With the 2025 season inching closer, the second edition ofย Zero Hanger's forward line rankings are here, with teams 12-7 revealed.
The clubs on this list sit in between the best and the worst, either missing the final piece to create a dynamic, high-scoring attack or, opposingly, have one or two star forwards carrying the forward line from second-rate to decent.
TEAMS 18-13: Every AFL team's forward line ranked: Part 1
Here is Part 2 of our forward line rankings...
3. (10th) Adelaideย
With veteran experience and exciting young talent, on paper, the Crows have the forward profile of a real contender.
Unfortunately, last year suggested there are still kinks in the armour to solve.
Adelaide ranked 12th for points per game in 2024, averaging 82.9 points per game. It isn't to say the Crows didn't have their moments, scoring over 100 points five times. However, they also were restricted to six games of 10 goals or less, including a return of just 34 points against Fremantle.
Taylor Walker will be a curious watch in 2025 to see if he can continue to be a threat inside 50 as he reaches the latter stages of his career. A decrease in output won't harm the Crows if Riley Thilthorpe can have a breakout year however, as he kicked 15 goals from just seven games in 2024.
Darcy Fogarty is another challenging forward prospect for defenders after a 41-goal season last year. Despite Josh Rachele being criticised for his efforts in contests, the 21-year-old had a career-best season with 30 goals, while Ben Keays displayed his class time after time, notching 34 majors to his name.
Izak Rankine is set to add more midfield minutes to his tally in 2025, but the livewire 24-year-old will be a scoring threat whether he is stationed inside 50 or not.
The addition of Alex Neal-Bullen will be vital in Adelaide's finals aspirations, coming with premiership experience and a knack for hitting the scoreboard.
The Crows look solid on paper, but as last year made clear, on paper talent doesn't necessarily culminate into a good attacking side. We'll have to wait and see if any young up-and-comers make the jump to star forwards in 2025.
