Toast The Curious Case of Jack Darling

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Darling ended the year on 257 games and 484 goals at 30 years of age.
He is 20 games short of taking the third spot in most games played by a West Coast player (behind Hurn on TBD games and Cox on 290 games).
He is also 30 goals from taking the second spot from Sumich as most goals kicked (behind Kennedy).
These should both be achievable next year if he continues to remain healthy.

Incidentally I was talking to a friend today, who is a Brisbane fan, and he remarked that he believed Darling to be taller than Gunston and thought he was 195cm. When I corrected his inaccurate understanding on Darling's height he was very surprised how short Darling is. He is actually shorter than Bontempelli. By comparison the earlier generation (I'm classifying this as those 33-36 years of age, because I'm electing to be arbitrary) of forwards who have kicked 500+ goals include:
Lance Franklin (199cm; 35 years; 337 games; 1043 goals)
Jack Riewoldt (193cm; 33 years; 325 games; 752 goals)
Tom Hawkins (198cm; 34 years; 324 games; 724 goals)
Josh Kennedy (196cm; 34 years; 293 games; 723 goals)

The current generation includes:
Taylor Walker (195cm; 32 years; 234 games; 528 goals)
Jeremy Cameron (196cm; 29 years; 207 games; 525 goals)
Tom Lynch (199cm; 29 years; 211 games; 444 goals)
Jack Gunston (193cm; 30 years; 225 games; 430 goals)
Ben Brown (200cm; 29 years; 156 games; 333 goals)
Charlie Dixon (199cm; 31 years; 185 games; 305 goals)
Josh Bruce (197cm; 30 years; 150 games; 233 goals)
Matt Taberner (199cm; 29 years; 114 games; 162 goals)
(okay I added Taberner in for the lols, heck Mihocek is one goal behind him having been drafted over five years after Taberner and Tom McDonald has similar goals despite spending half his career down back)

I could see Darling overtake Walker (as there is almost a two year age gap) and landing somewhere about Jonathan Brown or Jarryd Roughead's total (pushing 600 goals in total).
I think this will place him 2nd for goals kicked on the above list behind Cameron, although perhaps Lynch will catch him. Nobody else will catch him on this list.
I think this is testament to how much Darling continues to fight out of his weight class given that he is 2cm shorter than Gunston and Riewoldt and about 6cm shorter than the average of both of these lists.

As an aside there does appear to be a drop off in output between each of these generations (as in I think Cameron might be pushing it to get to 700 goals).
The next tier generation of key forwards below Darling makes for stark reading. We're talking:
Joe Daniher (201cm; 28 years; 148 games; 271 goals)
Jesse Hogan (195cm; 27 years; 115 games; 220 goals)
Daniel McStay (195cm; 27 years; 157 games; 134 goals)

I suppose you could also include Membrey if you're being generous but he's not really a key forward at 190cm. He's kicked 246 goals from 146 games. Ditto Stringer, who has kicked 303 goals from 171 games. He'll be 29 in April.
Absolutely none of these next generation of key forwards are getting close to 500 goals.
Perhaps McKay, Curnow or Hipwood in the mid-20s bracket can get a run on in the next 4-5 years, but they'll need to be kicking 50+ goals each year.
I guess we'll be waiting for the Kings and Naughtons over the next decade to see if they can match Darling's generation (let along Hawkins/Kennedy/Riewoldt).
My, hasn't the landscape changed since the 90s as to what could be expected from a key forward.
 
Last edited:
eaglespremiers said:
Darling ended the year on 257 games and 484 goals at 30 years of age.
He is 20 games short of taking the third spot in most games played by a West Coast player (behind Hurn on TBD games and Cox on 290 games).
He is also 30 goals from taking the second spot from Sumich as most goals kicked (behind Kennedy).
These should both be achievable next year if he continues to remain healthy.

