Richmond's forward line ranked 5th worst .... (afl site)

[one-eyed]

Who has the best forwards? We rank every club

AFL.com.au
January 2017

AN EASY measure of the best forward lines in the competition would be to look simply at the 'points scored' column against every club. But in ranking the best attacks club-by-club, we had to dig a little deeper than that.

Of course, a club's average score is a reasonably accurate representation of how successful its forward line is. But when looking ahead, there are other things to take into account.

Who has left the club since last season, and who has joined? Who looks set to step up a cog or two, and who might have left his best form in the past?

The clubs at the top of this list almost picked themselves, such was the wealth of talent and strength of depth available to them inside 50. Similarly, the teams at the bottom were reasonably easy to slot in given some of the rebuilding going on at respective clubs.

Placing the clubs in the middle might have been the most difficult task ahead of what shapes as an enthralling 2017 season.

1. GWS
2. Adelaide
3. W.Bulldogs
4. Hawthorn
5. West Coast
6. Sydney
7. Geelong
8. Port Adelaide
9. St Kilda
10. Gold Coast
11. Fremantle
12. Melbourne
13. North Melbourne


14. Richmond

B: Kamdyn McIntosh, Alex Rance, Dylan Grimes
HB: Bachar Houli, David Astbury, Nick Vlastuin
C: Shaun Grigg, Dustin Martin, Brandon Ellis
HF: Josh Caddy, Jack Riewoldt, Shane Edwards
F: Daniel Rioli, Ben Griffiths, Sam Lloyd
Foll: Shaun Hampson, Trent Cotchin, Dion Prestia
I/C: Anthony Miles, Corey Ellis, Connor Menadue, Jayden Short

Depth
Midfield: Reece Conca, Kane Lambert, Toby Nankervis, Jack Graham, Taylor Hunt, Ivan Maric, Jacob Townsend, Ivan Soldo
Forwards: Ben Lennon, Shai Bolton, Daniel Butler, Mabior Chol, Callum Moore, Tyson Stengle
Defenders: Jake Batchelor, Oleg Markov, Steven Morris, Nathan Broad, Nathan Drummond, Todd Elton, Ryan Garthwaite, Jason Castagna

Richmond ranked fourth-last for points scored last year when it finished 13th on the ladder. The Tigers brought in some valuable players at the trade table, including Josh Caddy and Dion Prestia, who could free up Dustin Martin to spend more time in attack. But there isn't much back-up for tall forwards Jack Riewoldt and Ben Griffiths. Griffiths has also never kicked more than 14 goals in a season (which he booted in 2016) so the Tigers will be keen for a better haul from the 25-year-old in 2017. This season presents as a good chance for first-round pick Ben Lennon to break into the Tigers' forward line and make a spot his own. He would bring a layer of polish to what they already have down there.



15. Collingwood
16. Essendon
17. Brisbane
18. Carlton

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-01-02/who-has-the-best-forwards-we-rank-every-club