The battles within the (football) war.

Plenty needs to go right for a team to win an AFL final, so players taking the honours in their individual match-up or positional groups are crucial pieces of the overall puzzle.

AFL.com.au, with help from the competition's official number-cruncher Champion Data, has delved into the key midfield match-up in the GWS vs Western Bulldogs Elimination Final clash. 

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY v WESTERN BULLDOGS 

This game brings together a large chunk of the AFL's best midfield talent, even with Greater Western Sydney's Stephen Coniglio and Callan Ward and Bulldogs Tom Liberatore and Mitch Wallis on the injury shelf. 

Jacob Hopper, who is having a career-best season, hasn't appeared against the Bulldogs since 2017, but is due back from a hamstring injury and could help tip the balance. Only Matt de Boer averages more centre attendances (19.8) for GWS in 2019, and the tagger had to work overtime in the last match-up (27). 

Hopper was out and Josh Kelly was playing his first game in six weeks, so first-year onballer Jye Caldwell also made 13 centre attendances. It remains to be seen where Toby Greene plays in his return. 

The boys from the Kennel are pouring on the pressure in their forward half, and that's helped them be the No.1 scoring team in the AFL since round 19. 

However, they're also crushing teams in contested ball (plus-10.4), winning more than 60 extra possessions and scoring at a high rate from clearances (ranked third for differential).

Making this interesting is that when the Giants were up and going through Round 14, they ranked No.1 in disposal differential and contested possession differential and second in scores from clearance differential.

May the best midfield win.

STATS OF NOTE

GWS: The Giants kick the ball more than any other team (234.4 per game) and rank No.1 for scores from centre bounces differential (+6.8). 

Western Bulldogs: No.1 for inside 50 differential (+16.3), time in forward half differential (+13:09) and scores from intercept possessions (65.8) across the past four rounds.