Rumours of the big forward’s death have been greatly exaggerated.

Following Richmond’s premiership breakthrough last season, the football industry has done what it always does – predicted a rise in teams playing copy-the-leader, this time by clearing out the forward line of talls and relying on a fleet of ground-level players to apply pressure and create forward-half turnovers.

It’s led, in a few cases, to some outlandish expectations that the league will eventually have to introduce something like a zone to stem the death of the traditional full forward, the dinosaurs of the modern AFL.

The scuttlebutt isn’t completely unfounded - Tigers coach Damian Hardwick admitted during an appearance on Fox Footy’s On the Couch on Monday that he would pick a natural tackler ahead of a natural goal-kicker in the forward line – but will it change the face of the game? Hardly.

Break down the teams which finished in the top eight last season and all but one have something in common – a big forward who finished in the top 10 of the Coleman Medal tally.

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Who was the only finalist without a top-10 representative? It was GWS, and Jeremy Cameron finished 11th.

Camera Icon Do the Tigers win the flag without Jack? Unlikely. Credit: Getty Images

So what does that tell us? It tells us that without a big, bustling goal-kicker, your side’s chances of playing finals, let alone pushing for a premiership, are slim to none.

Which brings me to the focus of the column: the player who is poised to become the AFL’s next great forward.

Ever since the supplement sage took hold of the club, I’ve struggled to watch the Bombers.

Big clubs with big egos really aren’t what excite me in football, and with so many of their players underperforming, or banned from the game completely, there just weren’t enough reasons to tempt me to flick over to an Essendon game.

That was until Anzac Day last year. That day I found plenty to get excited about wearing a red and black jumper.

In Joe Daniher, the Bombers have a player with generational talent. He can kick long goals, he’s good below his knees, he knows how to jump on heads – he’s one of those players with the talent and x-factor to bring a packed MCG to its feet.

There’s probably three players in the AFL with this same skill set.

The oldest, Buddy Franklin, is a superstar who helped redefine what’s expected of a centre half forward. At 31, with a fourth Coleman Medal in his pocket, he’s still a player who puts bums on seats but he has a limited time left in the game, despite how long still remains on his contract.

The youngest is playing well off-Broadway in Brisbane. And as much as I like pumping up Eric Hipwood’s tyres while perched over the bar, he’s probably still a couple of years away from really coming into his own.

Daniher is the one in his prime.

It’s a fact which hasn’t gone unnoticed, with David King already getting on the front foot about the young Bomber’s prospects this season.

“I think Joe Daniher could be the best player in the comp at the end of the season and that’s as a unique forward,” King told SEN on Monday.

He’s not shy of an outlandish take, King, but in this case I think he just may be right.

And if a big key forward leads the Bombers to an unlikely premiership? Expect the chasing pack to make a sharp pivot once again.

No Garry, no

Garry Lyon made a solid On The Couch debut on Monday night, offering a measured voice in a program which lost its way a bit after Mike Sheahan stepped aside. But I’m tippin he will be having a couple of words with the wardrobe department.

Take three?

Shout-out to the new phrase working it’s way into football - ‘I don’t want to make a headline, but...’.

Here’s a hot tip for Nat Fyfe and Shannon Hurn, who have both been guilty of it in recent weeks: whatever comes out of your mouth next is 100 per cent going to be the headline.