It is hard to stand out in the Seymour attack at the moment with goals coming in from many sources, but against Benalla, Hartley was on the end of what seemed like every kick and slotted nine goals.
Michael Hartley vs Benalla
Goals: 9
Goal accuracy: 100
Marks: 9
Contested marks: 5
Disposals: 13
Kick efficiency: 84%
Hartley spent the majority of his career at the top level playing in defence at Essendon, but his height and strength is paying dividends for Seymour up front.
Hartley took more than 38 per cent of all the Lions’ marks inside 50 and with a pack of very capable forwards around him, that is an impressive feat.
Benalla took the game to the Seymour forward with five of his nine marks contested, but he proved too strong.
Once he had hands on the ball there was no stopping him.
Hartley positioned himself around the goal square for the majority of the game so when he claimed the ball over his opponent, all he had to do was quickly play on and kick the goal from point blank range.
This speaks to his 100 per cent goal accuracy, but that is not to devalue this statistic because he kicked several majors from set shots on an angle and snapped quickly in the pack for other goals.
While his scoring form was the big story of the day, his high disposal efficiency speaks for Seymour's team-focused attitude as the forward was always looking for the best option.
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