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Sport Nation
The most improved AFL player on Champion Data’s rating system
SEN • June 14th, 2025 6:00 pm
North Melbourne’s Colby McKercher is the most improved player in the competition over the last six weeks according to the Champion Data player ratings.
The former No.2 pick was rated the 289th best player in the AFL from Round 1 to 7 but has been the 25th rated player between Round 8 and 13.
While McKercher hasn’t had huge disposal numbers in that period, with only one of those five games seeing him collect 25 or more touches, Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne says his impact has been huge in a variety of positions.
“The most improved player in the competition over the last six weeks is Colby McKercher,” Hoyne told SEN Sportsday.
“He has risen from 289th to the 25th best player in the last six weeks. North have played 5 games in that Round 8 to 13 period, so it’s that six-week period that we're working off.
“He played as a forward in Round 8 and 9, as a mid-forward in Round 10 and 11, then permanently down back last weekend which was the highest-rated game of his career.”
Having been shifted around the ground by Alastair Clarkson in recent weeks, Hoyne thinks that McKercher’s Round 13 performance against West Coast where he had 35 disposals and eight rebound 50s off half-back shows that’s where he should play for the rest of the campaign.
“I think if you're looking at North against Eagles (where they won by 10 points), the game swung on whether or not they won clearance,” Hoyne said.
“In the first and last quarter, they were +19 in clearance, and they got it on the scoreboard. West Coast then evened it up across the second and third quarter (and had 14 scoring shots to 3).
“So there has to be more to North Melbourne's game than purely just relying on clearance, because you the best can handle themselves in that situation (where they’re losing clearance).
“So, how do you get yourself going from a ball movement perspective? I would have thought this guy's point of difference is how he uses the footy.
“I'm playing him straight across half-back, getting some ball movement going, getting some creative usage going and maximising this guy's point of difference.”
McKercher and the Roos next face the Dockers at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.
