After his second year of AFL football, Fremantle’s Connor Blakely already seems on track to become of one the league’s more effective inside midfielders.

Barring a debut appearance in round 23 last year when Ross Lyon rested 12 players against Port Adelaide ahead of a Qualifying Final showdown against Sydney the following week, Blakely’s 2016 campaign was his first regular taste of AFL football.

This season he broke into the senior side in round six after showing some strong form for Peel, and played 15 games in a midfield which battled for periods of the year without experienced clearance exponents Nat Fyfe (17 games on the sidelines), Michael Barlow (nine games) and David Mundy (four games).

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The 20-year-old earned a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination in round 11 for his 25-disposal, seven-tackle performance against Essendon at Domain Stadium, and shares traits with some of the AFL’s most qualified stoppage specialists.

The most notable examples might be Adelaide star Rory Sloane and GWS co-captain Callan Ward, both of whom have been widely lauded for their ability to win the contested ball and release it quickly in tight situations.

Like Blakely, Sloane and Ward sport shaggy appearances – complete with long hair and stubble – and have an innate desire to fearlessly throw themselves at the ball.

Both have pieced together career-best seasons in 2016, with Sloane earning his first All-Australian jumper, while Ward was selected in the squad of 40 players for the representative team.

But in his first 16 games, Blakely holds a clear statistical edge over his midfield counterparts when they were at the same stage of their respective careers.

Here’s how the numbers stack up.

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Blakely versus Ward, Sloane after 16 games
Each of the trio spent significant portions of their early years running through the centre of the ground. Blakely has spent the most time in the midfield as Fremantle placed emphasis on developing its list of younger players. However, Ward and Sloane – who both played a handful of matches across half-back and half-forward – were granted ample opportunity in the engine room.

In terms of disposals, the boy from Bunbury is comfortably the most prolific. Blakely has, to date, averaged 19.75 possessions per match (8.38 contested). Sloane managed just 14.75 touches (7.81 contested), while Ward - then a Western Bulldogs player - tallied 14 disposals (5.43 contested).

The 20-year-old also tops the list for clearances with 3.38 per match, compared to Sloane’s 1.93 and Ward’s 1.5.

A popular figure at Adelaide, Sloane was the best tackler of the bunch (3.75 per match) with Blakely (3.56) and Ward (3) following closely in suit.

One of few shortfalls of the Fremantle youngster is his marking (2.56 per match) – a statistic in which Sloane (3.75) and Ward (2.87) averaged higher.

But Blakely has averaged just 64 per cent game time, significantly less than Sloane (74 per cent) and Ward (68 per cent) in their formative years.  

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By the numbers (after 16 games)
Blakely:
19.75 possessions (8.38 contested), 2.56 marks, 3.56 tackles and 3.38 clearances per match.
Career-high disposals: 29 v Brisbane in round 12, 2016.
Career-high contested possessions: 15 v Richmond in round nine, 2016.
Career-high marks: six v Melbourne in round 16, 2016.
Career-high tackles: eight v Adelaide in round 21, 2016.
Career-high clearances: seven v Brisbane in round 12, 2016.

Ward:
14 possessions (5.43 contested), 2.87 marks, 3 tackles and 1.5 clearances per match.
Career-high disposals: 33 v Port Adelaide in round 12, 2009.
Career-high contested possessions: 11 v Port Adelaide in round 12, 2009.
Career-high marks: six v Brisbane in round 12, 2008; and Port Adelaide in round 12, 2009. 
Career-high tackles: 10 v Geelong in round nine, 2009.
Career-high clearances: four v North Melbourne in round two, 2009.

Sloane:
14.75 possessions (7.81 contested), 3.12 marks, 3.75 tackles and 1.93 clearances per match.
Career-high disposals: 22 v Melbourne, round 13, 2010.
Career-high contested possessions: 14 v Western Bulldogs, round 19, 2010.
Career-high marks: five v Fremantle in round 11, 2010; Melbourne in round 13, 2010; Geelong in round 16, 2010; Collingwood in round 21, 2010; and Hawthorn in round one, 2011.
Career-high tackles: eight v Richmond in round 18, 2010.
Career-high clearances: five v West Coast in round 15, 2010.

Ward and Sloane in 2016:
Ward (165 career games):
22 games, 24.31 possessions (11.95 contested), 3.5 marks, 4.72 tackles and 5.86 clearances per match.

Sloane (139 career games):
21 games, 25.52 possessions (12.85 contested), 3.76 marks, 7.23 tackles and 4.86 clearances per match.