The forward line is the glamour position in Australian football, home to the game’s most famous and loved players.
The front six often grab the headlines with match-winning hauls and highlight-reel moments, providing the finishing touch that turns dominance into scoreboard pressure.
Forward groups signify a club’s attacking identity, with elite sides boasting multifaceted attacks and rebuilding teams typically lacking the firepower to convert inside 50s effectively.
So, who claims the crown as the best attack in the AFL for 2025? Here’s Zero Hanger’s ranking, from 18th to first.
READ: EVERY AFL TEAM’S BACKLINE RANKED 1-18
READ: EVERY AFL TEAM’S MIDFIELD RANKED 1-18
18Richmond
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 22: Harry Armstrong of the Tigers is tackled by Jackson Mead of the Power during the 2025 AFL Round 02 match between the Port Adelaide Power and the Richmond Tigers at Adelaide Oval on March 22, 2025 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
The Tigers ranked dead last in almost every goal scoring metric imaginable in 2025, scoring the fewest points, creating the least shots at goal and taking the fewest marks inside 50 per game.
That’s due to the lack of a spearhead target inside forward 50 outside of Tom Lynch, though the premiership hero has been unreliable as he’s ever been, converting at a shocking 41.4 per cent in front of the sticks this year. Among the 44 AFL players who averaged at least 1.5 goals per game, that accuracy is the worst.
Richmond can obviously grow in this area of the field in 2026, with the likes of Jonty Faull, Harry Armstrong and Thomas Sims flashing promise this year, with Armstrong notably winning six of his 14 offensive one-on-one contests. However, not even the one-win Eagles struggled to hit the scoreboard as infrequently as the Tigers in 2025, hence their ranking in 18th.
They saw great positives in young small Seth Campbell, who led their goalkicking in 2025, while Rhyan Mansell was equally potent.Â