Will Lynch kick 70+ goals this year?
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Coleman Medal winner hits six-year firstIn the past six years, not one Coleman Medal winner has kicked 70 goals in the home-and-away season.
Albeit the 2020 campaign that was affected by COVID-19 prevented an onslaught of majors due to the reduced game time, the surrounding years has failed to live up to the yesteryear's of the AFL.
Lance Franklin slotted 69 in 2017 and Jeremy Cameron nearly matched him with 67 of his own in 2019.
For the footy lover, it seems that an endless parade of goals from the same players seems so farfetched that it's not even considered a part of our game today.
With midfielders resting forward, defensive zones and presses making it hard for opposition teams to score, the Coleman Medal is a shell of what it once was.
According to the AFLtables, scoring on average has dropped dramatically.
For instance, let's use the 2000 numbers and compare them to 2022.
In 2000, an average of 15.2 goals and 10.0 behinds per team was scored, resulting in around 100 points.
Last year was 12.1 majors and 8.4 points, equalling a total of around 80 per team.
However, a saving grace for high-scoring match fans is that since 2018, the average overall has been on a slow decline (excluding 2020) and 2022 is arguably on the way up.
Clubs have realised that playing defensive brands doesn't necessarily win you games and almost halts your own momentum.
Geelong's 2022 year is evidence enough to suggest that being able to score at will can win you flags.
So with that said, a player in 2023 will hit 70-plus goals.
Recently retired West Coast gun Josh Kennedy was the last player to hit the 70-plus in 2015.
Jeremy Cameron always poses as the likely of all forwards to do so,
while Richmond's Tom Lynch had the best average goals per game in 2022.
Even Carlton's Charlie Curnow deserves a look-in, slotting 64 majors in 2022 from 106 shots on goal.
https://www.sportingnews.com/au/afl/news/afl-2023-news-season-predictions/jaororqsaqvq4ijxytnhygna