After ten rounds of the season there already appear to be seven certain finalists and what have these seven clubs - Hawthorn, Geelong, the Western Bulldogs, Adelaide, Sydney, Collingwood and Brisbane - all got in common?

The answer - they all rank in the top eight for marks inside 50 this season.

Sometimes the more the AFL changes, the more it stays the same and nowhere is that more relevant then when it comes to analysing the ever increasing number of statistics that are part of the modern-day game.

Lately it seems all the emphasis has been on tackling with virtually every coach spruiking 'tackling pressure' as the key to success.

And while there is no doubt tackling, along with many other areas such as clearances and disposal efficiency remain vital to success in the modern-day AFL, the old adage still applies - if you haven't got big forwards that can take marks close to goal you have no hope of success.

According to stats supplied to Sportal by the AFL's official stats supplier Champion Data, there is a direct correlation between a team's total number of marks inside the forward 50 and its ladder position this season.

The league's top four sides after ten rounds in order being Hawthorn, Geelong, the Bulldogs and Adelaide sit fourth, first, second and sixth respectively when it comes to marks inside 50 through the first ten rounds.

And the other three sides who increasingly look set for September campaigns in Sydney, Collingwood and Brisbane sit fifth, eighth and seventh respectively for marks inside 50.

The only team that looks vulnerable in terms of holding onto its top-eight position for the rest of the season - the eighth-placed North Melbourne - is the only one of the current top-eight teams not ranked in the top eight for marks inside 50.

Instead the Roos are ranked way down in 11th place while the team that looks most likely to tip them out of a finals berth during the second half of the season in ninth-placed St Kilda ranks third for marks inside 50.

Reigning premier Geelong has taken 192 marks inside 50 through the first ten rounds with the Bulldogs on 173, St Kilda on 170, Hawthorn 165, Sydney 156, Adelaide and Brisbane 151 and Collingwood 150.

Richmond is next with 145 followed by Port Adelaide with 142 and North with 130.

It is no surprise that the clear bottom-four clubs this season in Melbourne, Essendon, Fremantle