Forwards are usually the players that get fans through the turnstiles, with their incredible eye for goal and licence to thrill making them one of the most valuable parts of any side.
The other departments of the ground can work their collective backsides off to get the ball to a scoring position, but if a team doesn't possess the personnel to hit the scoreboard then all their efforts will be in vain.
A good forward-line doesn't necessarily need to be stacked with key forwards - as Richmond in 2017 displayed - with the right game style suiting smalls who feed off packs to kick crafty majors and perform the heavy lifting of a tall.
With under a month left until the first round of the 2022 season kicks off, it's time to reflect on which forward lines are ranked. Here's part two of our series, ranking clubs from 12th-7th for their list of forwards.
Every AFL club’s forward line ranked: Part I
6. (7) Richmond
The Tigers have an ageing forward line, however, similar to St Kilda, have added some attacking prowess over the off-season.
Jack Riewoldt and Tom Lynch remain the two key targets with the former of the pair coming into the twilight years of his AFL career despite having another successful campaign in 2021.
Shai Bolton was the breakout star for Richmond in 2021, soaring high to claim Mark of the Year whilst being able to drift into midfield.
Dustin Martin will likely be unleashed down deep forward with his kidney injury expected to have taken away some of his physicality, while Noah Balta and Liam Baker are rumoured to be two names that could be thrown into attack at points throughout the year to help their side out.
From the draft, Tyler Sonsie and Judson Clark are two very exciting prospects that are expected to go far at Tigerland, with the pair set to leave defenders on their heels with their highly-rated flair.
The usual suspects of Kane Lambert, Jason Castagna and Jake Aarts will also be in and around attacking 50 at points throughout the year, with the former spending most of his time in midfield as of current.
