Every AFL club's squad for the 2027 season is coming together, so how does each team's back, midfield and forward line stack up with their rivals?
We at Zero Hanger will be going through all 18 clubs, analysing and ranking them 1-18 across all three thirds of the ground. We started with the backline last week, and now it is time to rank the forwards.
While the draft, delisted free agent signing period and trial spots remain for clubs to recruit players, the majority of each team's starting 23 are in place.
Focusing on the players at their disposal, their style of football in 2026, and with a look forward to Round 1, 2027, this is how we ranked every club 1-18 for its attack.
Adelaide
Forwards: Ben Keays, Callum Ah Chee, Riley Thilthorpe, Josh Rachele, Zac Taylor, Mitch Marsh, Alex Neal-Bullen, Darcy Fogarty, Archie Ludowyke, Finnbar Maley
The Crows had a well-spread list of attacking contributors in 2026, with seven players kicking between 22-42 goals for the season.
And while the player with the third most goals in 2026, Taylor Walker, has retired, it might be a good moment for Adelaide to reconfigure its forward line from three key forwards to two.
The three-pronged attack has worked for other finals-bound clubs in the AFL, but at the Crows it seems to slow their ball movement down.
Josh Rachele won the club goal-kicking award with 42, and has said he wants to stop splitting his time as a midfielder and forward and focus purely on his attacking craft to become an elite small forward in the game.
Riley Thilthorpe (37 goals for the season) is bound to respond after a quiet year. A player of his class, size and skill is sure to. Fingers crossed he can regain full fitness over the summer.
Adelaide has good variety in its forward line with a talented mix of tall and smalls, while Izak Rankine and Jordan Dawson are both midfielders who plunder goals.
