James Worpel is on the way to achieving something that hasn’t been done in over 30 years.
Worpel currently heads his fellow 32 teammates who have featured for Hawthorn this year, having recorded more possessions than any other Hawk in 2019.
Averaging 25.7 disposals through his 18 appearances this season, Worpel leads the way with 462 touches, 10 ahead of Ricky Henderson and 15 ahead of Jaeger O’Meara.
If the 20-year-old midfielder is to remain in this position at season’s end, he will become the first player to top the Hawks’ season disposal count in just his second year since John Platten in 1987.
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Henderson and O’Meara loom as the Geelong Falcons product’s biggest threat to toppling this record, while James Sicily (384 touches) heads a peloton made up of Liam Shiels (354), Isaac Smith (332) and Tom Scully (324).
Worpel’s 34 disposals against Brisbane in Round 19 were an equal career-high, matching his effort against Essendon earlier in the season.
Impressively, Worpel has only dropped below the 20-possession threshold on one occasion in 2019 – against Sydney in Round 14 – when he had 19.
This consistency would suggest Worpel is a strong chance to finish the final month of the season in fine style.