GVL Data has arrived, and with it comes dozens of statistics to analyse every week.
One that catches the eye is the ground ball gets — the much less spoken about cousin of the handball receive.
While the latter shows you who is running hard, the former highlights exactly who is getting down and dirty every week in the Goulburn Valley League.
With the weather turning across the region, matches are slowing down and being first to the football is more important than ever — and an Echuca gun is leading the way in the category for the season thus far.
Jack McHale has racked up 131 ground ball gets in nine matches — at an average of 14.6 per game — leading all-comers across the competition.
It’s no surprise that he also averages 16 contested possessions, nine clearances and four tackles to this stage of the campaign.
Benalla’s Will Martiniello is next on the list with 126, followed by Seymour’s Ben Rigoni on 124.
Two more Saints complete the top five, with Chris Welsh and James Martiniello collecting 107 and 103 respectively.
As for other Murray Bombers, Sam Willoughby is not far behind on 91 in sixth spot, while Riley Smith has racked up 83.
Season Totals Ground Ball Gets
Jack McHale (Echuca) 131
Will Martiniello (Benalla) 126
Ben Rigoni (Seymour) 124
Chris Welsh (Benalla) 107
James Martiniello (Benalla) 103