With our picks for the best defensive groups that never overlapped in the AFL era in the books, it is now time to shift our focus to the opposite end of the field.
When we think about the game's greatest highlights, it is usually the men in the goal square that acted as architects.
When we as fans cast our minds back to the first numbers we ever had stitched onto our replica jumpers, it was usually the full forward's digits that we selected.
They are the men that keep both the scoreboard and the turnstiles ticking.
With the AFL era now 32 years old (1990 to the present day), we here at Zero Hanger have decided to select a group of club greats on each line whose careers never overlapped.
As with our group of defenders, here are the ground rules for selection:
1. Three players must be selected from each club.
2. Even if they have played for multiple clubs, no player can be selected on the list of two teams.
3. All players must have played at least a portion of their careers from 1990 onwards.
4. As mentioned, no player can have played an in-season match with any of their colleagues during their time at their selected club.
For example, should Jason Dunstall be selected for Hawthorn, then all of his forward line friends from 1985 to 1998 will fail our criteria.
With that in mind, here is our best stab.
Let us know how we have gone and which clubs you feel have fared best.
Geelong
Gary Ablett Senior – 1984-1997 (242 games and 1021 goals)
Just like his son that he shares his name with, this man needs little introduction.
With nine leading goalkicker awards, four All-Australians, three consecutive Colemans, a league MVP, the official title of Geelong's greatest ever player and a week-long highlights package, it is not hard to see why Gary Ablett Senior was dubbed ‘God'.
Kent Kingsley – 2001-2006 (110 games and 227 goals)
Although maligned by some and easily the weakest link in this trio of Geelong goal kickers, Kent Kingsley is deserving of his selection.
With four consecutive club goal scoring titles between 2002 and 2005, I challenge you to find a better credentialed Cat that does not overlap with the names either side of him.
Tom Hawkins – 2007-Present (227 games and 603 goals)
Despite boasting less than half of the total goals Ablett Snr scored for Geelong, Tom Hawkins also has nine leading goal scorer awards to his name.
After being selected with a father-son pick, Hawkins took a while finding his feet at AFL level, before he eventually exploded onto the scene with a brilliant 2011 Grand Final.
Although 2020 was a season that would have left Hawkins proud having won his first Coleman medal, it is unlikely that he will look back on it with too much fondness due to the Cats' second half fadeout against Richmond in the decider.
