The AFL's Young Crop Of Key Forwards Are Real And Spectacular

Key forwards are once again vitally important in the AFL in 2022.

Lance Franklin reaching the 1000-goal milestone might’ve ruined the perception on the new-age key forward, given the generational overlap and the likelihood we’ll not see that mark reached again for a long time, but the significance of the position is just as viable as it has been in modern history.

Put simply, a good key forward mightn’t single-handedly change the fortunes of a bad team, but no club can win a Premiership without a good key forward.

The beauty in celebrating “Buddy’s” epic landmark is the focus it allows us to spread across the competition and dare to dream of the players who could ever reach the great heights only 6 men have climbed to before.

Stylistically, there has always been great variety in what a key forward looks like and the impact they have on their team and this season, it feels as though the variance is to be celebrate even more.

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With centre clearances and the 6-6-6 rule creating space, there’s room enough for the bulking forwards, the lead-up types, the ones that run dummy leads, those who stand in the goalsquare and barely move and the old-school centre half-forwards.

On a yearly basis, we consider the current crop of players to be as skilled as we’ve seen in the AFL and it feels no different to start 2022.

Simply looking at the performances of young, long-term key forwards through the opening month gives us such great hope of what’s to come in the future, and there is plenty of talent we haven’t even seen.

Through the first 3 games of the season, Nick Larkey leads the Coleman Medal with 10 goals, having been able to play against the heavily depleted Eagles in Round 2. 

Despite playing for one of the league’s worst teams, Larkey is a strong lead-up presence whose patterns inside 50 allow him to rank in the competition’s top 10 for marks inside the arc. With unheralded accuracy in front of goal, one can only imagine the levels the 23-year-old can get to with decent entries.

Space inside 50 is what a player like Sam Weideman has been begging for, while Melbourne fans have been holding out hope that the 24-year-old is their solution to a longer-term key forward. Against the Bombers in Round 3, he finished with 11 disposals, 7 marks, 6 marks inside 50 and 4 goals in a fantastic sign.

We know that key forwards take time to develop and Weideman might be squeezing into a best 22 spot in the best team in the league with the work rate he showcased against Essendon.

Aaron Naughton is a known commodity as one of the most highly-rated young key forwards in the league. He leads up well close to goal but also has the innate ability to take contested marks from five-deep, such is the quality of his hands. With 100 goals in 63 games since his debut season, it feels as though the trajectory the 22-year-old is heading on.

Similarly, we know that Max King is another contender to be the generational key forward of this era and his dominance on an average team at just 21 years of age is a sight for sore eyes. 

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If anyone was unconvinced by the best contested marking forward going around at 202 centimetres, King’s fitness base and work rate has seemingly gone up to a new level in 2022. Through the first 3 games, he has finished with at least 10 disposals and 6 marks in each game – he had double-digit disposals in just 50% of his games last season and reached that mark tally just 30% of the time.

We’ve discussed Carlton’s key forward duo, Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow in the past and having both at full fitness has unlocked an avenue to success at the Blues that hasn’t been seen since Brendan Fevola was reaching triple-figures on a yearly basis.

The combination of a tall contested marking presence with a skilled, hard-working lead-up sort with great distribution and long-kicking has created such space inside 50 that it simply must bring medium-sized players and crumbers into play.

That is what has made Noah Balta such a perfect addition to Richmond’s forward line and why so many a bullish on his potential. With veterans holding down their traditional spots closer to goal, the 22-year-old can use his hybrid style of play to affect the Tigers’ distribution into attack.

Balta is extremely quick and has great hands for a tall, meaning his explosivity creates space from his opponent close to goal and his work rate to get up the ground and take contested marks can be damaging. 

Hawthorn’s early-season success has been aided significantly by the strides forward Mitch Lewis has taken in a game similarly moulded to Max King’s. For a team bargaining on efficient entries to be impactful, the 23-year-old being ranked 1^st for contested marks and 4^th for marks inside 50 is telling us that he’s the perfect fit in Sam Mitchell’s scheme.

Then, there’s the one that can change the entire landscape of what it means to be a key forward.

Jack Lukosius hasn’t started the year off brilliantly back in the forward role, yet the moments he has had are indicative of a revolutionary type of player. Perhaps the most talented user in the competition, the 21-year-old is averaging just 11.7 disposals through three games, but is posting 5.7 inside 50s per game, 4.3 score involvements and nearly 2 marks inside 50.

His hands have let him down a little as he readjusts to leading up to the ball, but the former Pick 2 made a name for himself in juniors for his work rate, kicking and scoreboard impact and the early signs are there.

If it all clicks, we haven’t quite seen a player that can be as involved in offensive chains in as many ways as Lukosius.

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It’s remarkable to consider all the highlights we’ve seen from this many key forwards under 25, particularly given the likes of Oscar Allen, Ben King, Riley Thilthorpe, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Logan McDonald, Harrison Jones, Kaine Baldwin and Charlie Comben have barely been sighted – not even including draftees that are yet to debut.

Given the patience that should be exercised, even more established players like Peter Wright, Harry Himmelberg, even 28-year-old Joe Daniher playing excellent early-season footy is a sign that the quality and depth of key forwards across the competition is at its best in 2022.

So when we consider the competition’s legendary key forwards, or the ones that have been playing for a decade or so at a high level, we needn’t be concerned that the near future might not feature players averaging 5 or 6 goals a game.

The role of a key forward has changed to the point where their importance to a team can be as dominant as it is unselfish, and the performance of their smaller teammates will only flourish as a result.

It’s a testament to recruiters and the form of existing players in the competition that we continue to see great variety in the young talent coming through.

Players not afraid to focus on different areas of their games and develop differently often prove to be the biggest impact players in the competition.

If you think talls in attack have to kick 80+ goals a year to be relevant, think again.

In 2022, key forwards as just as important as ever in more ways than ever before. 

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