Saturday's clash between Geelong and Greater Western Sydney shapes as a contest between two teams that know how to win the ball and also know how to hold onto it.
Evidence of this comes from Champion Data's time in possession stats.
The Cats are second in the competition when it comes to the time in possession differential (the percentage difference between how long you have the ball compared to your opponent), while the Giants are third.
To put it simply, this season the Cats have had the ball for 6.4 per cent more time than their opponents.
The Giants have had the ball for 5.9 per cent more time than their opponents.
| CLUB | TIME IN POSSESSION DIFF (MINS:SECS) | TIME IN POSSESSION DIFF (%) |
| Western Bulldogs | 6:01 | 7.0 |
| Geelong | 5:32 | 6.4 |
| Greater Western Sydney | 5:09 | 5.9 |
| North Melbourne | 4:09 | 4.8 |
| West Coast | 3:21 | 3.9 |
| Carlton | 2:56 | 3.4 |
| Sydney Swans | 2:37 | 3.1 |
| Richmond | 1:32 | 1.8 |
| Melbourne | 0:07 | 0.1 |
| Hawthorn | -0:08 | -0.2 |
| St Kilda | -0:34 | -0.7 |
| Adelaide | -0:34 | -0.7 |
| Collingwood | -3:07 | -3.7 |
| Port Adelaide | -3:41 | -4.3 |
| Essendon | -4:17 | -5.0 |
| Gold Coast | -5:25 | -6.3 |
| Brisbane Lions | -6:46 | -7.8 |
| Fremantle | -6:51 | -8.0 |
