Is Gryan Miers the best small forward in the AFL?
That’s the belief of Gerard Healy and Kane Cornes after Brad Johnson threw up certain names like Charlie Cameron, Izak Rankine, Shai Bolton and Kysaiah Pickett in the conversation.
While Miers plays higher up the ground than some of those other traditional deep small forwards, Cornes and Healy believe his impact is more than any other player that’s small in stature in terms of their team’s offensive output.
Miers ranks fifth in total goal assists in 2024, while he’s also averaging a goal and 22 disposals a game.
They believe that Miers’ kicking and ability to set his teammates up – after he had a whopping 41 goal assists in 2023, the most in the AFL – sets him apart from his contemporaries.
The duo discussed his All-Australian hopes after he missed out on selection last year.
Healy: “Izak Rankine is a fantastic player and I think he's the highest-rated small forward.
“But you can't deny the role that Gryan Miers plays for that club.
“I know he's in your (Rolling) All-Australian side, and right now he's a lock for the All-Australian side because he is so important to the way that Geelong play. It's incredible.”
Cornes: “I think so (that he’ll make All-Australian) and he's the one for me right now (the best small forward in the game).
“He's at 20+ (disposals) in every game he's played this year.
“The criticism I had on him last year and we discussed this, without speaking out of school, in the All-Australian meeting. It was, ‘Can you have an All-Australian small forward that's kicked seven goals for the year?’. I know he had the assists and the scoreboard impact and all that.
“But now this year he's got seven already. So, he's matched his goal-kicking tally in seven games than what he did all of last year.
“The possessions, the assists, his ability to help Geelong transition the ball. He's absolutely flying.”
Miers’ form has helped Geelong to a 7-0 start in 2024 and the Cats next face the Demons in a huge clash at the MCG on Saturday night.
