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READ MORE - Elmore living up to hype at halfway mark of HDFNL A Grade season

Record - 8-0

Percentage - 292.2%

Average for - 126

Average against - 43

Attack rank - 1st

Defence rank - 1st

Quarters won - 28 of 32

Goal conversion - 58.1%

Avg. player points - 29.0

Players used - 32

Club best top five:

Jarod Bacon - 21

Tyler Phillips - 17

Bart Phillips - 15

Patrick Gardiner - 15

Tom Holman - 13

Top goalkickers:

Jarod Bacon - 23

Thomas Leech - 22

James McPhee - 18

Lachlan Collins - 17

Anthony McMahon - 12

The pre-season flag favourites have taken down every challenger so far to be undefeated at the halfway mark using just 29 player points per week on average.

Only Huntly (23 points) has got within seven goals of the Cats, who are playing a well balanced brand of football that is ranked No.1 for both attack and defence, as well as No.1 for points differential in all four quarters.

Record - 8-1

Percentage - 179.7%

Average for - 116

Average against - 65

Attack rank - 2nd

Defence rank - 3rd

Quarters won - 25 of 36

Goal conversion - 56.2%

Avg. player points - 41.8

Players used - 37

Club best top five:

Patrick Eefting - 21

Jack Fallon - 19

Sam Kerridge - 18

Lachlan Collihole - 13

Jed Lamb - 12

Top goalkickers:

Jed Lamb - 57

Mitch Dole - 15

Matt Sawyer - 14

Marc Millard - 12

Lachlan Collihole - 12

The Demons have generated plenty of headlines for some big winning margins - four by 90 points-plus - as well as being the team that ended North Bendigo's 37-game winning streak at Atkins Street in round three.

Only blemish in pursuit of their first flag since 1988 has been their 133-point hammering from LBU when they were missing their all-important cohort of Melbourne players in round eight.

Plenty of interest in the back half of the year to see if Jed Lamb can get to 100 goals. He already has 57.

Record - 5-3

Percentage - 145.7%

Average for - 88

Average against - 60

Attack rank - 4th

Defence rank - 2nd

Quarters won - 22 of 32

Goal conversion - 53.4%

Avg. player points - 34.1

Players used - 31

Club best top five:

Jed Brain - 21

Ben Southam - 20

Ben Barton - 20

Lochlan Sirett - 20

Stephen Tuohey - 19

Top goalkickers:

Stephen Tuohey - 16

Jed Brain - 16

Clint Shields - 8

Ryan Hon - 7

Todd Clarke - 7

The runners-up of 2019 are in the mix again sitting third, but will want to iron out their slow starts to games.

Have trailed by at least 19 points at quarter-time in four of their eight matches so far and won't want to be playing catch-up football at the business end when the whips are cracking if being slow out of the blocks continues.

Record - 5-3

Percentage - 98.6%

Average for - 77

Average against - 79

Attack rank - 5th

Defence rank - 5th

Quarters won - 15 of 32

Goal conversion - 51.1%

Avg. player points - 37.8

Players used - 33

Club best top five:

Aarryn Craig - 29

Dylan Klemm - 27

Jordan Ford - 22

Bailey Wingrave - 12

Harry O'Meara - 11

Top goalkickers:

Shane Harris - 19

Dylan Klemm - 15

Storm Giri - 8

Aarryn Craig - 8

Harry O'Meara - 4

As expected, the Bulldogs haven't been the dominant force they have been of recent years having played in six grand finals in a row.

But at 5-3 and in fourth position they remain a competitive outfit that is on track to play finals for an 11th-consecutive season.

One of the big question marks surrounding the Bulldogs this season was how would they adjust to losing their top six goalkickers from their 2019 premiership season? To that end, the Bulldogs scoring has significantly dipped from 114 points per game in 2019 to 77.