Incidentally I was talking to a friend today, who is a Brisbane fan, and he remarked that he believed Darling to be taller than Gunston and thought he was 195cm. When I corrected his inaccurate understanding on Darling's height he was very surprised how short Darling is. He is actually shorter than Bontempelli. By comparison the earlier generation (I'm classifying this as those 33-36 years of age, because I'm electing to be arbitrary) of forwards who have kicked 500+ goals include:
Lance Franklin (199cm; 35 years; 337 games; 1043 goals)
Jack Riewoldt (193cm; 33 years; 325 games; 752 goals)
Tom Hawkins (198cm; 34 years; 324 games; 724 goals)
Josh Kennedy (196cm; 34 years; 293 games; 723 goals)

The current generation includes:
Taylor Walker (195cm; 32 years; 234 games; 528 goals)
Jeremy Cameron (196cm; 29 years; 207 games; 525 goals)
Tom Lynch (199cm; 29 years; 211 games; 444 goals)
Jack Gunston (193cm; 30 years; 225 games; 430 goals)
Ben Brown (200cm; 29 years; 156 games; 333 goals)
Charlie Dixon (199cm; 31 years; 185 games; 305 goals)
Josh Bruce (197cm; 30 years; 150 games; 233 goals)
Matt Taberner (199cm; 29 years; 114 games; 162 goals)
(okay I added Taberner in for the lols, heck Mihocek is one goal behind him having been drafted over five years after Taberner and Tom McDonald has similar goals despite spending half his career down back)

I could see Darling overtake Walker (as there is almost a two year age gap) and landing somewhere about Jonathan Brown or Jarryd Roughead's total (pushing 600 goals in total).
I think this will place him 2nd for goals kicked on the above list behind Cameron, although perhaps Lynch will catch him. Nobody else will catch him on this list.
I think this is testament to how much Darling continues to fight out of his weight class given that he is 2cm shorter than Gunston and Riewoldt and about 6cm shorter than the average of both of these lists.

As an aside there does appear to be a drop off in output between each of these generations (as in I think Cameron might be pushing it to get to 700 goals).
The next tier generation of key forwards below Darling makes for stark reading. We're talking:
Joe Daniher (201cm; 28 years; 148 games; 271 goals)
Jesse Hogan (195cm; 27 years; 115 games; 220 goals)
Daniel McStay (195cm; 27 years; 157 games; 134 goals)

I suppose you could also include Membrey if you're being generous but he's not really a key forward at 190cm. He's kicked 246 goals from 146 games. Ditto Stringer, who has kicked 303 goals from 171 games. He'll be 29 in April.
Absolutely none of these next generation of key forwards are getting close to 500 goals.
Perhaps McKay, Curnow or Hipwood in the mid-20s bracket can get a run on in the next 4-5 years, but they'll need to be kicking 50+ goals each year.
I guess we'll be waiting for the Kings and Naughtons over the next decade to see if they can match Darling's generation (let along Hawkins/Kennedy/Riewoldt).
My, hasn't the landscape changed since the 90s as to what could be expected from a key forward.
Click to expand...
No Watts or Brander?
 
eaglespremiers said:
Perhaps McKay, Curnow or Hipwood in the mid-20s bracket can get a run on in the next 4-5 years, but they'll need to be kicking 50+ goals each year.
I guess we'll be waiting for the Kings and Naughtons over the next decade to see if they can match Darling's generation (let along Hawkins/Kennedy/Riewoldt).
My, hasn't the landscape changed since the 90s as to what could be expected from a key forward.
Click to expand...
Hipwood won’t catch him. Too spudly.

Hopefully Jack can stay closer to goal because the insistence of us kicking long to him on the wing, inevitably outnumbered by two taller defenders, is not helping him out much
 

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FKASC said:
Hipwood won’t catch him. Too spudly.

Hopefully Jack can stay closer to goal because the insistence of us kicking long to him on the wing, inevitably outnumbered by two taller defenders, is not helping him out much
Click to expand...
I didn't want to name just Carlton players but I agree that it seems highly unlikely. I suppose I could've mentioned Finlayson or Wright but these guys seem unproven up to 2022 and a level below.
The reality is that the cupboard is bare for key forwards between the ages of 24-28 atm.
 
As I'm updating this thread as Darling progresses I thought I'd post my congratulations here.
From the club's social media:
361379091_677021751125208_2229514549005657236_n.jpg
 
Outstanding achievement for Jack. He's a very good chance to finish his career in second place on both the club's all-time goal-kicking list and games record list. Pretty amazing for a KPF of his height to put up those kinds of numbers, and even more amazing that he's been as heavily maligned over his career as he has been.
 
