Walker and Betts the AFL’s most potent duo
Adelaide’s Taylor Walker and Eddie Betts are the most dangerous forward combination in the AFL after seven rounds of the 2015 season.
Walker, in his first season as skipper, has kicked 21 goals while experienced small forward Betts has 26 and is one goal behind Coleman Medal leader Josh Kennedy.
As a combined entity, they are currently the most potent pair in the league.
Walker and Betts have a combined 47 goals this year, while Kennedy and Mark LeCras from the West Coast are next best with 42, followed by Greater Western Sydney pairing Jeremy Cameron and Cam McCarthy on 41.
Fourth of the list is the high profile pair from reigning premiers Hawthorn, 2014 Coleman Medallist Jarryd Roughead and creative small forward Luke Breust with a combined 38 goals.
Next on the list are Sydney’s twin towers Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett with 32.
There are two other clubs with a pair having kicked a combined 30 goals: North Melbourne, with Lindsay Thomas and former Carlton forward Jarrad Waite leading the way, and St Kilda, led by Josh Bruce (23 goals) with two players, Jack Sinclair and Jack Billings, both on seven.
Interestingly, all of these clubs except the Saints have a positive-win loss ratio.
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This year Walker has taken well to the captaincy role, leading from the front. His best effort was a six-goal haul against North in round one, and he has yet to be kept goalless this season.
In total he’s had 33 scoring shots this year at an average of three goals a game.
Betts is in rich form, kicking 20 goals over the past four rounds (which included a pair of defeats), including a season high six against the Saints on Saturday, at an average of 3.7 goals per game.
Their best effort as a pairing was 10 goals in the season opener (Walker with six, and Betts with four), followed by last Saturday’s effort of nine.
In total 42 players have kicked 10 or more goals at the AFL completion of round seven, with the Kangaroos leading the way with a spread of five – Thomas (17), Waite (13), Ben Brown, Shaun Higgins (both 12) and Drew Petrie (10), all in double figures.
Hawthorn and the Eagles are the next best with four, while the Crows with Betts (26), Walker (21) and Tom Lynch (11) are among a large group who have three players on 10 goals or more.
By contrast, Adelaide”s crosstown rivals Port Adelaide have only two players, Jay Schulz (18) and Chad Wingard (10), who are in double figures.
Leading two goalkickers by club – top 10
Adelaide – Betts (26), Walker (21) – 47
West Coast – Kennedy (27), LeCras (15) – 42
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GWS – Cameron (24), McCarthy (17) – 41
Hawthorn – Roughead (20) Breust (18) – 38
Sydney – Franklin (20), Tippett (12) – 32
St Kilda – Bruce (23), Sinclair/Billings (7) – 30
North Melbourne – Thomas (17), Waite (13) – 30
Western Bulldogs – Stringer (16), Dixon (13) – 29
Fremantle – Pavlich (18), Mayne (11) – 29
Collingwood – Cloke (17), Elliott (11) – 28
Port Adelaide – Schulz (18), Wingard (10) – 28
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