Zeroย Hanger's next instalment of 'start, bench, cut' sees us examine a trio of electrifying hybrid forwards.
Richmond forward-midfielder Shai Bolton, Melbourne jackknife Kysaiah Pickett, and Geelong score-involvement maestro Gryan Miers culminate in three of the more dynamic front-half players in the competition.
These goalscoring smalls became premiership players early into their careers, with Richmond's Bolton the sole dual-flag-winner of this group.
As we dissect the careers and recent form of this trio of elusive offensive threats, we ponder who to hypothetically 'start' (our number one choice of the three), 'bench' (our runner-up) and 'cut' (our odd man out).
We reviewed the cases of Bolton, Pickett, and Miers before revealing our start, bench, and cut verdicts.
2. Kysaiah Pickett
Pickett undoubtedly plays the most physically imposing style of game of this trio, and it isn't very close.
In fact, as we know, he's sometimes succumbed to crossing the line between 'fair' and 'indiscretion', which has represented a rare blight on his glittering game.
This year, Pickett averaged 4.0 tackles per game for the Demons; ranking elite in comparison to the league's brigade of forwards, demonstrating the immense defensive impact he has on games in addition to his obvious attacking exploits.
As for those attacking exploits, Pickett also managed a mean of 1.5 goals per game during Melbourne's top-four-finish campaign; a feat that registered an 'above average' grading.
