There were a few years where the emphasis seemed to be on goalkicking midfielders and running defenders but I have noticed a bit of a trend lately back towards the traditional forward option.
You only have to look at some of the best performed teams from the weekend –St Kilda, Essendon, the Brisbane Lions, Port Adelaide and Hawthorn. What did they all have in common? A swag of goals from their big men.
Don’t get me wrong, you still need to get goals from other players, but when you look at it from all angles the big forward is still the most important part of any football team.
Our success last year was due to many factors, not least of which was Lance Franklin’s 113 goals. It was the first time since 1998 that someone had actually kicked the ton in a home and away season and I think we’ll see more players do it in the coming years.
But it’s not just the goals that help out. I know that it always gives me a lift when I see Franky or Jarryd Roughead take a big contested mark.
The supporters love them too. I remember growing up as a footy fan, the big names in the game were Ablett, Lockett, Dunstall and Carey. All of whom were key forwards.
Even now, they are still the main attraction for spectators. Whenever I see a group of young Hawks supporters come to watch training they will be more often than not wearing the No.23 on their backs.
There are more expectations on the big forwards these days though. In the old days as long as they could take a few grabs and snag a few goals, they would have done their job. Now they have to chase, tackle and have the versatility to play around the ground.
Brendan Fevola has kicked 11 goals so far but his coach Brett Ratten rarely mentions that. Instead he is always praising Fev for chasing and tackling and doing the team things.
Matthew Pavlich, Jonno Brown and Matthew Richardson are three of the most imposing forwards in the game but all of them have the ability to play in the midfield if their teams need it.
They also tend to have a bit of physicality about them and believe me, as someone who spends much of his time in the opposition 50, I am always conscious of where they are on the ground.
You look at Jonno Brown – even if he doesn’t take the mark there is always a chance he is going to run through you. And I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
