The 2015 National Draft saw six key forwards selected in the first 16 picks and this could be the year five of them take over the competition.
Charlie Curnow, Sam Weideman, Eric Hipwood, Harry McKay and Harry Himmelberg have all shown glimpses of stardom, but 2019 looms as the year they’ll all be handed the keys to their respective kingdoms.
Curnow, pick 12, appears to be the standout of the group – winning Carlton’s goal kicking last year with 34 from 20 games.
What separates Curnow from the pack is an x-factor that has footy pundits thinking he could soon be among the league’s elite.
He can take the big mark, kick the big goal and can even play genuine midfield minutes if required.
If the Blues are to start climbing up the ladder, he will be the focal point of their forward line.
His partner in crime is Harry McKay, pick 10, who only played 13 games last year, but kicked 21 goals.
McKay had to wait for his opportunity, with Brendon Bolton not properly unleashing him until Round 17.
He seems locked into the Blues’ best 22 this year and will play a deep forward role alongside Curnow and Mitch McGovern.
The 21-year-old is probably a year behind the others in this group in terms of development given he’s played 30-odd fewer games, but the way he’s bulked up and the form he showed in glimpses last year, he’s one to watch, especially as the season goes on.
Sam Weideman, pick nine, seemingly has the most riding on his 2019 performance given what’s going on at the Demons.
Melbourne lost key forward Jesse Hogan to Fremantle over the trade period, leaving a hole at full-forward.
An inspired end to the 2018 season from Weideman - where he took big marks and kicked goals against quality opponents, including three finals appearances - would have coach Simon Goodwin confident he’ll fill the Hogan void.
This puts a lot of pressure on the 21-year-old to do so, however, and whether he can pick up where he left off will be one of the defining factors in Melbourne’s 2019 premiership tilt.
GWS’ Harry Himmelberg, pick 16, is in a similar boat to Weideman given Jon Patton’s ACL tear in July of last year.
The 22-year-old kicked 29 goals last year and played 24 games, but went up a gear after Round 16.
Across the final 10 games of the year (including two finals), he averaged just under two goals per game.
His Elimination Final performance against Sydney where he gathered 23 disposals, took nine marks and kicked 2.2 was enormous.
Himmelberg will need to continue that vein of form in 2019 alongside Jeremy Cameron and Toby Greene to keep the Giants in Grand Final contention.
Eric Hipwood, pick 14, kicked the most goals of this group in 2018 with 37, including a six-goal haul against Carlton.
The Lions have invested heavily in Hipwood, who is the only one of this group who has reached the 50-game milestone.
SEN footy analyst David King believes there’s one key area Hipwood needs to improve this season.
“Four one-on-one victories out of 60 one-on-ones last year. It’s just not enough,” King told SEN’s Whateley.
“That’s a low number for a prime target in your forward line. He was moved too easily again (in the JLT Series game yesterday).
“A big year needs to come from Eric Hipwood to not cause Brisbane to have to reshuffle their team.”
Despite that flaw, the Lions are expected to make a leap in 2019 and Hipwood is expected to lead their forward line.
All of these players have something in common in that their teams are now relying on them to take control and become the players they drafted them to be.
The Blues need Curnow and McKay to become 40-goal per season players or things could get ugly for them forward of centre.
Himmelberg and Weideman are in contending teams missing a reliable key forward and need the youngsters to become the main men behind Tom McDonald and Cameron respectively.
The only key forward from this draft yet to be mentioned was the first one taken – Josh Schache, pick two.
Schache has had a turbulent start to his career, dealing with personal issues amidst his move from Brisbane to the Western Bulldogs.
While the Dogs are equally reliant on him taking the next step and becoming the spearhead of their forward line, King isn’t sure if he’s capable of it this year.
“I think they (the Bulldogs) needed to sign a forward in the off-season and I’m not sure they have,” he added.
Regardless, you can count Schache among the rest of the group in needing to perform this year for his team to improve, especially with Tom Boyd now on the shelf for two-to-three months.
If he doesn’t, and this goes for the other five as well, it doesn’t mean he’s a bust by any means. All still in their early 20s, these players have a lot of development still to come.
The 2015 National Draft class of key forwards will be a storyline to watch unfold this season. Which of them will kick the most goals in 2019?