Always been a Jack fan, still am, but I really dislike how over the last few years, he just stabs at the ball when kicking for goal. Never seems to kick through the ball. I reckon it’s a confidence thing, but you used to back him from 50 out, now I dont reckon he’d make the distance from 40 most the time. Still a great player and has been very consistent from his debut. His 3rd quarter in the GF was epic, after having an absolute stinker in the first half. Well done Jack, hope he makes it to 300 and 600
 
Still clearly playing hindered by injury. Can't bend over and has no pace.

Would love to see him have at least 1 more good run at it with the body holding up its part of the bargain. He has been a great player for us but probably lost a little in JK shadow. Would have been walk up B22 at any club for the very vast majority of his career.
 
Darling ended the year on 277 games and 510 goals at 31 years of age.

This was a tough year for Jack who battled elbow injuries, lack of supply and general form.
He still ended up playing 20 games but kicked his second lowest tally of goals for his career (26 goals).
Whilst the criticism is probably not that he was necessarily bad, simply that for long periods of time he was non-existent and had no impact in games.
In his defence there were many occasions when he was used as an outlet when he was two-on-one, and the odds are against any player even halving such a contest most of the time.

Despite this down year Darling is 13 games short of taking the second spot in most games played by a West Coast player (behind Hurn on 333 games and Cox on 290 games).
He is also 4 goals from taking the second spot from Sumich as most goals kicked (behind Kennedy).
These should both be achievable next year if he is healthy (particularly 2nd in the goals record, hopefully in the first couple of rounds).

Next year is a crossroads for Darling. He needs his injuries to heal over the break and make sure he is fully fit.
An improvement by West Coast's midfield of 15-20% may be enough to see him reinvigorated and it is plausible that he may kick 40 goals again.

However, the end often comes fast for many of our players and Jack will be turning 32 next year and, as I understand it, will be out of contract at the end of the year. I think it's fair to say that Jack may be playing for his future next year.

Given the lack of key forwards on our list I can see Darling being given a lifeline for another season in 2025, however, this is not guaranteed and it may be that players like Maric and Williams x 2 might reasonably become viable 2nd forward options in 2025 (which overall would be a net positive).

The current generation of tall forwards includes:
Taylor Walker (195cm; 33 years; 260 games; 612 goals)
Jeremy Cameron (196cm; 30 years; 230 games; 584 goals)
Tom Lynch (199cm; 30 years; 216 games; 456 goals)
Jack Gunston (193cm; 31 years; 242 games; 452 goals)
Ben Brown (200cm; 30 years; 169 games; 353 goals)
Joe Daniher (201cm; 29 years; 174 games; 327 goals)
Jake Stringer (192cm; 29 years; 189 games; 325 goals)
Charlie Dixon (199cm; 32 years; 196 games; 321 goals)
Josh Bruce (197cm; 31 years; 163 games; 234 goals)
Brody Mihocek (192cm; 30 years; 123 games; 209 goals)
Matt Taberner (199cm; 30 years; 120 games; 167 goals)

Due to both Walker and Cameron's sensational years I doubt Darling is going to catch either of them before all three retire.
Accordingly, I think he will place 3rd for goals kicked on the above list behind Cameron and Walker, although perhaps Lynch will catch him (less likely than when I considered this time last year). Nobody else will catch him on this list.

The next tier generation of key forwards below Darling makes for stark reading. We're talking:
Jesse Hogan (195cm; 28 years; 136 games; 266 goals)
Eric Hipwood (203cm; 25 years (almost 26), 149 games; 227 goals)
Charlie Curnow (194cm; 26 years; 107 games; 221 goals)
Harry McKay (200cm; 25 years; 105 games; 201 goals)
Nick Larkey (198cm; 25 years; 94 games; 191 goals)
Aaron Naughton (195cm; 23 years; 118 games; 183 goals)
Daniel McStay (195cm; 27 years; 173 games; 154 goals)
Jeremy Finlayson (197cm; 27 years; 97 games; 135 goals)
Max King (202cm; 23 years; 69 games; 134 goals)
Ben King (202cm; 23 years; 72 games; 127 goals)
Oscar Allen (197cm; 24 years; 82 games; 119 goals)

There's a lot of permutations that could occur for those 23-24 years olds, however, of the rest it is possible that Curnow might climb close to 500 goals (should he continue in the same form of the past two years), however, history suggests that he's not going to have another 3+ years at the same level. So 500 goals (and perhaps catching Darling's final total) is still going to be a lot of work for Curnow (though not impossible). In regard to the other players between 25-28 years I doubt any of them are going to get close to 500 goals (maybe Larkey, if he continues to emulate this year).

