As the saying goes, forwards sell memberships, and the reasons behind that are obvious. They offer fans the nail-biting, heart-pounding, breath-holding moments in football, with goalscoring shots that can turn momentum on its head, and ultimately, be the difference maker in the result of a game.
In 2024, Jesse Hogan notched his first Coleman Medal with a 69-goal season, 11 ahead of next-best Jeremy Cameron (58) who was closely followed by the reigning leading goalkicker Charlie Curnow (57).
Last season Geelong led the league for goals per game, edging out runner-up Sydney slightly. The Swans led the league for points per game overall though, followed by the Western Bulldogs.
However, after trade and free agency moves, retirements, and new draftees, the forward lines across the league won't be the same as last year. So, with the Opening Round less than two months away, we've ranked every club's forward line 18-1 to determine which club is the greatest attacking threat in 2025.
Here is Part 1, ranking teams 18th through 13th...
1. (18th) Richmond
Unfortunately for the Tigers, it's going to be one of those years where they find themselves ranked last across most rankings.
Richmond's forward line is already hurting after the loss of Shai Bolton's X-factor, let alone Jack Graham and Liam Baker, as well as the retiring Dustin Martin, who had all spent time forward throughout their career.
Their forward mix is spearheaded by Tom Lynch, but his inability to stay on the park has been detrimental to the Tigers' forward line. Lynch has played just eight games in the last two years for a return of 15 goals. His absence is evidently sorely missed, with Richmond dipping from the highest-scoring team in 2022 to 11th in 2023, to last in 2024.
Mykelti Lefau made waves in his debut season but will be on the mend from an ACL injury for the first couple of months of the season. Noah Balta is yet to stick to either defence or attack and will miss the first month through suspension, while Seth Campbell and Rhyan Mansell are early into their careers. It's hard to expect much from Richmond in attack this season, and hence they are ranked 18th.
