This AFL season has been one of the most competitive in recent memory. With three rounds remaining of the season proper, there are at least four teams all vying for the final spot in the top eight.
However, despite the evenness of this year’s competition, it has become apparent that there are a number of features that have distinguished the top teams from those below them.
One of the most important of these, and interestingly one of the factors of success, is that all the top teams boast genuine goal-kicking midfielders.
Key forwards will always be important. Indeed, the top four teams all contain at least one quality key forward, but so do most of the teams below them in finals contention. What really sets the top four apart is the presence of at least one reliable goal-kicking midfielder.
If there is anything that will separate those contending for eighth spot, it will be the ability of their midfielders to contribute to the scoring power of the team.
There are a plethora of reasons why midfielders who regularly hit the scoreboard are so valuable. They provide unpredictability and flexibility and there’s also the obvious fact that it relieves some of the pressure from a team’s tall forwards. Midfielders may also be able to better position themselves to have a shot at goals than a forward – being further out allows them the chance to burn off their opponent and give them more time to size up the goals.
We need look no further than the current top two teams, Sydney and Hawthorn, for examples of the advantages of goal-kicking midfielders.
Sydney boasts the best tall forward line in the competition, with Kurt Tippett, Buddy Franklin and Sam Reid providing a nightmare for opposition defenders. Franklin has been superb since crossing from Hawthorn at the end of last season, and in tandem with the developing Reid and Tippett makes the Sydney forward 50 nearly impenetrable.
However, as important as these three players are to Sydney’s structure, just as important is the scoring power provided by the Swans’ midfielders. Ben McGlynn, playing through the midfield and as a defensive forward, is one proponent of this. He frequently slips under the guard of opposition midfielders, and as a result is able to contribute on the scoreboard.
Luke Parker is another prime example, averaging 25 disposals and one goal per game for a total of 18 goals this season, including a career-best haul of four in Round 5 against Adelaide. Prime midfielders Kieran Jack and Josh Kennedy are also regular contributors to Sydney’s scoring tally.
Like Sydney, Hawthorn also have an impressive tall forward line, with Jarryd Roughead, David Hale and Jack Gunston all potent. While there’s no doubting the importance of the tall forwards to Hawthorn’s chances of success, the contribution of the their midfielders has been vital to the Hawks’ excellent form this season.
Unlike Sydney, there is no one Hawthorn midfielder who stands out as being a prolific goal scorer. Rather, the load is spread evenly across the team. Speedy wingmen Isaac Smith and Brad Hill, and contested players Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Liam Shiels and Brad Sewell can all be relied upon to kick several goals between them per game. This frequent contribution from a spread of players is one of the biggest advantages for the Hawks, making it difficult for the opposition to negate all scoring avenues.
Fremantle and Geelong also enjoy regular contributions from their midfielders.
For Fremantle, superstar Nathan Fyfe averages 1.1 goals per game to go with his plethora of disposals, and teammates Michael Barlow and David Mundy are also reliable goal scorers, often bursting out of packs to run forward and put points on the scoreboard.
Similarly, Geelong captain Joel Selwood also averages a goal a game, and speedy midfielders Allen Christensen, Steve Motlop and Matthew Stokes also make regular contributions. Indeed, part of Geelong’s dominance over the past few years has stemmed from the ability of their midfielders to score goals. In a forward line boasting only one genuine powerhouse key forward in Tom Hawkins, the ability of Geelong’s prime movers to contribute to the scoring has been integral to their overall scoring capacity.
For the teams vying for eighth spot, goal-kicking midfielders may very well prove the key to gaining the last finals position. All of Essendon, Adelaide, West Coast, Gold Coast and to a lesser extent Richmond have tall forwards capable of winning games, but it is the number of goals they get from their midfielders that will give them an edge.
Of the aforementioned teams, Richmond regularly obtains a spread of goals from its midfielders, with Dustin Martin being the notable example. Adelaide’s Patrick Dangerfield and Gold Coast’s Harley Bennell regularly contribute to the scoreboard, while Essendon enjoys regular efforts from Brendon Goddard.
For these teams, the next three weeks are make or break. Gaining regular scoring contributions from their midfielders can only be an advantage, and could be integral to securing an all-important finals berth.
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