Thus if Darling is able to achieve 550+ goals for his career he might end up being the third highest goal kicker for the multiple generations of key forwards following the Franklin/Kennedy/Riewoldt/Hawkins generation for some time.

Given where he stands in his generation of key forwards it cannot be overstated how dependable Jack has been for us.
Every single one of the myriad of players mentioned above is taller than Jack (many substantially so). Yet Jack has out performed all but two of them and his career may end up outlasting all of the next generation of key forwards as well.

My hopes for Darling would be for him to get as close to 300 games as possible and see if he can crack 550 goals.
If this is achieved 2025 will be his swan song before he bows out.

Very few players get the opportunity to go out on a high (ala Joel Selwood or Josh Kennedy). For many the end is disappointing and reflective of a battling team and an ailing player. I wanted more than that for Shuey and particularly Naitanui. Unfortunately, this was not to be (particularly in regard to Naitanui). If anyone suggests that a player who struggles in the last couple of years of their careers has tarnished their reputation I would vehemently disagree. I hope for more than this for Darling. Not that he deserves it more than Shuey or Naitanui, but their race is now run and the outcome cannot be changed. Darling has been a soldier for us for so long and I hope that he does not go gentle into that good night.
 
eaglespremiers said:
Darling ended the year on 277 games and 510 goals at 31 years of age.

This was a tough year for Jack who battled elbow injuries, lack of supply and general form.
He still ended up playing 20 games but kicked his second lowest tally of goals for his career (26 goals).
Whilst the criticism is probably not that he was necessarily bad, simply that for long periods of time he was non-existent and had no impact in games.
In his defence there were many occasions when he was used as an outlet when he was two-on-one, and the odds are against any player even halving such a contest most of the time.

Despite this down year Darling is 13 games short of taking the second spot in most games played by a West Coast player (behind Hurn on 333 games and Cox on 290 games).
He is also 4 goals from taking the second spot from Sumich as most goals kicked (behind Kennedy).
These should both be achievable next year if he is healthy (particularly 2nd in the goals record, hopefully in the first couple of rounds).

Next year is a crossroads for Darling. He needs his injuries to heal over the break and make sure he is fully fit.
An improvement by West Coast's midfield of 15-20% may be enough to see him reinvigorated and it is plausible that he may kick 40 goals again.

However, the end often comes fast for many of our players and Jack will be turning 32 next year and, as I understand it, will be out of contract at the end of the year. I think it's fair to say that Jack may be playing for his future next year.

Given the lack of key forwards on our list I can see Darling being given a lifeline for another season in 2025, however, this is not guaranteed and it may be that players like Maric and Williams x 2 might reasonably become viable 2nd forward options in 2025 (which overall would be a net positive).

The current generation of tall forwards includes:
Taylor Walker (195cm; 33 years; 260 games; 612 goals)
Jeremy Cameron (196cm; 30 years; 230 games; 584 goals)
Tom Lynch (199cm; 30 years; 216 games; 456 goals)
Jack Gunston (193cm; 31 years; 242 games; 452 goals)
Ben Brown (200cm; 30 years; 169 games; 353 goals)
Joe Daniher (201cm; 29 years; 174 games; 327 goals)
Jake Stringer (192cm; 29 years; 189 games; 325 goals)
Charlie Dixon (199cm; 32 years; 196 games; 321 goals)
Josh Bruce (197cm; 31 years; 163 games; 234 goals)
Brody Mihocek (192cm; 30 years; 123 games; 209 goals)
Matt Taberner (199cm; 30 years; 120 games; 167 goals)

Due to both Walker and Cameron's sensational years I doubt Darling is going to catch either of them before all three retire.
Accordingly, I think he will place 3rd for goals kicked on the above list behind Cameron and Walker, although perhaps Lynch will catch him (less likely than when I considered this time last year). Nobody else will catch him on this list.

