Sean Lawson
Sean Lawson has been contributing to ABC News Digital since 2018. He has written about football and statistics at hpnfooty.com for several years and also contributed to Footballistics, published by ABC Books. He follows several sports and takes a special interest in any Canberra sporting action. He can be followed on Twitter at @arwon.
Latest by Sean Lawson
Analysis
analysis:How one of the AFL's most exclusive clubs is set to explode in membership
Player salaries in the AFL will grow massively in the coming seasons, as those in the millionaires club welcome new members due to more money pouring into the game.
Analysis
analysis:Breaking down Joel Amartey's magical nine-goal haul
Sometimes magic can take place on the football field which no-one expected. Joel Amartey produced that magic which the AFL world sat back and enjoyed.
Analysis
analysis:How the Swans have climbed above a congested AFL pack in 2024
The 2024 AFL season is one of the closest in recent memory, but the Sydney Swans have separated themselves as we reach the halfway mark of the season. Here's what they're doing better than everyone else.
Analysis
analysis:As the argument for extra time grows, maybe the AFL should consider celebrating the awkward draw
Two draws this AFL season have led to some suggesting the league needs extra time. But rather than fuel the need for a winner, why not celebrate the draw with a song?
Analysis
analysis:The quest for AFL's lesser inter-club trophies
Every AFL team strives for one trophy at the end of the season. But on the way there are several smaller prizes, some historical and others satirical, which add substance to each season.
Analysis
analysis:How the two most important kicks in football are letting the Brisbane Lions down
With just two wins from seven starts this season, the Brisbane Lions need to nail the fundamentals if they are to turn around their fortunes, writes Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson.
How rest and preparation dictate AFL performance
In the 2024 AFL season football will be played on at least six of the seven days of the week across 21 different start times. It has brought the schedule for each team into focus.
Analysis
analysis:How Callum Wilkie went from being overlooked by every AFL team to one of the best defenders in the league
Callum Wilkie can't deny he was disappointed when not a single AFL team took him in what would have been his rookie draft, but since being picked up as a mature-age defender, he has grown into an anchor for St Kilda's backline.
Analysis
analysis:How Eagles dare at centre bounces is a double-edged sword
Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson examine the most basic stoppage in the game and how West Coast's approach is boosting their score but also leaving headaches for the cellar-dwellers.
Analysis
analysis:The long and the short of how player heights in Aussie Rules have changed over time
From echoing societal shifts to changing the way the game is played, the heights of players at the top level of Australian Football have been a crucial part of footy's history.
Analysis
analysis:Matt Rowell, Paul Salmon, and the footy record that was never to be
Clearance king Matt Rowell's astonishing game for the Suns drew headlines against Richmond, although it came up short of the great Paul Salmon — but as Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson write, the truth of who holds the record may be a matter of definition and measurement.
AFL fans need to strap themselves in as the 2024 season promises to be a wild ride
This season shapes as one of the most fascinating in the AFL era, which means predicting who will lift the premiership trophy is fraught with danger, writes Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson.
Analysis
analysis:How changing clock rules led to tennis's late finish problem
Australian Open organisers have tried plenty of changes in a bid to reduce the number of long matches at Melbourne Park, but as Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson explain, they are losing the battle.
Analysis
analysis:The rise of the north and a shock new Giant: Recapping the 2023 AFL draft
The number one pick was all but confirmed, but the 2023 AFL draft shows a surprising shift into the northern states as the Suns strike local gold.
Analysis
analysis:In a battle for the corridor, it was the thriller kings who prevailed on footy's biggest day
No team in history has won more close games than Craig McRae's Magpies, and on the biggest day of all, that ability to control the tight moments was the difference, writes Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson.
Analysis
analysis:A mobile defence and the bogeymen from Brisbane: How this grand final will be won and lost
Brisbane has been Collingwood's bogey team, winning its last six against the Magpies. But grand final day, at the Lions' bogey ground the MCG, with 100,000 supporters heavily skewed towards the black and white, might be a different prospect.
Analysis
analysis:Lachie Neale joins an elite club with his second Brownlow Medal. Here's how he did it
Ten years after playing in his first grand final, Lachie Neale is preparing for a second with a completely different game that has put him in lofty heights as a two-time Brownlow medallist.
Analysis
analysis:The leaders or the challengers? How two massive AFL preliminary finals will be decided
The AFL's preliminary finals weekend pits the league's two most consistent teams of the year — Collingwood and Brisbane — with the most in-form challengers — GWS and Carlton. Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson break down how the games will be won and lost.
This Carlton defender was an anomaly as the top draft pick — but his selection was a risk that's paying off for the Blues
If the Blues are to make the grand final, or even win the premiership, Jacob Weitering will almost certainly play a huge role, writes Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson.
Analysis
analysis:The AFL's All-Australian Team will be announced tonight. Who should make the cut?
From an initial squad off 44 players, 22 will earn the honour of being selected in the final All-Australian Team. Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson run the rule over who deserves to be in and who may miss out.
Analysis
analysis:Geelong's gap year — how the Cats' premiership defence unravelled
Off the back of the 2022 flag, Geelong were once again expected to compete strongly this year. But with a round to go, a series of crucial losses and key absentees mean their defence is already over, write Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson.
Analysis
analysis:Patience pays off as Essendon still controls its own finals fate
A weekend win over the Kangaroos means Essendon's finals chances are still in their own hands — Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson look at the Bombers' season, and how coach Brad Scott's message is sinking in with players.
Analysis
analysis:Behind Carlton spearhead Charlie Curnow's push for a second straight Coleman Medal
Charlie Curnow is on track for a second Coleman Medal in as many years. This is how Carlton is getting the best out of the multifaceted star key forward.
Analysis
analysis:The career of two hall of famers in one — Lance Franklin retires as an AFL great
Lance Franklin's awe-inspiring career may be the closest we get to footy becoming an art form. Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson take a deep dive into Buddy's awe-inspiring time with the Hawks and Swans, and the things that made him special.
Analysis
analysis:Kingsley's Giants on a path to success, inspired by freewheeling Magpies and Tigers
Former Richmond coach Damien Hardwick's influence is being felt across the AFL, most notably at Collingwood but now also at GWS, who are plotting a similar path to success.