first two seasons, but following the retirement of Jeremy Laidler after the 2017 season Papley was able to take on number 11, the number Max Papley wore for 45 of his 59 matches with the South Melbourne Swans. Two of Papley's cousins, Ben Ross and Michael Ross, have also recently played in the AFL. Statistics Updated to the end of the 2022 season. |- | 2016 || || 41 | 20 || 29 || 15 || 141 || 102 || 243 || 57 || 72 || 1.5 || 0.8 || 7.1 || 5.1 || 12.2 || 2.9 || 3.6 || 0 |- | 2017 || || 41 | 20 || 30 || 19 || 193 || 119 || 312 || 67 || 86 || 1.5 || 0.9 || 9.7 || 6.0 || 15.6 || 3.4 || 4.3 || 0 |- | 2018 || || 11 | 20 || 24 || 23 || 169 || 104 || 273 || 65 || 58 || 1.2 || 1.1 || 8.4 || 5.2 || 13.7 || 3.2 || 2.9 || 0 |- | 2019 || || 11 | 22 || 37 || 28 || 241 || 99 || 340 || 106 || 62 || 1.7 || 1.3 || 10.9 || 4.5 || 15.4 || 4.8 || 2.8 || 4 |- | 2020 || || 11 | 17 || 26 || bgcolor=CAE1FF| 27† || 148 || 52 || 200 || 57 || 29 || 1.5 || 1.6 || 8.7 || 3.1 || 11.8 || 3.4 || 1.7 || 6 |- | 2021 || || 11 | 23 || 43 || 27 || 230 || 83 || 313 || 89 || 34 || 1.9 || 1.2 || 10.0 || 3.6 || 13.6 || 3.9 || 1.5 || 4 |- | 2022 || || 11 | 19 || 32 || 26 || 203 || 87 || 290 || 79 || 37 || 1.7 || 1.4 || 10.7 || 4.6 || 15.3 || 4.2 || 1.9 || 5 |- class=sortbottom ! colspan=3 | Career ! 141 !! 221 !! 165 !! 1325 !! 646 !! 1971 !! 520 !! 378 !! 1.6 !! 1.2 !! 9.4 !! 4.6 !! 14.0 !! 3.7 !! 2.7 !! 19 |} Honours and achievements Team McClelland Trophy (): 2016 Individual All-Australian team: 2021 2× Sydney leading goalkicker: 2019, 2020 Victoria representative honours in State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match: 2020 22under22