Australian Football Hall of Famer Garry Lyon believes it's not beyond the realms of possibility for a key forward to kick 100 goals in a season.
The most recent player to reach the magical 100-goal milestone was Hawthorn's Lance Franklin and that was back in 2008. He became the 28th footballer to join the illustrious club.
Before him, it was St Kilda's Fraser Gehrig in 2004, and prior to the 'G-Train', Bomber Matthew Lloyd achieved the feat in 2000 and 2001.
The way the modern game is played, with a focus on zone defence and flooding back, the notion of a key forward chalking up a ton seemed improbable.
But Lyon reckons after "defenders have had it their own way", "there is change happening", which will see the league's best key forwards flourish.
"For a long time, the defenders have dictated to forwards. The balance of power, I think it's shifted," Lyon said on Fox Footy's AFL360.
"I go way back to when I was commentating with Robert Walls... we both bemoaned the fact the forwards had given up the advantage, they had just become reactive to defenders.
"It went on and on to the point where they'd send their fifth midfielder up, which meant your forward line was always outnumbered, which meant you were at a disadvantage, and you were chasing tail, and you couldn't set up.
"I know it's only a game and a half, but winds of change have come through, and it's favouring blokes that will come up at the footy.
"If you stay deep, 100 goals in a season is on!"
Lyon, who kicked 426 goals in 226 games for Melbourne between 1986-1999, admits it's only a small sample size, but there has been enough evidence across the first 14 games of the season to suggest key forwards booting bags of goals may become a common occurrence.
Hawthorn veteran Jack Gunston has tallied nine goals across the first two weeks, after respective hauls of four and five. Suns key forward Ben King has done the same, while the Bulldogs' Aaron Naughton has kicked eight goals in two games after two and six.
"Jack Gunston kicked five goals and Hawthorn took 23 marks inside forward 50 against Essendon on the weekend. This suits him," Lyon commented.
"Aaron Naughton comes at the footy. He kicked six goals and the Bulldogs took 19 marks inside 50 (against the Giants).
"The defenders don't get it their own way anymore. They haven't got the drop-off player to give them a hand anymore; they've got to defend one-on-one and frankly, I think they've forgotten how to do it.
"It's time (for the forwards) to cash in and they're cashing in.
"The big fella (Shannon) Neale (five goals for Geelong against Fremantle), he starts to cash in. Oscar McDonald has been getting by OK because he's had help back there, but one-on-one, ooh no, different story.
"What about (Jacob) Van Rooyen? He hasn't seen ball movement like that for five years. All of a sudden he's kicked six goals, five in a half.
"And Ben King, he's kicked five, the Suns had 31 scoring shots, 15 marks inside forward 50, albeit against a much younger defence."
"The forwards are flexing their muscle."
