The Northern Blues went into their first bye of 2016 with a 2-5 record, after a triumph over suburban rival Coburg in Round 7.

With the state league bye coming last weekend as Victoria travelled to take on South Australia, there have been some standout performances for Northern to start the season.

An array of injuries has seen the Blues blood 42 different players over the opening seven weeks, including 18 players who have pulled on the jumper for the first time (12 VFL debuts). 

Six players have played every game this season, with five of those being Carlton-listed players including American rookie Matthew Korcheck.

The solitary Northern man to play every game is surprise packet Hisham Kerbatieh (No.1 in inside 50s, equal No.1 for tackles), who has shown gradual improvement since his debut against Footscray. 

Overlooked for state selection this weekend, Tom Wilson has been the Blues’ most consistent, averaging 22 disposals, six clearances, five tackles and five inside 50s in the opening month before suffering a serious concussion against the Casey Scorpions. 

A four-goal performance in his last outing saw Kristian Jaksch overtake Liam Jones to be outright leader of the club goalkicking, while Jason Tutt’s 24 kicks against the Lions was a competition-high for Round 7. 

Jaksch is in five categories where he features in the top handful of total stats, while Dillon Viojo-Rainbow - who, like Jaksch, has played in every VFL game - features in three. 


Kristian Jaksch leads the Northern Blues' goalkicking after seven rounds. (Photo: AFL Media)

Meanwhile, Nick Graham’s two incredible games for the season sees him lead the club in average disposals, contested possessions, marks, clearances and tackles.

Here are the top five in totals and averages for each category, seven games into the home-and-away season.

DISPOSALS

Total: Jason Tutt (167 disposals), Matthew Dick (144), Hisham Kerbatieh (124), Dillon Viojo-Rainbow (111), Kristian Jaksch (105)

Averages: Nick Graham (33.5), Jason Tutt (27.8), Simon White (23), Matthew Dick (20.6), Tim Jones (20.5)

Season-high: Jason Tutt, Round 7 vs. Coburg (37 disposals) 

CONTESTED POSSESSIONS

Total: Hisham Kerbatieh (62 contested), Dillon Viojo-Rainbow (51), Jason Tutt (48), Tom Wilson (43), Kristian Jaksch (38)

Averages: Nick Graham (17.5), Tim Jones (10.7), Lachie Plowman (10), Hisham Kerbatieh (8.9), Tom Wilson (8.6)

Season-high: Nick Graham, Round 5 vs. Casey (21 contested possessions)

CLEARANCES

Total: Tom Wilson (27 clearances), Jason Tutt (20), Hisham Kerbatieh (20), Nick Graham (15), Tim Jones (14)

Averages: Nick Graham (7.5), Tom Wilson (5.4), Liam Sumner (4), Tim Jones (3.5), Mark Whiley (3.5)

Season-high: Nick Graham, Round 5 vs. Casey (10 clearances) 

GOALS

Total: Kristian Jaksch (12 goals), Liam Jones (8), Jack Silvagni (5), Hisham Kerbatieh (5), Daniel Gorringe (4)

Averages: Liam Jones (4), Kristian Jaksch (1.7), Jack Silvagni (1.7), Nick Graham (1.5), Andrew Gallucci (1)

Season-high: Liam Jones, Round 2 vs. Geelong (5 goals)

MARKS

Total: Matthew Dick (40 marks), Jason Tutt (34), Kristian Jaksch (30), Jayden Foster (28), Dillon Viojo-Rainbow (26)

Averages: Nick Graham (9.5), Liam Jones (6), Simon White (6), Matthew Perry (6), Matthew Dick (5.7)

Season-high: Matthew Dick, Round 1 vs. Footscray (11 marks)

TACKLES

Total: Tom Wilson (28), Hisham Kerbatieh (28), Zach Ballard (26), Nick Graham (22), Brent Bransgrove (20)

Averages: Nick Graham (11), Tom Wilson (5.6), Zach Ballard (4.3), Blaine Boekhorst (4.3), Hisham Kerbatieh (4)

Season-high: Nick Graham, Round 5 vs. Casey (14 tackles) 

INSIDE 50s

Total: Hisham Kerbatieh (25), Jason Tutt (24), Tom Wilson (23), Kristian Jaksch (13), Blaine Boekhorst (10)

Averages: Liam Sumner (5), Tom Wilson (4.6), Dennis Armfield (4.5), Nick Graham (4.5), Jason Tutt (4)

Season-high: Tom Wilson, Round 1 vs. Footscray/Round 4 vs. Collingwood (8 inside 50s)