BigFooty Forum

At 21 years old, the smooth-moving 203cm giant is the main man in attack, his 160 inside-50 targets dwarfing the next-most-targeted forward at the club, Daniel McStay, who had 96.

No player at Hipwood's age in the AFL carries such a burden, an even tougher assignment once you consider Brisbane ranked bottom five for inside 50s in each of his three seasons to date.

The Lions' answer to Lance Franklin takes most of his marks on the lead at this stage, but had an encouraging eight-game stretch in the second half of 2018 where he hauled in 11 contested marks.

Hipwood's continued natural improvement next year will go a long way to greater Brisbane success, and keeping him on the field is crucial, given the thin key forward depth behind him.

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