POBT
Brownlow Medallist
And marks are only one part of the equation. It is also about creating secondary opportunities for your crumbers.Unless you've got someone like Sandilands, the days of whacking a ruckman in the goalsquare and getting him to stick his hands up and mark the ball are gone. I'd have though the fact he get goals from marks on the lead is a good thing.
TFB, you might remember from that player sponsors night that a KPI the club measured was contests won, drawn and lost. The impression that I got was that, while winning the contest is the ultimate aim, splitting the contest with your opponent is not a bad thing. A key forward can do their job by creating a contest which leads to a scoring shot or a forward 50 stoppage. The cardinal sin is letting your opponent win the footy which exposes your side to a rebounding opportunity.
Inside 50 marking is also comparatively rare these days. Last year, only 5 players averaged 3+ marks inside 50 per game and no-one averaged more than 4. It seems to me that the modern game requires a contest from forwards, first and foremost.