Is Josh Kennedy the best tall forward in the game?

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When you look at the 2017 goals per game stats, Kennedy has kicked an average of just under 4 goals per game, nearly 1 goal more each game than any of the other top 8 Coleman candidates, (even though West Coast have dropped considerably in inside 50 count...)

Kennedy averages 3.8 goals per game
Daniher averages 2.95
Franklin & Brown ave 2.7
Cameron & Hawkins at 2.6
Walker & Jack Riewoldt at 2.5 goals per game

If Kennedy kicked his average number of goals in the 6 games he missed, he'd be nearly 20 goals in front of the others.

Source: https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_player_rankings?year=2017&rt=LA&st=GO


Goals Average 2017.png
 
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For this season.

Kennedy is the best traditional forward at the moment. The goals per game stat sums it up well. He should end up with the Coleman.

Franklin is the better overall player. Except for goal kicking accuracy.
 
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Kennedy will not go ahead of Buddy career wise, he probably never will unless he kicks 80+ the next 3 years or so and Buddy falls off a cliff. Even then Buddy would have runs on the board from such a young age and is overall a better player.

Kennedy is a star though, he's so much more than just a lead up forward, his work rate is huge, he loves to chase, he can kick off both feet and is exceptional at winning a ground level ball.
 
If JK wins this years Coleman after missing a quarter of the season he deserves to be recognized as the best FF again in the all-australian team. Especially considering how woeful our midfield has been since Kerr retired 4 years ago.
 
I don't think there is any doubt that Kennedy will be AA if he wins the Coleman.

He very likely might make it even if he doesn't.

Never assume anything, wouldn't be the first time a Coleman medallist didn't make the AA team.
 
Never assume anything, wouldn't be the first time a Coleman medallist didn't make the AA team.

Daniher and Franklin aside there is no one else. Brown is simply a much poorer forward than Kennedy, though he is having a good year.

Only way Kennedy doesn't make it is if they only pick two forwards, he misses more games, or he stops scoring goals in the next three weeks.
 

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Daniher and Franklin aside there is no one else. Brown is simply a much poorer forward than Kennedy, though he is having a good year.

Only way Kennedy doesn't make it is if they only pick two forwards, he misses more games, or he stops scoring goals in the next three weeks.

GWS and the Crows in the last 2 weeks, it's going to be slim pickings in those 2 rounds.
 
Never assume anything, wouldn't be the first time a Coleman medallist didn't make the AA team.

Jack won his second Coleman in 2012 and wasn't selected in the AA team, so you're spot on there - it does happen.
 
So we have one thread claiming franklin is the best forward of all time and another claiming kennedy is the best forward now. Merge these threads. It should be fun.

Franklin can be the best forward of all time and Kennedy can be the best forward at the moment.
 
Jack won his second Coleman in 2012 and wasn't selected in the AA team, so you're spot on there - it does happen.
The one that stands out for Eagles supporters would be Scott Cummings in 1999. Kicked something like 92 goals regular season to win the Coleman but no AA.
 
Jack won his second Coleman in 2012 and wasn't selected in the AA team, so you're spot on there - it does happen.

Scott Cummings won it in 1999 and didn't make it either.

Winning the Coleman doesn't guarantee a spot, but if you win the Coleman missing 5 games then you've had some sort of season.
 
Why do people want to knock Kennedy down a peg? He's a fair player and comes across as a nice enough bloke. He really doesn't strike me as the sort of player opposition fans would find unlikable but each year there's something. Doesn't kick goals in finals, only kicks goals at Subiaco, only kicks goals against bottom sides, 'just a stay at home full forward'... Etc.

His goals per game average against (current) top 8 sides this year is 2.6 and some people want to hold that against him. To put that into perspective, 4 players average 2.6 goals per game or higher against all opposition over the entire season: Daniher, Franklin, Brown and Cameron. In 'not performing' against top 8 sides Kennedy kicks more goals on average than guys like Taylor Walker and Tom Lynch do against anyone.

I find it interesting that people are frothing over Daniher and Brown who are on track to kick 60 for the first time in their careers while Kennedy is on track to do it for the 5th year in a row despite missing 5 games and has kicked 80+ the last two years. I get that goals aren't the only metric and Kennedy doesn't play in the ruck at all but Kennedy is 3rd in the comp sandwiched between Brown and Daniher for marks inside 50 so it's not like these guys don't get plenty of opportunities - and Kennedy is nearly a goal per game ahead of the next best.

If I could go back to 2004/5 and draft one of Kennedy and Franklin knowing what I know now I'd pick Franklin every time, but Kennedy has still been the best key forward in the comp 2 of the last 3 years and was at worst the second best last year. I get enjoyment out of watching him play the same way I do Ablett, Fyfe, Dangerfield etc. at their peak. Odd that some people just don't seem to.
 
