Goal Assists

When a player kicks, handballs or taps a ball to a teammate which directly leads to them kicking a goal.

Setting up a teammate for goal can be an art form, and deservedly ranks among the key AFL stats in measuring the scoring output of players and teams. Goal assists often take the form of a low pass to a forward leading up at the ball. However, other methods can be equally effective, especially long, sweeping handballs to teammates in space.

High goal assist numbers also tend to coincide with sides who have a 'team first' mentality, always looking for a player in space who has a better chance at scoring the goal.

Example: “The Adelaide Crows are unselfish in the forward line, reflected in their high goal assist numbers.”

Goal assist numbers can be just as, if not more, revealing to the punter than goals. They can indicate how good a team is at creating their own goals rather than relying on individual efforts or free kicks, as well as the football smarts of a team in laying off the ball to a teammate in a better position.

Teams with a high number of goal assists also tend to be high-scoring, which is useful knowledge for Over/Under punters.

Benchmark: A player who records two or more Goal Assists in a game has made a valuable contribution to his team.