Record - 4-4

Percentage - 96.2%

Average for - 89

Average against - 92

Attack rank - 3rd

Defence rank - 6th

Quarters won - 16 of 32

Goal conversion - 55.0%

Avg. player points - 38.9

Players used - 38

Club best top five:

Liam Collins - 29

Billy Mahony - 16

Bryce Hinneberg - 15

Rhys Deacon - 15

Jesse Tuohey - 15

Top goalkickers:

Ben Weightman - 23

Rhys Deacon - 16

Fletcher White - 10

Travis Baird - 7

Daniel Davie - 6

Plenty of hype around the Blues going into 2021 after such a productive recruiting campaign last year.

That expectation hasn't come to fruition yet with the Blues a middle-of-the-road 4-4 and their only win against a team above them so far having come against North Bendigo in round seven.

Already used 38 players, so will be hoping for better luck with injury in the back half of the season to build some cohesion and gather some momentum.

Record - 3-5

Percentage - 102.6%

Average for - 70

Average against - 68

Attack rank - 7th

Defence rank - 4th

Quarters won - 16 of 32

Goal conversion - 50.0%

Avg. player points - 41.9

Players used - 34

Club best top five:

Tyler Miles - 26

Jay McDonald - 23

Luke Jones - 17

Josh Harris - 16

Blayne Ryan-Storey - 12

Top goalkickers:

Flynn Campbell - 14

Ryan Semmel - 9

Jacob Greenwood - 8

Jaydon Cowling - 8

Jack Burns - 6

Been an improved season for the Hawks following their 2019 wooden spoon.

Their three wins already surpass 2019's sole victory and stiff not to have a couple of big scalps having pushed top two teams LBU and White Hills all the way at home without being able to get over the line having led both at three quarter-time.

Record - 3-6

Percentage - 59.6%

Average for - 66

Average against - 111

Attack rank - 8th

Defence rank - 8th

Quarters won - 9 of 36

Goal conversion - 56.1%

Avg. player points - 36.1

Players used - 39

Club best top five:

James Harney - 30

Zack Holmberg - 22

Dylan Gordon - 19

Nick Kellow - 17

Mitch Cricelli - 16

Top goalkickers:

James Harney - 27

Mitch Cricelli - 11

Dylan Oaff - 9

Ben Makepeace - 8

Farran Priest - 6

Used the most players in the competition so far with 39. Have gone 3-2 over their past five games following a 0-4 start that immediately put the Bloods behind the eight-ball and playing catch-up.

Should derive plenty of belief going forward out of their gutsy win over Heathcote last week when they came from 30 points down at three quarter-time to win a thriller by four points.

Record - 1-7

Percentage - 72.7%

Average for - 73

Average against - 100

Attack rank - 6th

Defence rank - 7th

Quarters won - 9 of 32

Goal conversion - 47.7%

Avg. player points - 35.4

Players used - 32

Club best top five:

Jake Condon - 22

Billy Price - 17

Mitch McLean - 15

Thomas Pain - 14

Matthew Mikic - 14

Top goalkickers:

Kai Cavallaro - 12

Jackson Jones - 7

Codie Price - 7

Mitch McLean - 7

Jack Brooks - 7

Coach Wayne Primmer was bullish at the start of the year about the Saints' capacity to improve.

The Saints brought in a host of new players, but so far haven't been able to improve on their one win of 2019, although their percentage of 72.7 compared to 2019's 54.5 is an indicator of Heathcote being more competitive within games.

Record - 0-8

Percentage - 33.7%

Average for - 45

Average against - 132

Attack rank - 9th

Defence rank - 9th

Quarters won - 3 of 32

Goal conversion - 47.2%

Avg. player points - 36.9

Players used - 37

Club best top five:

Tom Brereton - 26

Will Brereton - 25

Nathan McLellan - 22

Lee Pollock - 22

Josh Hawken - 19

Top goalkickers:

Ayden Walton - 5

Billy Hawken - 5

James Barrat - 5

Tom Brereton - 4

Matt McLellan - 3

Shaped as a challenging year for the rebuilding Bombers and that's how it's playing out, with the former powerhouse winless at the halfway mark.

Given the loss of so much experience in recent years from the teams that played in four grand finals in a row, this season is all about bringing through the next generation, which so far has led to the blooding of 13 first-gamers.

