Each Batman needs a Robin.
Every Lance Franklin needs his Jarryd Roughead and every Josh J. Kennedy needs his Jack Darling, so who are the best Robins in the AFL today?
The star key forward is one of the most important players on the field for every AFL team. They demand the most attention and can completely turn a game on its head. Their gravity creates opportunity for their key forward counterparts to stand up and deliver out of the spotlight.
The secondary key forward is an unheralded role, and when at their best, can lift teams from a great offensive team to an outright powerhouse. Having an elite complementary forward can produce a formidable pairing with defences forced to divide their attention between both key forwards.
Possessing multiple elite avenues to goal creates an imposing forward line and is why many of the best teams in the competition have a dynamic secondary key forward so we've ranked them from most to least impactful to highlight some of the dominant seasons from supporting keys and some of the underwhelming seasons in 2026.
2Shannon Neale
Main key forward: Jeremy Cameron
Standing at 203cm tall, Shannon Neale poses as a commanding force in the Geelong forward line. Alongside superstar Jeremy Cameron, Neale works as the perfect complementary piece with sure hands and a deadeye set shot.
Cameron's tendencies of being shut out for periods of games magnifies the importance of Neale to create a contest and allow for the damaging general forwards to supply scoreboard pressure.
Although his stats don't jump off the page, Neale's delivered a handy 27 goals for Geelong this year while averaging 6.3 score involvements but his importance to the forward line runs far deeper than the numbers.
