With our picks for the best defensive groups that never overlapped in the AFL era in the books, it is now time to shift our focus to the opposite end of the field.
When we think about the game's greatest highlights, it is usually the men in the goal square that acted as architects.
When we as fans cast our minds back to the first numbers we ever had stitched onto our replica jumpers, it was usually the full forward's digits that we selected.
They are the men that keep both the scoreboard and the turnstiles ticking.
With the AFL era now 32 years old (1990 to the present day), we here at Zero Hanger have decided to select a group of club greats on each line whose careers never overlapped.
As with our group of defenders, here are the ground rules for selection:
1. Three players must be selected from each club.
2. Even if they have played for multiple clubs, no player can be selected on the list of two teams.
3. All players must have played at least a portion of their careers from 1990 onwards.
4. As mentioned, no player can have played an in-season match with any of their colleagues during their time at their selected club.
For example, should Jason Dunstall be selected for Hawthorn, then all of his forward line friends from 1985 to 1998 will fail our criteria.
With that in mind, here is our best stab.
Let us know how we have gone and which clubs you feel have fared best.
Sydney
Simon Minton-Connell – 1992-1994 (46 games and 169 goals)
With a modus operandi of poaching rather than nurturing key forward talent, many of Sydney's greatest offensive weapons have already been listed elsewhere.
For this reason, we were forced to cast our eyes back to the Swans' dark days of the early 90s to find our first selection.
After just 19 games over six seasons with Carlton, Simon Minton-Connell was sent to Sydney ahead of the 1992 season.
Although only playing 46 games in a red and white guernsey, Minton-Connell amassed 169 goals and won the club's goalkicking award in each of his three years at the SCG.
As the nephew of Hawthorn's superstar spearhead Peter Hudson, Minton-Connell's career average of 2.72 goals per game and a total of 305.203 fails to surprise.
Michael O'Loughlin – 1995-2009 (303 games and 521 goals)
Despite recently stating that he shed tears when he was told he had become a Swan, Michael O'Loughlin will always be indelibly linked with the harbour city's first football team.
With two All-Australians, a pair of club goalkicking awards, league Hall of Fame status, a best and fairest in 1998, a flag in 2005 and the second most goals scored in the club's history, a second thought as to why is not necessary.
Tom Papley – 2016-Present (99 games and 146 goals)
As quite possibly the best current small forward across all 18 rosters, even lobotomy patients would have Tom Papley on their list.
Like a true crumber, Papley's chat and antics often get under his opponent's skin, yet he is still able to walk the walk too, as evidenced by scoring the most goals for the Swans across the last two years.
At only 24 and with a GPG average just shy of 1.5, the lippy Gippy boy is still yet to hit his peak.