SEASON OPENER:

White Hills 21.15 (141) def Elmore 4.5 (29)

ROUND 1:

White Hills 28.18 (186) def Leitchville-Gunbower 5.10 (40)

Colbinabbin 17.14 (116) def Elmore 8.5 (53)

LBU 13.18 (96) def Heathcote 7.7 (49)

North Bendigo 11.10 (76) def Huntly 5.12 (42)

Mount Pleasant bye

ROUND 2:

LBU 19.9 (123) def Colbinabbin 4.4 (28)

Mount Pleasant 18.15 (123) def Elmore 12.9 (81)

North Bendigo 13.14 (92) def Leitchville-Gunbower 9.13 (67)

Huntly 13.7 (85) def Heathcote 9.11 (65)

White Hills bye

ROUND 3:

Heathcote 21.15 (141) def Leitchville-Gunbower 8.4 (52)

Colbinabbin 15.12 (102) def Huntly 5.7 (37)

White Hills 17.19 (121) def North Bendigo 9.10 (64)

LBU 15.16 (106) def Mount Pleasant 9.5 (59)

Elmore bye

ROUND 4:

LBU 31.8 (194) def Elmore 7.6 (48)

Colbinabbin 24.16 (160) def Leitchville-Gunbower 2.4 (16)

White Hills 24.11 (155) def Heathcote 7.15 (57)

Huntly 13.12 (90) def Mount Pleasant 8.7 (55)

North Bendigo bye

ROUND 5:

White Hills 12.13 (85) def Colbinabbin 7.11 (53)

Mount Pleasant 16.18 (114) def Leitchville-Gunbower 13.6 (84)

North Bendigo 13.12 (90) def Heathcote 11.13 (79)

Elmore 11.13 (79) def Huntly 11.12 (78)

LBU bye

ROUND 6:

White Hills 23.16 (154) def Mount Pleasant 8.12 (60)

Elmore 14.10 (94) def Leitchville-Gunbower 5.14 (44)

LBU 12.12 (84) def Huntly 9.7 (61)

North Bendigo 9.10 (64) def Colbinabbin 8.10 (58)

Heathcote bye

ROUND 7:

LBU 22.16 (148) def Leitchville-Gunbower 3.3 (21)

Colbinabbin 16.13 (109) def Heathcote 6.5 (41)

White Hills 17.13 (115) def Elmore 10.4 (64)

Mount Pleasant 12.16 (88) def North Bendigo 8.11 (59)

Huntly bye

ROUND 8:

LBU 25.17 (167) def White Hills 4.10 (34)

Huntly 18.12 (120) def Leitchville-Gunbower 5.2 (32)

Mount Pleasant 23.10 (148) def Heathcote 13.10 (88)

North Bendigo 19.15 (129) def Elmore 13.5 (83)

Colbinabbin bye

ROUND 9:

LBU 13.12 (90) def North Bendigo 7.3 (45)

Colbinabbin 11.9 (75) def Mount Pleasant 10.2 (62)

White Hills 8.5 (53) def Huntly 6.11 (47)

Elmore 9.12 (66) def Heathcote 8.14 (62)

Leitchville-Gunbower bye

How players earn their points:

The Addy's player rankings use a system based on the weekly six best players submitted by clubs, with a weighting given towards contributions made to a winning team (similar to the starting point for umpires in casting votes post-match) that produce a ranking total.

The points system:

Winning team - 1st best (16.0 points); 2nd best (13.5); 3rd best (11.0); 4th best (8.5); 5th best (6.0); 6th best (3.5).

Losing team - 1st best (7.0); 2nd best (6.0); 3rd best (5.0); 4th best (4.0); 5th best (3.0); 6th best (2.0).

Drawn game (both teams) - 1st best (10.0); 2nd best (8.5); 3rd best (7.0); 4th best (5.5); 5th best (4.0); 6th best (2.5).

In short, the rankings aim to reflect performing consistently and playing key roles in helping teams to win games.

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