Daniel McSctay has stepped up to incredible heights so far in the 2022 season, acting as one of the spearheads behind the Lions' push for a top-four finish.
Across 146 games for Brisbane - where he has kicked 115 goals as a key forward - McStay has cemented himself as one of the key components of the Lions' forward line.
Originally from Victoria, McStay is putting up career nest numbers this season, averaging 1.4 goals per game alongside 12 disposals and an above-average 5.9 marks. At 26 years of age and standing tall at 195cm, McStay could be a very useful puck for a lot of clubs in need of a key forward.
However, with his contract expiring towards the end of the season, the tall forward may be weighing up his options. With plenty of Victorian-based clubs in need of a goalscoring boost, or with other players looking increasingly likely to move on, thereโs a good reason for McStay to head back home.
The Lions forward has already had his name heavily linked to a return south of the Tweed, prompting ongoing speculation around his future from 2023 and beyond.
Forward
Disposals
Marks
Goals
Keeping this in mind, weโve listed FIVE potential landing spots for the key forward in the upcoming free agency period.
2. North Melbourne
There are a lot of areas North Melbourne need to work on. Itโs going to be hard for them to improve as a side if they canโt transition the ball properly into the forward line, so the addition of a player like McStay probably shouldnโt be their priority. However, he would still be an excellent fit for their system if they were to pick him up.
Northโs forward troubles are a result of their poor structure. With big Nick Larkey as their main focal point, their small forwards donโt do enough work to win the ball over after it's been knocked loose. Larkey will do his job but will get ganged up on due to a lack of another forward threat. The addition of Callum Coleman-Jones may pave to fix this issue, but he is yet to make an impact on the team and holds hopes of taking on ruck duties.
Bringing in McStay at 195cm means another reliable forward option who is clearly better suited to the role than Coleman-Jones. As well as being a player who can provide a strong marking presence, he also takes a lot of the attention away from Larkey, meaning the tall can play to his one-on-one strengths.
The evidence for this kind of partnershipโs success is written in history, and itโs worked for North before. The forward line of McStay and Larkey would work in a similar fashion to the Ben Brown/Larkey combination from a few years back, in which Ben Brown came second in the Coleman Medal for two years consecutively despite North's struggles.
