'Shouldn't be counted': Legend takes aim at tiny tweak to AFL statistics threatening to stain history books
Collingwood premiership captain Tony Shaw has called for the AFL to stop counting kick ins as a disposal, saying he's frustrated with the impact the change has had on the history books.
Essendon defender Archie Roberts had a career afternoon on Anzac Day, finding 42 disposals and earning recognition in the Anzac Medal voting, despite the Dons losing by 77 points.
However, seven of the 20-year-old's disposals came from kick ins, as the Magpies waywardly kicked 17 behinds in the match.
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Archie Roberts of the Bombers on Anzac Day. AFL Photos via Getty Images
Take those away and Roberts finishes with 35 disposals, which is still a prolific afternoon, without cracking the 40-touch barrier.
The AFL made the chance in 2019, awarding disposals to players who play-on from kick ins. Now, everybody plays on in order to get themselves that stat.
Shaw, who captained the Pies to the 1990 premiership, believes the change is unnecessarily inflating statistics for defenders across the competition.
"My roast today is kick ins. Kicks in should not be able to be counted as a stat," Shaw told 3AW on Sunday.
Archie Roberts gets a stat for taking one step out of the goal square. Fox Footy
"Archie Roberts, and it's not his fault, that's the way the game's played, he's had 42 disposals on Anzac Day, he's had 29 uncontested possessions, Collingwood kicked 17 points and Archie kicked it in seven times. He got seven disposals for nothing.
"The stat should not be counted until the next stanza of play. (The kick in itself) should not be added to the stats.
"The reason I say that too is because (my nephew) Heath Shaw reckons he was a better player than me and I said 'give us a break mate', but he would get 10 to 15 kick outs per game. That adds to your average disposals across your career to 25 or 30 disposals per game. It's crap.
Tony Shaw presents Collingwood debutant Tew Jiath with his guernsey. AFL Photos via Getty Images
"It shouldn't be counted. It's horrible. It just adds something in the record books that shouldn't be there."
Roberts has taken 22 kick ins across the last month of footy, playing on and receiving the stat for all of them.
Western Bulldogs defender Bailey Dale leads the competition with 8.1 kick ins per game, playing on for nearly 90 per cent of them.
In round six, Dale took 11 kicks outs, playing on from 10 of them, the most by any single player this season. He's gained 48 disposals from that play since round one.
GWS' Lachie Whitfield, St Kilda's Jack Sinclair and West Coast draftee Josh Lindsay are next in the pack averaging between five and six per game this season.