The next tier generation of key forwards below Darling makes for stark reading. We're talking:
Jesse Hogan (195cm; 28 years; 136 games; 266 goals)
Eric Hipwood (203cm; 25 years (almost 26), 149 games; 227 goals)
Charlie Curnow (194cm; 26 years; 107 games; 221 goals)
Harry McKay (200cm; 25 years; 105 games; 201 goals)
Nick Larkey (198cm; 25 years; 94 games; 191 goals)
Aaron Naughton (195cm; 23 years; 118 games; 183 goals)
Daniel McStay (195cm; 27 years; 173 games; 154 goals)
Jeremy Finlayson (197cm; 27 years; 97 games; 135 goals)
Max King (202cm; 23 years; 69 games; 134 goals)
Ben King (202cm; 23 years; 72 games; 127 goals)
Oscar Allen (197cm; 24 years; 82 games; 119 goals)

There's a lot of permutations that could occur for those 23-24 years olds, however, of the rest it is possible that Curnow might climb close to 500 goals (should he continue in the same form of the past two years), however, history suggests that he's not going to have another 3+ years at the same level. So 500 goals (and perhaps catching Darling's final total) is still going to be a lot of work for Curnow (though not impossible). In regard to the other players between 25-28 years I doubt any of them are going to get close to 500 goals (maybe Larkey, if he continues to emulate this year).

Thus if Darling is able to achieve 550+ goals for his career he might end up being the third highest goal kicker for the multiple generations of key forwards following the Franklin/Kennedy/Riewoldt/Hawkins generation for some time.

Given where he stands in his generation of key forwards it cannot be overstated how dependable Jack has been for us.
Every single one of the myriad of players mentioned above is taller than Jack (many substantially so). Yet Jack has out performed all but two of them and his career may end up outlasting all of the next generation of key forwards as well.

My hopes for Darling would be for him to get as close to 300 games as possible and see if he can crack 550 goals.
If this is achieved 2025 will be his swan song before he bows out.

Very few players get the opportunity to go out on a high (ala Joel Selwood or Josh Kennedy). For many the end is disappointing and reflective of a battling team and an ailing player. I wanted more than that for Shuey and particularly Naitanui. Unfortunately, this was not to be (particularly in regard to Naitanui). If anyone suggests that a player who struggles in the last couple of years of their careers has tarnished their reputation I would vehemently disagree. I hope for more than this for Darling. Not that he deserves it more than Shuey or Naitanui, but their race is now run and the outcome cannot be changed. Darling has been a soldier for us for so long and I hope that he does not go gentle into that good night.
Click to expand...
I believe Darling's contract is up at the end of 2025 not 2024.
 
squashface said:
I believe Darling's contract is up at the end of 2025 not 2024.
Click to expand...

Most of the media, if not all, have him contracted to 2025 but I thought it was 2024

The last contract he signed, in 2019, was reported as a 5 year deal meaning he should be out of contract in 2024. The contract he was on at the time though ran to 2020 so if it was a 5 year extension he’s contracted to 2025

As is the way for West Coast, the official club announcement didn’t give any clarity as to what year it ended. When I searched today, the was an article in the West that said 2024 but no other article I could find at the time said when it ended, only that it was 5 years

At some point later this year, there’ll be a list of free agents for 2024. If his name is (or isn’t) on that list we’ll know for sure
 
Keys said:
Most of the media, if not all, have him contracted to 2025 but I thought it was 2024

The last contract he signed, in 2019, was reported as a 5 year deal meaning he should be out of contract in 2024. The contract he was on at the time though ran to 2020 so if it was a 5 year extension he’s contracted to 2025

As is the way for West Coast, the official club announcement didn’t give any clarity as to what year it ended. When I searched today, the was an article in the West that said 2024 but no other article I could find at the time said when it ended, only that it was 5 years

At some point later this year, there’ll be a list of free agents for 2024. If his name is (or isn’t) on that list we’ll know for sure
Click to expand...
This is so ridiculous. Surely they can publish contract lengths, just have a list - it shouldn't be a guessing game.

Are all clubs this bad, or are we particularly awful?
 

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Keys said:
Most of the media, if not all, have him contracted to 2025 but I thought it was 2024

The last contract he signed, in 2019, was reported as a 5 year deal meaning he should be out of contract in 2024. The contract he was on at the time though ran to 2020 so if it was a 5 year extension he’s contracted to 2025

As is the way for West Coast, the official club announcement didn’t give any clarity as to what year it ended. When I searched today, the was an article in the West that said 2024 but no other article I could find at the time said when it ended, only that it was 5 years

At some point later this year, there’ll be a list of free agents for 2024. If his name is (or isn’t) on that list we’ll know for sure
Click to expand...
Yeah who knows. I just go off Footywire for the POTY thread but they probably know as much as we do and it's just guesswork.
 
