THE BEST key forward duos in the competition will meet this week, and they will do so having already matched it with some of the game's best attacking pairings over the last 20 years.
When the Cats face the Blues at the MCG on Saturday night, it will pit the partnership of Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins against Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay. Both combinations are near-certain to end the season with 100 goals between them.
Cameron and Hawkins' current total of 89 combined goals sits just ahead of Curnow and McKay's total of 86. Both are likely to eclipse the records set by the lead pairings of the past five seasons, at the very least.
Since 2010, Hawthorn pair Jarryd Roughead and Lance Franklin (126 goals in 2013) and Adelaide duo Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins (126 goals in 2016) hold the record for the most goals of any pairing in the League.
In the past five seasons, it's Richmond's Jack Riewoldt and Josh Caddy (109 goals in 2018).
No forward pairing on a premiership team has kicked 100 goals collectively since Roughead and Luke Breust combined for 115 back in 2014. Only seven have done it on a premiership side since 2000.
Last season, Melbourne premiership pair Bayley Fritsch and Kysaiah Pickett kicked 82 goals throughout the home and away season. It's a landmark already passed by both Cameron and Hawkins, as well as Curnow and McKay, with six games left in the campaign.
In the AFL era, Hawthorn pair Jason Dunstall and Paul Hudson (176 goals in 1992) hold the record for the most majors between two players. Since 2000, that honour again falls to another Hawks duo in Franklin and Roughead (168 goals in 2008).
This season, highlighting the gap between Geelong and Carlton's forward pairing and the rest of the League, the next best is the 70 goals totalled by Richmond's Tom Lynch and Shai Bolton.
Curnow and McKay also have an almighty chance to break a record that has stood for over a century later this season, should the former follow the latter in eventually claiming the Coleman Medal.
No two players on the same team have won the Coleman Medal – or the AFL/VFL's goalkicking title – in consecutive years since Albert Thurgood and Fred Hiskins claimed the honour while at Essendon in the 1900 and 1901 seasons.
However, McKay won last year's Coleman Medal with 58 goals while Curnow leads this season's crop of goalkickers with 50 majors – four ahead of Cameron with six games left in the year.
YOUR CLUB'S BEST FORWARD PAIR
89 Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins (Geelong)
86 Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay (Carlton)
70 Tom Lynch and Shai Bolton (Richmond)
68 Isaac Heeney and Lance Franklin (Sydney)
66 Aaron Naughton and Cody Weightman (Western Bulldogs)
65 Max King and Tim Membrey (St Kilda)
64 Charlie Cameron and Zac Bailey (Brisbane)
64 Mitch Lewis and Luke Breust (Hawthorn)
61 Mabior Chol and Levi Casboult (Gold Coast)
58 Brody Mihocek and Jack Ginnivan (Collingwood)
55 Peter Wright and Nic Martin (Essendon)
55 Bayley Fritsch and Ben Brown (Melbourne)
52 Rory Lobb and Lachie Schultz (Fremantle)
50 Toby Greene and Jesse Hogan (Greater Western Sydney)
49 Todd Marshall and Jeremy Finlayson (Port Adelaide)*
48 Taylor Walker and Shane McAdam (Adelaide)*
48 Nick Larkey and Cam Zurhaar (North Melbourne)
44 Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling (West Coast)
* Denotes teams with multiple best forward pairs (goal assists used to find leader)
BEST FORWARD PAIRS SINCE 2010
2010: Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead (111 goals for Hawthorn)
2011: Lance Franklin and Luke Breust (101 goals for Hawthorn)
2012: Stephen Milne and Nick Riewoldt (103 goals for St Kilda)
2013: Jarryd Roughead and Lance Franklin (126 goals for Hawthorn)
2014: Jarryd Roughead and Luke Breust (115 goals for Hawthorn)
2015: Josh Kennedy and Mark LeCras (116 goals for West Coast)
2016: Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins (126 goals for Adelaide)
2017: Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling (104 goals for West Coast)
2018: Jack Riewoldt and Josh Caddy (109 goals for Richmond)
2019: Jeremy Cameron and Jeremy Finlayson (104 goals for Greater Western Sydney)
2020: Tom Hawkins and Gary Rohan (61 goals for Geelong)
2021: Charlie Cameron and Joe Daniher (92 goals for Brisbane)