Why do people want to knock Kennedy down a peg? He's a fair player and comes across as a nice enough bloke. He really doesn't strike me as the sort of player opposition fans would find unlikable but each year there's something. Doesn't kick goals in finals, only kicks goals at Subiaco, only kicks goals against bottom sides, 'just a stay at home full forward'... Etc.

His goals per game average against (current) top 8 sides this year is 2.6 and some people want to hold that against him. To put that into perspective, 4 players average 2.6 goals per game or higher against all opposition over the entire season: Daniher, Franklin, Brown and Cameron. In 'not performing' against top 8 sides Kennedy kicks more goals on average than guys like Taylor Walker and Tom Lynch do against anyone.

I find it interesting that people are frothing over Daniher and Brown who are on track to kick 60 for the first time in their careers while Kennedy is on track to do it for the 5th year in a row despite missing 5 games and has kicked 80+ the last two years. I get that goals aren't the only metric and Kennedy doesn't play in the ruck at all but Kennedy is 3rd in the comp sandwiched between Brown and Daniher for marks inside 50 so it's not like these guys don't get plenty of opportunities - and Kennedy is nearly a goal per game ahead of the next best.

If I could go back to 2004/5 and draft one of Kennedy and Franklin knowing what I know now I'd pick Franklin every time, but Kennedy has still been the best key forward in the comp 2 of the last 3 years and was at worst the second best last year. I get enjoyment out of watching him play the same way I do Ablett, Fyfe, Dangerfield etc. at their peak. Odd that some people just don't seem to.

Never seen anyone make any personal comments about Kennedy.

Facts are, lots of those things are true. He is an excellent forward, and a proven and reliable goal-kicker - currently the best in the league by a fair margin.

But he does fill his boots a bit against crapper sides, and he does tend to play as a 'goals or nothing' player.

No one is getting carried away about Ben Brown. He is an inferior player to Kennedy in all respects. But he's still one of the best forward in the comp, for the first time ever, so he's getting a little press due to this novelty.

Franklin and Daniher and Walker are very different players to Kennedy and Brown. They play more up the ground, or in the ruck, or they get involved with more assists, etc.

You're imagining a grievance that doesn't exist.
 
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Jack won his second Coleman in 2012 and wasn't selected in the AA team, so you're spot on there - it does happen.
That was the year Pavlich kicked 55 goals in half a season at the end, Nic Nat and Dean Cox were selected as an All Australian "ruck-duo" and Dangerfield was listed on the half forward line after averaging just over a goal a game and notching up 12 games of the season kicking less than one goal.

They really covered themselves in glory that year.
 
Never seen anyone make any personal comments about Kennedy.

Nor have I, but people generally look for things to criticise when they don't like a player. Exhibit A: Jack Darling. On track to kick 40+ for the 4th time and you'd think he was about to be de-listed.

Facts are, lots of those things are true. He is an excellent forward, and a proven and reliable goal-kicker - currently the best in the league by a fair margin.

But he does fill his boots a bit against crapper sides, and he does tend to play as a 'goals or nothing' player.

He kicks goals when he gets the ball, that's generally what forwards are supposed to do.

This year he's kicked 2+ in every game except one, where he kicked 1.3 in a 50 point loss. 7, 6, 6, 6, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1 is pretty bloody consistent. Over half his goals have come away from home in a team that can't win away from home. Not sure how much else he is supposed to do. The only game we've played all season where his goals didn't really keep us in the game was last week against Brisbane.

No one is getting carried away about Ben Brown. He is an inferior player to Kennedy in all respects. But he's still one of the best forward in the comp, for the first time ever, so he's getting a little press due to this novelty.

I've seen AA sides with Brown in and Kennedy not. That's just taking the piss.

Franklin and Daniher and Walker are very different players to Kennedy and Brown. They play more up the ground, or in the ruck, or they get involved with more assists, etc.

They're not that different. All 5 are in the top 8 for marks inside 50 for the year. Pushing up for the ground for another possession or two per game is great, but it's not like these guys aren't major forward 50 targets. Kennedy tackles more and takes more contested marks, but this gets overlooked in the 'he's just a stay at home forward' narrative.

You're imagining a grievance that doesn't exist.

You're imagining stark differences that don't exist. Franklin is the only player on Kennedy's level for goals kicked over the last few years that consistently does a lot more elsewhere. We're not talking about splitting a group of players all on the same amount of goals kicked. Kennedy vs Walker over the last 3 seasons for example is a 64 goal differential. I'd bloody hope Tex brings something else to the table. I like Tex, but people get carried away with his impact. He's not Carey kicking 80 and getting 20 touches and 10 marks most weeks.

Kennedy has 8 goal assists in 14 games, same as Daniher in 19. Brown has 11, Franklin 13. Negligible difference. Walker has 28 and good for him, but let's not pretend a peak of kicking 63 and having 18 goal assists is on the same level as kicking 80 and having 18. If the season finishes 54 & 33 vs 66 & 12 I'll take the latter.
 

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Is Josh Kennedy the best tall forward in the game?

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