One of the great features of this game is that there are so many different ways to play it. 

Every year there are trends that emerge and teams try to adapt to how the game is changing, like Sydney's ability to utilise the forward handball this season or Melbourne's run-and-gun style. 

It almost becomes expected that each team will find a new way to attack each year, leading to a sense of unpredictability and certainly lending itself to the changes on the stat sheet that unfold as a season wears on. 

But for Brisbane, it is quite the contrary. 

The Lions discovered their niche in 2023 and built on it in 2024, which helped them win their first premiership in 21 years. 

Deciding not to mess with their winning formula, they then doubled down on the strategy and became even stronger in 2025 en route to another victory. 

If that was not enough, Brisbane have gone from strength to strength early in 2026 on their way to a 6-3 record and a spot in the top four on the ladder. 

So what is the golden ticket that has proven to be so successful for them in recent years?

It has been their ability to kick the footy at every opportunity, take an abundance of uncontested marks and keep the ball away from their opponent. 

2026 Stats - Kick Differential

Through the first nine games of the season, Brisbane are averaging 248.7 kicks per game which is by far the most in the AFL, while also being well clear of the league-leading number in every season dating back to 2012. 

They also average 120.1 marks per game which is unsurprisingly top of the AFL and again, is the highest average of any team dating back to at least 2012. 

Brisbane led the competition the last two years with an average of 33.3 more kicks than their opponent each week, far higher than numbers in previous years where the league leaders averaged 15.9 more (2023) and 19.5 more (2022). 

This year, the Lions are averaging 50.9 kicks more than their opponent. 

They are also setting records with their marks differential with an average of 34.9 more than each opponent in 2026, well clear of the second best team in that statistic, Hawthorn who average 22.9. 

While all the attention has been on the increased use of handballs this year, Brisbane have stuck to their guns and continue to pick opponents apart with a formula that has not been consistently solved by any team over the past three years. 

Why is this important? It is because of what the Lions are able to achieve with the enormous kick totals. 

They lead the league in kicking metres gained differential, sit second for marks inside 50, second for goal assists, second for scores per inside 50 and second for the proportion of chains that result in a score. 

To cut a long story short, they are able to utilise that kicking prowess to heavily impact their scoreboard output.  

Previous Seasons - Total Marks Leader

Surprisingly, the kick count has also proven to be a telling stat for Geelong this year. 

Through nine games, the Cats have recorded more kicks than their opponent on six occasions. 

The only teams that got the better of them in the statistic were Gold Coast, Hawthorn and Port Adelaide, all three of Geelong's defeats so far in 2026. 

Geelong have a differential of +2,808 kick metres gained in their six wins this year, compared to a -2,114 differential in their three losses, quite a stark contrast. 

That has also been a common trend recently, with the Cats losing 16 total games across 2024 and 2025 with only two of those losses coming in games where they had more kicks than their opponent. 

It seems like such a simple statistic but it is one that has proven to hold significant weight in the outcome of games, making it a key area to watch against the best kicking team in the competition.