IT seems fitting that when it comes to crunching, it is only fair that crunching players is analysed. In the Round 5 edition of Number crunching for the Victorian Football League (VFL) Women’s competition, we look at the top 10 tacklers in season 2018 by average, and those that stood out on the weekend.

Essendon’s Hayley Bullas is far and away the leading tackler in the competition and she showed it on the weekend, with a whopping 18 tackles, to take her total to the season to 58 – an average of 11.6. Following Bullas is Southern Saints star midfielder Alison Drennan, who has laid an average of 9.75 tackles per game this season to sit in second, narrowly ahead of Geelong’s Renee Garing‘s whose nine tackles on the weekend was right on her average of 9.4 per game in 2018.

Collingwood AFL Women’s youngster Holly Whitford has continued her hard nosed attack on the contest this season, laying 40 tackles – the second most overall given Collingwood is yet to have a bye – for an average of eight per game. Her average matches up with Casey’s Marlee Tatham, and Western Bulldogs’ premiership player turned Seagull, Jenna Bruton. Carlton pair Courtney Bromage and Natalie Plane are next on the top 10 overall average list, followed by Southern Saints’ Monique Maitland and Hawthorn’s Steph Carroll rounding out list.

Taking a closer look at round five, Western Bulldogs’ Angelica Gogos was a huge tackler with 11 laid during the Bulldogs’ loss to Northern Territory Thunder, while Kate Gillespie-Jones laid 10 tackles in Melbourne University’s narrow loss to the Cats. Three players laid nine tackles on the weekend – Melbourne Uni’s Candice Adams, Essendon’s Irena Malliaras and Casey’s Stacey Poke.

Round 5:

1 | Hayley Bullas (Essendon) 18
2 | Angelica Gogos (Western Bulldogs) 11
3 | Holly Whitford (Collingwood) 10
3 | Kate Gillespie-Jones (Melb Uni) 10
3 | Jenna Bruton (Williamstown) 10
6 | Renee Garing (Geelong) 9
6 | Candice Adams (Melb Uni) 9
6 | Irena Malliaras (Essendon) 9
6 | Stacey Poke (Casey) 9

Overall Average: (at least three games)

1 | Hayley Bullas (Essendon) 11.6
2 | Alison Drennan (Southern Saints) 9.75
3 | Renee Garing (Geelong) 9.4
4 | Holly Whitford (Collingwood) 8
4 | Marlee Tatham (Casey) 8
4 | Jenna Bruton (Williamstown) 8
7 | Courtney Bromage (Carlton) 7.4
8 | Natalie Plane (Carlton) 7.33
8 | Monique Maitland (Southern Saints) 7.33
10 | Steph Carroll (Hawthorn) 7.25