Damien Hardwick knows what he’ll get each week from Ned Moyle…a combative presence in the ruck, a high work-rate at ground level when the ball is in his vicinity, an occasional contested mark and the ability not to be out-marked too often.
Or, according to average career statistics, 26.5 hit-outs, 10.1 possessions (7.3 contested), 2.9 tackles, 2.7 clearances, 1.0 contested mark and 141m gained.
What about goals and contested marks inside the forward 50m zone? Probably not. Moyle had registered just two of each in his first 15 AFL games.
But in his 16th game against Yartapuulti in Darwin on Saturday night, the giant ruckman obliterated most of these numbers to deliver at least statistically the most impactful game of his short career. And write himself into the SUNS ‘Big Man Record Books’.
Moyle kicked three goals to equal the club record for a ruckman held by Zac Smith since he kicked three in Round 5 and Round 7 in 2013.
And had Jed Walter not slotted his third goal four minutes from full-time in the SUNS’ 25-point win over the Power on Saturday night, Moyle would have been the first ruckman to be his side’s leading goal-kicker outright in 336 games.
Still, a share of this ‘prize’ was still another first for the 206cm 24-year-old.
Moyle had a career-high 399m gained against Yartapuulti – almost three times his average – on top of 14 possessions (10 contested), two tackles and three clearances, and was the only player to pull down two contested marks in greasy conditions which limited the entire game to 10.
And, in perhaps the most telling statistic, Moyle earned a career-high player rating of 18.6 – up on his average of 10.0. Only captain Noah Anderson (20.2) and John Noble (19.5) rated higher for the victors.
All that is despite the fact that, having been selected on Thursday night as the only ruckman in the SUNS line-up, the big #23 was forced to share the ruck duties with Jarrod Witts, who played following the late withdrawal of Jamarra Ugle-Hagan through injury.
Moyle played 82% game time but attended only 34% of centre bounces against the Power after an 84% attendance rate as the sole ruckman against St.Kilda a week earlier.
It was all part of a performance that will throw further mist for coach Hardwick over the preferred mix of ruckmen and tall forwards, and perhaps open the door for Moyle and Witts to play together at times.
While Walter’s late goal denied Moyle a place in the SUNS’ goal-kicking record books on Saturday night, a quiet last 10 minutes cost skipper Noah Anderson membership of the AFL’s exclusive ‘1km Club’.
Match statistics showed Anderson had 958m gained as the game entered ‘junk time’ – and, with the game won, he did not add to this tally.
Still, Anderson’s 958m was a career-best, the best by any player in the AFL this year, and second best in SUNS history behind John Noble’s 1001m against Hawthorn in Darwin in Round 10 last year.
Only 12 players have registered 1000m gained in a game since the SUNS joined the AFL in 2011, with ex-SUN Aaron Hall heading the list in a game for North Melbourne in 2022.
Members of the 1km Club are:
1169 – Aaron Hall (NM) – 2022
1131 – Nick Malceski (Syd) - 2013
1125 – Heath Shaw (GWS) – 2016
1065 – Pearce Hanley (Bris) -2014
1025 – Patrick Dangerfield (Geel) - 2016
1019 – Brodie Smith (Adel) - 2022
1018 – Riley Bonner (StK) – 2024
1016 – Bailey Dale (WB) – 2025
1010 – Daniel Rich (Bris) – 2023
1010 – Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (WB) - 2025
1001 – John Noble (GC) – 2025
1000 – Chad Wingard (Haw) -2017
Bodhi Uwland also returned from Darwin with a career-best, having topped 30 possessions for the first time. Enjoying a brilliant season, he had 31 against the Power.
And if there was any player deserving preferential seat selection on the flight home it was vice-captain Sam Collins. In the hot and humid conditions of the NT capital he played 100% game time against Port after 96% against St.Kilda a week earlier.
The indefatigable Collins also played every minute of the 2023 game against the Western Bulldogs, when Charlie Ballard did likewise, while Caleb Graham survived a 121-minute torture test against Hawthorn in 2022.
SUNS STATISTICAL TRIVIA
Ned Moyle was the 89th different SUNS player to head the goal-kicking sheet in a game after Jamarra Ugle-Hagan had been #88 in the Round 8 game against GWS at People First Stadium.
But who has topped the goal sheet most often?
Not surprisingly, it is Ben King. He’s been the club’s leading goal-kicker six times in 10 games this year and heads the overall list at 73.
Having played 130 games for his 288 goals he has been the SUNS #1 goal-kicker (including ties) in more than half of the games he’s played - 56.2%.
Making up the top 10 in raw numbers are Alex Sexton (35), Gary Ablett (27), Sam Day (24), Ben Ainsworth (22, Charlie Dixon (18), David Swallow, Harley Bennell and Peter Wright (17).
And one to test even the best trivia experts…who is the SUNS player who played only two games for the club but headed the goal sheet in both?