Keys said:
Most of the media, if not all, have him contracted to 2025 but I thought it was 2024

The last contract he signed, in 2019, was reported as a 5 year deal meaning he should be out of contract in 2024. The contract he was on at the time though ran to 2020 so if it was a 5 year extension he’s contracted to 2025

As is the way for West Coast, the official club announcement didn’t give any clarity as to what year it ended. When I searched today, the was an article in the West that said 2024 but no other article I could find at the time said when it ended, only that it was 5 years

At some point later this year, there’ll be a list of free agents for 2024. If his name is (or isn’t) on that list we’ll know for sure
Click to expand...

I'm fairly sure JD was one of a number of forwards highlighted to be coming out of contract at the conclusion of next season - on Gettable podcast.
 
Trouto said:
yeah i use footywire too - its never been wrong so far
Click to expand...

They’re not infallible

For example they currently have both Ginbey and Barrass contracted to 2026 when it should be 2027

Also Baker and Dewar listed as 2024 when rookie contracts are usually only 1 year and to the best of my knowledge there’s been no extension for either
 
eaglespremiers said:
Darling ended the year on 277 games and 510 goals at 31 years of age.

This was a tough year for Jack who battled elbow injuries, lack of supply and general form.
He still ended up playing 20 games but kicked his second lowest tally of goals for his career (26 goals).
Whilst the criticism is probably not that he was necessarily bad, simply that for long periods of time he was non-existent and had no impact in games.
In his defence there were many occasions when he was used as an outlet when he was two-on-one, and the odds are against any player even halving such a contest most of the time.

Despite this down year Darling is 13 games short of taking the second spot in most games played by a West Coast player (behind Hurn on 333 games and Cox on 290 games).
He is also 4 goals from taking the second spot from Sumich as most goals kicked (behind Kennedy).
These should both be achievable next year if he is healthy (particularly 2nd in the goals record, hopefully in the first couple of rounds).

Next year is a crossroads for Darling. He needs his injuries to heal over the break and make sure he is fully fit.
An improvement by West Coast's midfield of 15-20% may be enough to see him reinvigorated and it is plausible that he may kick 40 goals again.

However, the end often comes fast for many of our players and Jack will be turning 32 next year and, as I understand it, will be out of contract at the end of the year. I think it's fair to say that Jack may be playing for his future next year.

Given the lack of key forwards on our list I can see Darling being given a lifeline for another season in 2025, however, this is not guaranteed and it may be that players like Maric and Williams x 2 might reasonably become viable 2nd forward options in 2025 (which overall would be a net positive).

The current generation of tall forwards includes:
Taylor Walker (195cm; 33 years; 260 games; 612 goals)
Jeremy Cameron (196cm; 30 years; 230 games; 584 goals)
Tom Lynch (199cm; 30 years; 216 games; 456 goals)
Jack Gunston (193cm; 31 years; 242 games; 452 goals)
Ben Brown (200cm; 30 years; 169 games; 353 goals)
Joe Daniher (201cm; 29 years; 174 games; 327 goals)
Jake Stringer (192cm; 29 years; 189 games; 325 goals)
Charlie Dixon (199cm; 32 years; 196 games; 321 goals)
Josh Bruce (197cm; 31 years; 163 games; 234 goals)
Brody Mihocek (192cm; 30 years; 123 games; 209 goals)
Matt Taberner (199cm; 30 years; 120 games; 167 goals)

Due to both Walker and Cameron's sensational years I doubt Darling is going to catch either of them before all three retire.
Accordingly, I think he will place 3rd for goals kicked on the above list behind Cameron and Walker, although perhaps Lynch will catch him (less likely than when I considered this time last year). Nobody else will catch him on this list.

