenced by the fact it is the leading centre clearance team in the GVL.
The Bombers’ one woods are their contested style of play and marking power, rated second only to Echuca in the first category and well ahead of any other club — thanks largely to Lachie Smith — in the second.
Smith and the Bombers average almost five more contested marks a match than their opposition and about the same in regard to contested marks.
This season Smith is second only to Tatura one game wonder Mitch Porhajski for average marks, and despite having one less game on the books, has the most intercept and contested marks (equal with Rochester wonderkind Mitch Cricelli in the latter category).