Ahead of a big clash with Collingwood at the MCG on Thursday night, veteran Hawk Jack Gunston has the best strike rate of any forward this year and has a premiership coach pondering who can stop the star forward.

Taylor Walker, meanwhile, has now kicked more goals than any other player in matches played outside Victoria, while Jeremy Cameron booted ten goals in a demolition job against the Western Bulldogs just two weeks ago.

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When it comes to premier forwards, this vintage of veterans are ageing like the finest red wine and the Adelaide champion Walker has a theory as to why they are thriving in their 30s.

Of the 33 players aged over 33 on AFL lists this year, six can be considered key forwards, with Jack Darling, Brody Mihocek and Tom Lynch also playing important roles for their clubs.

While Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge is the latest to bemoan the AFL’s tinkering with the rules, Walker said the free flowing footy is helping forwards flourish, with clubs averaging 633 points for this year compared to 606 at the same stage a year ago for teams that have played seven matches.

Taylor Walker, pictured at Adelaide training on Tuesday night ahead of Friday’s Showdown against Port Adelaide, has no doubt rule tweaks in recent years have helped elder forwards flourish. Taylor Walker Picture: Brett Hartwig 28th April 2026Source: News Corp Australia

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The wisdom that comes with experience is a factor because even if a couple of those forwards are a half-step slower or have less bounce in their spring than they did in their prime, their ability to read the game combined with their strength and nous in positioning their bodies is significant in one-on-one contests in their attack.

“The rule changes have certainly helped us,” Walker told foxsports.com.au.

“The stand rule on the mark has opened things up and given us more options and the speed that the ball is moving with, you have to have a deeper forward just in case the ball goes out of bounce between the arcs, because the ball can come back in pretty quick.

“So you have to have a deep forward a little bit more this season than probably at any other stage over the last 10 years. So those couple of rules have certainly changed things.”

Jeremy Cameron, 33, booted ten goals against the Western Bulldogs in Rd 6 and will be seeking to boost the Cats back inside the eight when they tackle North Melbourne in Geelong on Saturday. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley, who is currently working as an assistant at Geelong, told Fox Footy’s On The Couch on Monday that scoring from the centre bounce was “through the roof” and Walker said the introduction of the 6-6-6 rule pre-pandemic was a factor.

“I think the 6-6-6 from the centre bounce has been a massive one as well. You can’t have a spare (defender) behind the ball, so that has balanced things out a bit as well,” he said.

“So I think a few of the rule changes have helped all forwards, but some of the more experienced ones in particular.”

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THE TOP GUN

Gunston is averaging four goals a game this season and trails only Ben King, who has kicked 26 goals in seven games, in the Coleman Medal.

A factor in the 34-year-old’s exceptional form is his ability to isolate in matches, with former West Coast premiership coach and Fox Footy pundit Adam Simpson among those marvelling at his ability to find space in the forward line.

He likened the importance of the role Gunston is playing to that of his former North Melbourne teammate Wayne Carey given the command with which the Hawk is playing.

“Just this Gunston situation, he’s kicked 5.4 on the weekend – he had nine shots a goal – and if anyone can get to a game to watch Hawthorn, because you can’t see it on TV, he’s got this disconnected role,” Simpson said on Whateley on SEN.

“We used to call it the ‘Duck’ (Carey) role – everyone gets out of the way – because he’s 50 metres from the next defender, or the next pair. (of players), and the decision that the clubs have to make is, ‘Do we squeeze up with the ground and just leave him 50 metres on his own? Do we play 10 metres in front? Or do we go back shoulder the whole time?’.

“Because whatever Hawthorn are doing, it’s working really well, because he’s getting a lot of shots on goal through not all his play, but a lot of it is because he’s got room to disrupt his direct opponent, because there’s no support. Once you break the line … you’ve got a lot of space to kick to. Someone’s going to stop it, but it hasn’t been stopped yet.”

Gunston is not alone in spending time alone in attack, with Walker noting that the change in style this year meant that most clubs were leaving a forward deep to combat a sudden change in transition.

The 36-year-old, whose Crows square off against Port Adelaide in an intriguing Showdown on Friday night, said the role could fall to a sharking forward like Izak Rankine or Josh Rachele at the Crows.

“It might even be a small forward, a Rankine or a Rachele or someone like that,” he said.

“But you have to have someone who can play a little deeper and be isolated, so that if the ball does come in quick, you have got someone you can kick it to. Everyone has to get up in team defence and what not, but if it is coming in quick, you still need someone to kick it to.”

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EXCELLING IN AUTUMN

The veteran forwards are not alone, of course, in excelling this season. There are 15 players aged 34 or older on AFL lists and several of that cohort continue to play superbly.

Scott Pendlebury was astonishing in the Anzac Day clash against Essendon and will break the AFL’s game record next month. And Melbourne’s Max Gawn is also in superlative form.

Ex-Hawk and Blue Daniel Harford, who coached Carlton in the AFLW and works as a commentator for Fox Footy during the women’s season, cited the performances of Gunston and Pendlebury when noting that age did not seem to be as big a factor in the modern game when it came to decisions regarding list management.

Collingwood champion Scott Pendlebury, pictured being chaired off the ground after his 400th game in 2024 by Jeremy Howe and Steele Sidebottom, is set to break the AFL’s game record next month. (Photo by Michael WillsonAFL Photos)Source: AFL Photos

“The clock has shifted in footy as well. Old men are becoming more than capable of hanging around to remain great players in the AFL,” Harford said on the Zero Hanger podcast.

“Scott Pendlebury’s performance on Saturday at the MCG in the Anzac game against Essendon was off the charts.

“Jack Gunston’s performance against the Gold Coast … in Tassie was fantastic as well with another five goals. He has kicked 24 goals this year and is second in the Coleman. It doesn’t matter how old you are anymore.

“Remember the conversations when the interchange cap came in? It was going to be the end of the 300-game player because it was going to be too hard on the players to last the journey. That is the biggest fallacy in the history of football and commentary, because the older you are and the more experienced you are, the better you are becoming.”

Walker, who sits in 13th position when it comes to goals kicked after the age of 30, was concerned his career would end in his early 30s as he struggled with injuries and soreness.

Adding pilates to his fitness regimen to boost flexibility, along with a greater understanding of what helps him succeed, has been a factor in the Crows’ longevity. And he has no doubt the cohort currently excelling in their mid-30s will have embraced similar activities in order to compete against younger stars.

“Sports science has to be a factor as well. I think it is enabling players to play a bit longer than what we once did,” he said.

The improved management of elder champions is also a factor as well. Pendlebury will be rested against the Hawks given the proximity of the match to the Anzac Day outing, just as Walker missed against Geelong earlier this year.

“We wanted to look after the old body and not have three six day breaks in a month (and we are) just trying to keep the end (of the season) in mind,” he said.

“We just wanted to be a bit more smart and proactive with it. In the past couple of years we’ve had the luxury of being more reactive in making the decision on how I pulled up from games. We were keen to get on the front foot with it this year.”