Where has all our top forwards gone?

[Fuzzman]

Dublin, Kerry and Tyrone have produced some top quality forwards over the last number years who were exciting to watch and could kick several scores from play. Players like Brogan, Gooch and Canavan among many others but when you look at today's teams such names are harder to come by.
Some would say Connolly, McManamon, O'Donoghue, Geaney, McManus and maybe Murphy from Donegal but many of these players are struggling to score any more due to the defensive shield many teams set up these days.

Could you try to name the top 10 scorers this year without looking it up?
For those who want a peek here you go http://gaelicstats.com/2016-football-top-scorer/

[sid waddell]

Conor McManus, James O'Donoghue and Paul Geaney are the only real elite scoring forwards currently playing the game in my view.

Bernard Brogan has fallen out of the elite category, Colm Cooper has too due to age and injury.

Diarmuid Connolly, Michael Murphy and Andy Moran are elite forwards, but not elite scoring forwards. John Heslin is probably also in that category at this stage. Kieran Donaghy certainly was elite in this type but probably no longer.

Paddy McBrearty, Michael Quinlivan, Conor Sweeney, Shane Walsh and Cormac Costello have the potential to become elite scoring forwards but none are there yet.

Damien Comer may become an elite forward of the Andy Moran type. 

Cillian O'Connor probably still deserves to be considered clutch (despite his miss at the end on Saturday), but he's not elite.

[rosnarun]

its just easy to criticize forwards one bad game and a forward is marked as Flawed in so me people eyes never to recover.
Scoring forwards are usually poor enough footballers depending on getting good ball sent into them ,
prime examples would be dean rock and bernard brogan if they get good ball they will kill you and that is their job a forward who tries to be jack of all trades will never as proficient a scorer . witness the decline of Michael murphy as he tries to take over all roles on the donegal team.
For mayo Evan regan and alan Freeman are the 2 possible  but the Obsession with winning your own ball and hard work means they are not really considered for a place at the moment

[screenexile]

The job of being a forward has become more difficult over the last 10 years. Having 2 or maybe 3 lads on you as soon as the ball is played in makes it really difficult.

All I can say is I wish I had 2 or 3 sweepers helping me out when I was playing full back that's for sure!!

[sensethetone]

The job of being a forward has become more difficult over the last 10 years. Having 2 or maybe 3 lads on you as soon as the ball is played in makes it really difficult.

All I can say is I wish I had 2 or 3 sweepers helping me out when I was playing full back that's for sure!!

Only asking are you loopy?

[blanketattack]

How many players scored 4pts or more from play in a competitive game (i.e. not a blow out)?
All I can think of is Paul Geaney v Dublin

[AZOffaly]

How many players scored 4pts or more from play in a competitive game (i.e. not a blow out)?
All I can think of is Paul Geaney v Dublin

Conor Sweeney must have against Derry and/or Galway?

[Maroon Manc]

I know its a little bit of subject but there is certainly a connection between the 2 but there certainly appears to be a lot more scores from frees in the big games then there ever has been previously.

[Avondhu star]

While defences have got tighter I still feel no full or half forward should leave the field without some score. Point scoring from 30 yards or show should be possible for any county player instead of trying to walk the ball in

[Jinxy]

I blame Tyrone & Donegal in that order.

[Bod Mor]

Where has all our top forwards gone?

Have a look in Lee Keegan's back pocket. 

[rrhf]

Until a maximum of 8 players including returning midfielders are allowed in the defensive half the forwards role of winning turning and shooting is too inefficient.

[BennyCake]

Cut teams to 11 a side, and watch the top forwards come flooding back.

[Fuzzman]

I think there is no great incentive to be a talented forward any more as they are being forced to abandon their creative, spontaneous side and to play more like robots in a pre-defined system.
I think our game is becoming more like soccer (or rugby) with every passing year.
As I kid what I loved about GAA was it was mainly a very fast attacking sport which mainly focused on one on one marking and you would often say players with pace and skill outplay their markers and kick great points and goals.

Many would point the finger at the Ulster teams and their students of sport studies etc who began to look at the game differently and changed the way they played from the traditional styles. Back years ago of course there were examples of teams double marking good players like Peter Canavan often was in his hay day but ever since Jim McGuinness copied the soccer styles of leaving 2 forwards up front and everyone else gets behind the ball, has the game really been turned on its head. Brolly and Co. praised the Dubs for continuing with their attack minded game but even they now this year play a much more slow possession style game and you can see their great forwards are struggling to shine as they no longer get good fast ball kicked into them early.

2017 will see the introduction of the mark into our game. I think this will have a HUGE affect on the game as you would imagine it will reward accurate kick passing a lot more than hand passing. When you think of players like Kieran Donaghy, Michael Murphy, Aidan O'Shea, D.Connolly, Conor McManus and Sean Cavanagh and how they struggled with being surrounded by swarm defenders when they caught the ball but now will these players be played back in on the edge of square and win easy 'frees' from the mark.
I think we are in for a huge culture shock on how this will change our game and how it will become so much more stop and start like Aussie rules is or do people think that it will be ignored and players will continue to hand pass to keep possession?

[AZOffaly]

The mark is only from a kickout which travels beyond the 45 I believe. It is not being introduced all over the pitch.