All out attack: ranking the forward lines AFL.com.auIN DETERMINING that Hawthorn has the best forward line entering the 2016 season, we needed to look past the simple 'points for' category, in which the Hawks did lead the competition last season.
What teams do in their forward line apart from scoring is also important, such as tackling, intercept marking, accuracy assists, and one-on-one contests.
The Hawks pretty much dominated those facets as well, which is why we ranked them No.1. The better teams tend to figure highly, but we have also tried to anticipate how the teams will look with their new recruits and if their best players are all fit and available.
So we're bullish on the Swans, bearish on Freo, still cautious on the Cats and wondering how in the heck the Blues and Lions are going to turn things around.
1. Hawthorn
2. West Coast
3. Adelaide
4. Sydney Swans
5. Western Bulldogs
6. North Melbourne
7. Geelong
8. Port Adelaide
9. RichmondThe Tigers can clunk a mark in the forward line, but they lag behind when it comes to some of the defensive aspects. Some more consistency from Ben Griffiths and Ty Vickery would be nice, and is this the year Liam McBean commands a regular senior berth? In a perfect world, Dustin Martin would play as a permanent forward where he could wreak havoc. The Tigers laid the fewest tackles inside 50 of any club in 2015 (eight per game) so this shapes as an obvious area of attention heading into next season.
10. Greater Western Sydney
11. Fremantle
12. Collingwood
13. Essendon
14. St Kilda
15. Gold Coast
16. Melbourne
17. Brisbane Lions
18. Carlton
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-12-31/all-out-attack