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The last couple of weeks have seen the highlight reels flooded with magical moments from some of the great Australian game’s best small forwards.
Two weeks ago we witnessed the wizardly Eddie Betts snap a Goal of the Year contender from the left forward pocket. Trailing a Giant and fellow Crow, he slid low to pluck the Sherrin just centimetres from the boundary line before bringing the crowd to its feet with one of his finest goals yet.
Then just last round, Port’s skilful small forwards in Chad Wingard, Aaron Young and Jarman Impey all put on a show in their side’s thumping win over Collingwood.
It has me thinking: who is the best small forward in the game?
The ability to be able to produce a goal with a snap or banana kick from virtually anywhere in the forward 50 is one important attribute, as is being a handy contested ball winner.
Then there’s the crucial ability to be able to apply defensive pressure on the opposition’s defenders in trying to lock the ball in the forward 50.
Having the knack of setting up on-ballers or fellow forwards for goal is likewise a key skill.
Here are my top five small forwards in the AFL:
5. Steve Johnson
GWS made one of the most invaluable recruitments in 2016 in securing the signature of Johnson after Geelong decided not to renew his contract at the end of last year.
Written off as too old and too slow, the enigmatic small forward has silenced his critics to get close to his best form this year.
Stevie J has booted 22 goals at a per-game average of two for a Giants outfit stomping towards its inaugural finals berth.
Year after year he loomed as one of Geelong’s most menacing competitors, whether as a small forward or midfielder, and he’s remained a gutsy winner of the Sherrin for GWS. After 11 rounds Johnson has raked in 80 contested possessions at 7.3 per game, an average higher than fellow gun smalls Alex Fasolo, Brent Harvey, Mark LeCras and Steven Motlop.
I gifted this old boy the number five spot not only for what he has brought to GWS this year, but in light of his longevity as one of the most valuable players for Geelong and in the league.
On another note, you can’t help but love Stevie’s uncanny knack of butchering the easiest of goals and slotting the most ridiculous.
4. Chad Wingard
Port’s dynamo at the tender age of 22 has already developed into one of the game’s most destructive talents and has been for a few years now.
The play in which Wingard swooped on a front-and-centre crumb and snapped a goal in virtually the same motion against Collingwood on the weekend epitomised the quality he possesses.
He has had a very solid first half of the season, clinching 19 goals at a per-game average of 2.1 to complement an impressive contested possession record of 68 at 7.6 per game. The Power’s livewire has attacked the ball hard, standing below just dazzling Hawthorn duo Paul Puopolo and Luke Breust in average contested possessions per game for small forwards.
Wingard has also done well to set up midfielders and fellow forwards this year, producing 10 goal assists at a per-game average of 1.1 which only Betts matches.
3. Paul Puopolo
Hawthorn boasts a gluttony of freakish small forwards, including Cyril Rioli, Breust, James Sicily and the pocket-rocket Puopolo.
Like Rioli, Poppy makes opposition defenders feel like they’re in a pressure cooker. He is in his element when the opposition is trying to navigate the ball out of its defensive 50 metres and he’s hurtling at ball-carriers like a pit bull terrier. From all small forwards, Puopolo only trails partner in crime Rioli in tackles in 2016, having laid 48 at an average of 4.4 per game.
He has also reminded us this year of the elite ball-winner he is, leading all small forwards in the competition in contested possessions with 88 at 8.8 per game.
It is because of the relentless pressure Puopolo applies that has led me to name him the third-best small forward in the AFL. After all, the amount of goals his fellow sharpshooters clinch as a result of his ability to lock the ball deep within the Hawks’ forward 50 cannot be underestimated.
What’s more is that he is very handy off the boot himself, as his 20 goals at 1.8 per game this year suggests.
2. Eddie Betts
Arguably the biggest crowd-pleaser of them all, Betts has been in scintillating form this year.
His stand-out strength as an elite small forward is his unrivalled ability to slot six-pointers from just about any angle imaginable. Not only do the weekly highlight reels suggest this, but so too the fact he has booted more goals than any other small forward in 2016 with 28 at 2.8 per game.
Incredibly, he has found the middle of the big sticks this year more than many of the league’s best tall forwards, such as Jack Riewoldt, Tom Hawkins and teammate Taylor Walker.
Adelaide’s excitement machine has always reminded me of former Collingwood star Leon Davis, who also possessed the ability to slot goals from all around the ground in the most unlikely of situations.
Betts’ 82 contested possessions at 7.5 per game in 2016 is also a true reflection of the star he is, and it’s his leg speed, endurance and innate passion for the contest that makes him an elite ball-winner.
His 43 tackles at 3.9 per game only trail the figures of Rioli and Puopolo out of all small forwards, and he is a joint-leader in goal assists with Wingard with 10 at 1.1 per game.
As in the case of Johnson, Betts locks down such a high ranking in part because of the player he has been for a long period of time, for many years Carlton and now the Crows (try not cringe, Blues fans) for whom he is playing career-best footy.
Drum roll please…
1. Cyril Rioli
Rioli wins top spot on my list for being the most well-rounded small forward I have ever witnessed. Whether it’s beating an opposition player to the footy with lightning-quick speed, batting the ball to a teammate on the run, pinning a player for holding the ball or slotting a goal from the boundary, the four-time premiership star is a weapon.
In the same way that David Warner can turn a game of cricket on its head with a flurry of boundaries, Rioli is able to put the Hawks in the driver’s seat with a moment or two of brilliance.
Rioli has again offered a lot of value on the scoreboard in 2016, booting 21 goals at 2.1 per game, however it’s his heavy defensive pressure and on-ball assault that have troubled oppositions the most.
After 11 rounds the gun small forward has applied 67 tackles at 6.7 per game which stands as easily the most for a small forward thus far.
The 26-year-old enigma has also accrued 76 contested possessions at 7.6 per game, a figure that only Puopolo beats.
What makes Rioli a cut above the rest is his unmatched quickness, and we can expect this to make him crucial to Hawthorn’s tilt at a fourth successive premiership in 2016.
So those are my top five small forwards in the AFL. Who are yours?
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