Ball movement. Territory. Defence.

These are the areas you must be proficient in if you want to win the 2026 AFL premiership.

Champion Data’s numbers tell us that 18 of the last 19 premiers have been in the top seven for these three key statistical areas.

Stats guru Daniel Hoyne described it as ‘Seventh Heaven’, outlining what you need to be a genuine contender in this day and age.

And there is just one team right now - Fremantle - who are in the top seven in each of the categories.

“Historically over the last 19 years, usually there’s three to four teams that are in it,” Hoyne said on SEN’s Sportsday.

“Only once has a premier not been in Seventh Heaven. Only once. That was the Swans in 2012 and they were marginally out.

“I’ll back history until history changes. 18 of 19 have been in there.

“In 2026 there is just the one team - Fremantle.”

Hoyne said Justin Longmuir's Freo were outside one of the categories just a matter of weeks ago which they've since fixed.

He described it as the “most perfect profile” Champion Data has ever seen.

“In Round 14 Fremantle weren’t in Seventh Heaven and that was to do with ball movement where they were 10th at that stage,” he added.

“We talked about if that can change. There were only small margins, so that could change.

“They’re now number two in the ball movement game over the last seven weeks. So the one issue we thought they had…

“If it continues it is the most perfect profile we’ve seen in Champion Data’s time. Things can change, there’s still three weeks.

“I’m calling it the IOA. It might only be injuries, the occasion and accuracy that are the reasons they don’t win it.

“If they make the Grand Final we don’t know how they’re going to handle the MCG and the week. We’ve got to give ourselves a little bit of an out.”

Just behind the Dockers there are four teams who are still some chance, two in particular, to force their way into Seventh Heaven.

“Then there’s four teams who have two boxes ticked,” Hoyne continued.

“Hawthorn and Sydney are very close. Hawks with their ball movement going from D50 are only just outside at the moment. They could easily be in there at the end of the year.

“Defensively Sydney are eighth, not seventh. So they’re right there. They come with Essendon, North Melbourne and Port Adelaide so they’ll be every chance.

“The next two are Brisbane who have two boxes ticked but won’t get there defensively.

“Collingwood aren’t going to get there because of their territory game.”