Tom Rockliff contributes far more to the Brisbane Lions than just pure stats, but it’s hard to ignore the 24-year-old’s figures ahead of his 100^th AFL match against Collingwood this Saturday night at the MCG.

Across the first 99 games of his career, Rockliff has averaged 26.3 disposals per game.

He’s built that from 5.0 in 2009, his debut season, to 27.7 in 2011 when he won his maiden Merrett-Murray Medal, and currently boasts a Club record average of 31.3 in 2014.

Combine that with the fact he leads the competition in tackles, and is the Lions’ leader in both contested possessions and clearances, and it’s easy to see why he’s a raging favourite to claim his second Club Champion award next month.

Rockliff would surely be right in contention for his first ever selection in the AFL’s All-Australian side as well, and could even cause a stir on Brownlow night.

Whichever way you look at it, the cheeky boy from Benalla has had a more productive first 100 games than most.

Even when you compare him to some of the best and most prolific midfielders of the past decade, his numbers stand above the rest.

At the time of their 100^th AFL games, Lions champion Simon Black averaged 21.8 disposals, Collingwood ball-magnet Dane Swan averaged 21.0, and Geelong-turned-Suns superstar Gary Ablett averaged just 15.2 disposals.

Even current Cats Captain Joel Selwood, who took the competition by storm from his debut season, averaged 25.3 disposals at the time of his first major milestone.

It also took Rockliff just 52 games before producing his first ever 40-plus possession game against the Western Bulldogs in Round 13 of 2012 – a feat achieved sooner than all of Selwood (67^th game), Swan (110^th game), Ablett (150^th game), and Black (never reached 40 possessions in a single game).

After 100 games, it’s fair to say Rockliff’s impressive form has been no fluke.

His sustained a level of high performance is a credit to the extra hours spent on the training track and during the off-season perfecting his craft.

Another notable stat is the while Rockliff becomes the 33^rd player to play 100 senior games with the Lions since the 1997 merger, he becomes only the second player in the Club’s 128-year combined history (Fitzroy and Bears included) to do so in the Number 38 guernsey.

The only other person to have done so is former Fitzroy great Leon Harris, who holds the AFL/VFL record for most games played in the Number 38 with 186.

Ironically, Harris coached Rockliff as a junior and was even on hand to present the then teenager with his first ever senior Lions guernsey ahead of his debut match back in 2009.

Rockliff’s name will keep Harris’ company on the Number 38 locker door at the Gabba.

And if he continues at this rate, he might one day surpass Harris to claim a new AFL/VFL record.