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...
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.
Although Waterman was fitted for his first All-Australian blazer, West Coast was one of the poorer offensive sides in 2024.
They averaged just 69 points per game (ranked 17th), which makes it unsurprising that Waterman's 53-goal tally nearly doubled the second-highest goalkicker - Jamie Cripps' 27.
Darling, while only offering 22 goals last season, could still be an exit that negatively impacts the side as he took attention away from Waterman and Oscar Allen, allowing them greater space to lead and score from.
The additions of Matthew Owies and Jack Graham could curb that though, and potentially be dynamic inclusions to the mix.
It may be another season of development for West Coast, and thus we shouldn't expect a large improvement from their scoring output in 2025.
How much better do the Roos get after their acquisitions of veteran talent? It seems like a story we'll have to watch unfold before we rank North Melbourne any higher.
While Darling and Parker add valuable experience, Darling kicked just 22 goals last season, while Parker was slightly more productive with 14 goals from 10 appearances.
Nick Larkey was a Coleman smokey in 2023 despite the lack of success for North Melbourne, and he kicked 46 goals in 2024. Cameron Zurhaar and Paul Curtis remain underrated components to the Roos' outfit, combining for 59 goals in 2024.
Eddie Ford, Harry Sheezel and Jy Simpkin were all regular goalkickers in 2024 too, however, the latter two are irregularly stationed inside 50 for the majority of the match.
What hurt the Kangaroos the most was their inability to convert inside 50s into scores, scoring from just 38.3% of their inside 50s (ranked 18th).
While on paper, their forward line ranks no higher than 16th. There is potential for the Roos to flourish in 2025 if the team can gel quickly with their new veteran teammates.
Similarly to Richmond, without a healthy star forward the Saints' forward line is scarce of firepower. Max King has the capability to have 50+ goal seasons, but his injuries and inaccuracy keep leaving fans wondering about how good he can be.
King played in just 12 games in 2024, leading to small forward Jack Higgins taking control of the forward half with a 36-goal season.
St Kilda are now without their second-highest goalkicker of last year after Membrey's departure, although the Saints hadn't offered him a new contract anyway. 24-year-old Cooper Sharman could finally take the leap in becoming the key forward pairing King is after, after kicking 18 goals from 18 appearances in 2024.
But the Saints will have plenty of work to do to improve. They ranked 15th for points per game in 2024, with an average of just 76 points per game. Whilst defence was the key part of their winning formula in 2023, it was unable to carry them through to a consecutive finals berth in 2024.
The Demons lack a true key forward, as while Bayley Fritsch presents as an undersized option, their taller targets are still developing.
Jacob Van Rooyen certainly has the potential to become the future key forward Melbourne desire, but he is only 21. A breakout season for the young tall could provide the Demons with more firepower up forward, after averaging 1.4 goals per game in his first two full seasons.
Daniel Turner is also a viable option but has yet to have a breakout year at AFL level.
On a positive note, the Demons boast the talent of Kysaiah Pickett, who has kicked 36+ goals in his last four seasons. Pickett and Fritsch have been the one-two punch since 2021, however their goalkicking numbers have decreased year-on-year.
Despite the brewing talent, Melbourne are still lacking some sort of edge in their forward 50. They ranked 14th for points per game in 2024, a stark contrast to their top-six rankings between 2021 and 2023. If they are to reascend the ladder in 2025, their forwards' contribution must improve significantly.
Collingwood finally signed an experienced key forward target in the off-season in Tim Membrey, but it still may be another season of relying upon small forwards and potent midfielders to add to the scoreboard in 2025 as Membrey enters the twilight years of his career.
Brody Mihocek remains the best key forward option besides Membrey after kicking 19 goals from his 11 appearances in 2024. A fully healthy Dan McStay will also be impactful but he hasn't made his case for being a star key forward yet, with his career-high goalkicking season just 28 majors.
The Magpies' list overall is notably old, and the veteran players trickle into their forward line. Jamie Elliot (32), Mihocek (31) and Membrey (30) are the oldest, but Collingwood are fortunate to have Lachie Schultz (27) and Beau McCreery (23) in the mix too.
Of course, the exhilarating Bobby Hill provides the X-factor needed to have a dynamic forward line, with his craftiness and agility able to create goals out of nothing.
With just one player cracking the 30-goal mark in 2024 (Hill), Collingwood's premiership aspirations have been rightfully questioned with the limited targets inside 50. Likewise to North Melbourne, the impact of veterans such as Membrey will be a wait-and-see story before the Pies can be ranked any higher.