Who is the best young key forward in the league (25 or younger at the end of this year)?

Who is the best young key forward in the league (born 1995 or later)?


  • Total voters
    198
  • Poll closed .

Sherrinator

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Dec 1, 2004
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Even if Hipwood (16 goals from 27 shots, in 11 games) was going at 70% goalkicking accuracy (which is on the high end), he'd only have 3 extra goals this season, roughly an extra goal every 3-4 games.

He really doesn't take enough shots for accuracy/inaccuracy to be that much of a factor in his overall output.

He has kicked heaps OOTF or proper sprayed them.
 

Kreuuuzeurns

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 25, 2013
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How so? It remains an open question who that will be.

Despite your best efforts, you're not very good at clever rejoinders. You miss the mark pretty much every time.

Tie between B.King and Hipwood at the moment. Hopefully big Max can snag one tonight to make it a three way tie.

If only Himmelberg didn’t have a bye. Maybe he can become the best forward next week :moustache:
 

Mt Isa Mustang

Cancelled
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Nov 23, 2019
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So it's a slightly arbitrary cut-off point but I'm basically saying born 1995 or later.

Who's the best young key forward within those parameters?

A lot of people might say Jordan De Goey but I don't really consider him a key forward, although I assume that will be debated. But, in light of that, who is it?

For the record, Eric Hipwood and Max King currently have the most goals this season of players who qualify.

According to the weird AFL rating points, GWS have the top two in Jeremy Finlayson and Harry Himmelberg. Make of that what you will.

Is anyone willing to declare that the King twins are already #1 and #2?

Is there a case for Aaron Naughton or Charlie Curnow despite limited appearances this year?
Ben King (16) kicked more goals than Max King (15)
 

Bald

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Apr 5, 2016
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Buddy is a fair different player to JUH. Buddy could kick the pill about 70m, was one of the best field kicks in the game and had a shocking set of mitts when marking the ball. JUH is agile has a huge leap and great hands, but has an ordinary kick from all reports. Amazing prospect regardless but from whats been said about him completely different to the big Budwa
Look. I agree with everything you've said but please, let a man dream.
 

Deelighted

Club Legend
Aug 2, 2009
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In terms of output in their careers to this point, it is quite comfortably Jesse Hogan. Kicked 40+ 3 times (the only season he didn't at Melbourne was when he played 10 games due to injury, in which he kicked 20). Not just a goal kicker either, capable of getting good numbers up the ground and using it well in general play.

Unfortunately injury and personal issues appear to have somewhat derailed his career.

He seemed to struggle in the games I saw him play for Freo last season, if he can get back to the level he was at for Melbourne between 2015-2018 he is far more advanced than most of the (admittedly younger and less experienced) players in the poll. Does seem like a big if at this point though.
 
Jan 19, 2008
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In terms of output in their careers to this point, it is quite comfortably Jesse Hogan. Kicked 40+ 3 times (the only season he didn't at Melbourne was when he played 10 games due to injury, in which he kicked 20). Not just a goal kicker either, capable of getting good numbers up the ground and using it well in general play.

Unfortunately injury and personal issues appear to have somewhat derailed his career.

He seemed to struggle in the games I saw him play for Freo last season, if he can get back to the level he was at for Melbourne between 2015-2018 he is far more advanced than most of the (admittedly younger and less experienced) players in the poll. Does seem like a big if at this point though.

No chance.

To the OP, Naughton on the exposed body of work, for the game the way it is played now.

The Kings look the most promising coming through.

Hipwood isn't going to be a star IMO.
 

skittlebrew

Premiership Player
Feb 8, 2013
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King brothers didn't get the memo that tall forwards aren't meant to play this well this early in their careers. Their improvement won't be linear but crazy to see they're this good already.
 
May 5, 2006
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On exposed form, Hogan. Has 3 x 40+ goal seasons at AFL level. None of the others have any. Love Naughton, but he only has one season to his name as a forward. He is an exceptional contested mark but may end up back in defence.

Jeremy Finlayson underrated. Kicked 44 goals last year and took 5 marks a game. He's only 24.

I want to vote Allen because he is such a natural footballer, but realistically it will be one of the Kings. Only 20 years old and have played 10-20 odd games each and are already impacting games as ruckman sized forwards. Both are also the #1 tall target inside 50 already. Hipwood is similarly sized and doesn't produce any more after 5 years and 85 games.
 

Mt Isa Mustang

Cancelled
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My mistake. That's what you get for being twins.
At the start of the year Ben King was $251 to win the Coleman and Max was $67 or something similar.
Couldn't really understand that considering Ben finished 2019 with at least 3 goals in 3/5 last games. Just thought it was Melbourne / hype bias
 
Jun 26, 2016
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At the start of the year Ben King was $251 to win the Coleman and Max was $67 or something similar.
Couldn't really understand that considering Ben finished 2019 with at least 3 goals in 3/5 last games. Just thought it was Melbourne / hype bias
Maybe it was, but it probably had more to do with St Kilda being higher rated as a team compared to GC at the time combined with Max King being rated as the better talent before he did his knee. There usually isn't that much difference between $67 and $251 in terms of public perception though
 
At the start of the year Ben King was $251 to win the Coleman and Max was $67 or something similar.
Couldn't really understand that considering Ben finished 2019 with at least 3 goals in 3/5 last games. Just thought it was Melbourne / hype bias
Can only suspect it was due to Max being rated as the better forward as a junior...

Still weird since he has effectively 1 year less development on Ben
 

Bungeye

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Aug 19, 2017
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In terms of x factor it is between mckay and curnow. The best marking forward is naughton. I'm not convinced with the king twins because of their height. We've seen plenty of tall, bean pole players over the recent years fail miserably. What unique characteristics do the king twins possess that differs frin the rest? Are they mentally stronger? Can they kick accurately?
 

Pykie

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Naughton is a freak contested mark but he still needs to work on his forward craft for mine. Has time on his side though.

I have loved Larkey so far showing an absolute ton. Being a smaller name in a smaller club hurts his hype.

Lewis is incredibly unfit at the moment. Got injured at the end of last season and had shoulder surgery, had a small set back during pre season. Played a JLT game and did his ankle missing another month or so and after the COVID break did a hammy/hip?. I would be okay with the club just nursing him through scratch matches the rest of the year and just preparing him for next year at this point in time.

Kicked 2 bags of 5 last year and despite missing months of football this year has come back strong. He looked good in pre-season, even looked like competing with Brown for the #1 mantle back then.

He strikes me as a 250+ gamer, 1 or 2 x AA type. Like a Drew Petrie, Stewie Lowe, Gary Lyon, Travis Cloke type.

Might not be the very best, win a bag of Colemans or 4 or 5 AA's, but an excellent forward with a long career that most likely kicks 400+ goals.

He's absolutely the best kick for goal in the comp, absolute text book technique.
 

Pykie

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In terms of x factor it is between mckay and curnow. The best marking forward is naughton. I'm not convinced with the king twins because of their height. We've seen plenty of tall, bean pole players over the recent years fail miserably. What unique characteristics do the king twins possess that differs frin the rest? Are they mentally stronger? Can they kick accurately?

The King twins are athletically even more talented than both MCKay and Curnow.

The other two aren't in the same conversation for X-Factor and that's saying something.


Ben is the most promising tall in the league imo.
 
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