The Brisbane Lions enter the bye on top of the ladder and equal first with a 10-3 record at the halfway mark of the season.

The numbers have been crunched and this is what the stats are saying about the season so far:

Scoreboard Supremacy

Undefeated at the Gabba in 2022, the Lions head into the break as the highest scoring team in the competition, averaging 15.5 goals a game and 1.2 goals ahead of second best, Richmond.

Key forward, Joe Daniher is playing a big hand in Brisbane’s scoreboard ascendency. From his eight games this season, the 28-year-old has kicked 22 goals at an average of 2.75 a game (ranked 5^th in the AFL).

Daniher’s arrival last year helped the Lions jump from 6^th to 1^st in ‘points for’, lifting from an average of 9.6 goals a game in 2020 to 13.9 in 2021. Now at the bye, Brisbane currently sit at 14.3 goals a game and boast one of the best accuracy percentages in the AFL.

Lachie Neale: 2020 vs 2022

To many, the comparison between Lachie Neale’s Brownlow Medal winning year in 2020 to this season seem premature, but the stats speak for themselves.

Breaking down the numbers from Neale’s season so far is nearly impossible. However, the list below highlights the categories in which Champion Data have listed the 29-year-old as ‘elite’:

• Contested Possessions (1^st in AFL)
• Ground Ball Gets (1^st in AFL)
• Total Clearances (1^st in AFL)
• Average Disposals (3^rd in AFL)
• Stoppage Clearances (3^rd in AFL)
• Centre Clearances (3^rd in AFL)
• Score Involvements (5^th in AFL)

If that wasn’t enough, there are eight other categories not listed that the Lion is considered elite in.

While comparing his 2020 form to this season is difficult because of restricted quarter lengths in his Brownlow year, there are some signs already that the midfielder has taken his game to another level.

According to the numbers, Neale is a more damaging player than ever before.

The 29-year-old is reaching career-high averages in contested possessions (16.5), score involvements (6.9) and inside 50s (4.6).

He's also on track to kick more goals in a season than ever before, needing just seven goals from nine games to reach a career-best.

Country Roads Lifting Charlie

For a player of his profile, Charlie Cameron is flying under the radar with his impressive form in 2022.

Like his teammate Joe Daniher did in 2021, Cameron has kicked a goal in every game of the season thus far, sitting at 31 majors and 5^th in the Coleman Medal race.

Notably, the small forward is currently ranked third for marks on lead and sits sixth for shots on goal, converting at a rate of 58.5%.

What’s caught the eye of Lions fans however is the 27-year-olds pressure, with his tackle average the highest it’s ever been as a Lion.

Sitting ‘above-average’ for tackles and tackles inside 50, Cameron’s ability to lock the ball in the Lions forward half has significantly contributed to their scoreboard dominance in 2022.

Marcus the Intercept King

Marcus Adams has been a man on a mission in 2022. Having found consistency in his body last year, the 28-year-old is dominating the airways for Brisbane.

Adams currently ranks third in the competition for total intercept marks and is averaging a career-high 6.7 marks a game.

Losing only 22.7% of his defensive one-on-ones, Adams has been a crucial cog in the Lions machine this year.

More impressively, on seven different occasions in 2022, the key defender has been unbeaten in defensive contests.

Special Mentions 

• Oscar McInerney currently ranks 4^th in the AFL for score launches (36) and 6^th in the competition for hitouts (306), while Darcy Fort sits 9^th with 225.
• Jarrod Berry and Jarryd Lyons rank 4^th and 5^th in the competition for goal assists with 13 apiece.
• Jarryd Lyons ranks 4^th in the competition for tackles with 74.