The next tier generation of key forwards below Darling makes for stark reading. We're talking:
Jesse Hogan (195cm; 28 years; 136 games; 266 goals)
Eric Hipwood (203cm; 25 years (almost 26), 149 games; 227 goals)
Charlie Curnow (194cm; 26 years; 107 games; 221 goals)
Harry McKay (200cm; 25 years; 105 games; 201 goals)
Nick Larkey (198cm; 25 years; 94 games; 191 goals)
Aaron Naughton (195cm; 23 years; 118 games; 183 goals)
Daniel McStay (195cm; 27 years; 173 games; 154 goals)
Jeremy Finlayson (197cm; 27 years; 97 games; 135 goals)
Max King (202cm; 23 years; 69 games; 134 goals)
Ben King (202cm; 23 years; 72 games; 127 goals)
Oscar Allen (197cm; 24 years; 82 games; 119 goals)

There's a lot of permutations that could occur for those 23-24 years olds, however, of the rest it is possible that Curnow might climb close to 500 goals (should he continue in the same form of the past two years), however, history suggests that he's not going to have another 3+ years at the same level. So 500 goals (and perhaps catching Darling's final total) is still going to be a lot of work for Curnow (though not impossible). In regard to the other players between 25-28 years I doubt any of them are going to get close to 500 goals (maybe Larkey, if he continues to emulate this year).

Thus if Darling is able to achieve 550+ goals for his career he might end up being the third highest goal kicker for the multiple generations of key forwards following the Franklin/Kennedy/Riewoldt/Hawkins generation for some time.

Given where he stands in his generation of key forwards it cannot be overstated how dependable Jack has been for us.
Every single one of the myriad of players mentioned above is taller than Jack (many substantially so). Yet Jack has out performed all but two of them and his career may end up outlasting all of the next generation of key forwards as well.

My hopes for Darling would be for him to get as close to 300 games as possible and see if he can crack 550 goals.
If this is achieved 2025 will be his swan song before he bows out.

Very few players get the opportunity to go out on a high (ala Joel Selwood or Josh Kennedy). For many the end is disappointing and reflective of a battling team and an ailing player. I wanted more than that for Shuey and particularly Naitanui. Unfortunately, this was not to be (particularly in regard to Naitanui). If anyone suggests that a player who struggles in the last couple of years of their careers has tarnished their reputation I would vehemently disagree. I hope for more than this for Darling. Not that he deserves it more than Shuey or Naitanui, but their race is now run and the outcome cannot be changed. Darling has been a soldier for us for so long and I hope that he does not go gentle into that good night.
Click to expand...

Jack has been pretty ordinary since 2020 and particularly bad in the last two seasons, I don't see him going beyond 2024, he's part of the coaches' boys club so as long as he's there i'm sure Darling will be too.
 
CursoryMercenary said:
Jack has been pretty ordinary since 2020 and particularly bad in the last two seasons, I don't see him going beyond 2024, he's part of the coaches' boys club so as long as he's there i'm sure Darling will be too.
Click to expand...
Darling's second half of 2022 was very good. His first half wasn't because it was basically his preseason. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he was carrying something for much of this year. I don't think it'll be as clear as 2024 being his last year but he certainly needs a good year to play on.
 
CursoryMercenary said:
Jack has been pretty ordinary since 2020 and particularly bad in the last two seasons, I don't see him going beyond 2024, he's part of the coaches' boys club so as long as he's there i'm sure Darling will be too.
Click to expand...

Well he already knows no matter how badly he plays he will never be dropped


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I'm hoping for a Taylor Walker type of resurgence.

Walker had some lean years when everyone thought he was finished. This was also when Adelaide was really struggling.
Adelaide have been playing much better footy over the past two years and Walker has been kicking goals.

Hopefully we can improve next year and the goals follow for Darling.
Go Jack!!
 
Darling carried a back injury basically from round 3-4 onwards. It settled over the course of the year but was particularly bad before the bye. I think if the club didn't have such a huge injury list he wouldn't have played a lot of the season.

His stats don't look great but I still think he had a decent year. Was double teamed most of the time, undersized, playing under duress and still managed to halve most contests.

Think also about the number and quality of inside 50's the club had and him being even more of a decoy than normal and it is what it is.

I think people are judging him really harshly due to the fact we have had an embarrassment of riches in F50 for so long and he has been battered as an undersized KPF for 13 years. Eventually even iron jacks body is going to break down.
 
WCEbrody said:
Easily the most frustrating player at the club. Surely this isn't what he's going to be for the rest of his career...
Click to expand...
Heh heh.

Still frustrating, but not 2017 levels of disappointing when he was admittedly dealing with a lot of s**t at home.

Got through the no-Vax saga, played through injury all year this year in a very average side, but still got his 500 goals.

Definitely worth the draft pick we took him at and then some.
 
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