Patrick Cripps looms as marking forward at Carlton as Jon Ralph looks at every club’s Dustin Martin

CARLTON might have uncovered another marking forward with a difference — Patrick Cripps might also be the Blues’ best midfielder. JON RALPH looks at every club’s man with a one-two punch.

Patrick Cripps looked ahrp near goal against the Saints. Pic: Getty Images

THE BAD news is that Patrick Cripps is pretty sure he has stopped growing.

Thankfully for Brendon Bolton he has tapped out at 195cm, with Carlton this summer discovering a huge marking forward who might also be their best midfielder.

Cripps revealed after his two-goal stint as a marking forward on Thursday night he had completed a full pre-season after a run of niggles over previous summers.

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Against St Kilda he started as a deep forward who towered over Jarryn Geary and bamboozled the Saints’ back six.

Now the Blues not only have a serious mismatch in the gazelle-like Charlie Curnow, they have an offensive weapon in brilliant midfielder Cripps.

Football has always known of the resting midfielder kicking goals from a pocket — Leigh Matthews kicked 91 goals in 1977 at the peak of his powers.

But this generation has three elite midfielders equally adept up forward in Nathan Fyfe, Dustin Martin and Patrick Dangerfield.

Richmond'loves isolating Dustin Martin in attack. And the Blues might employ the same tactic with Patrick Cripps. Picture: Colleen Petch

The question is which clubs will be able to respond to the growing trend and find their own versions of Dusty and Danger?

Nick Riewoldt compared Cripps’ stature to Wayne Carey on Thursday, but Cripps actually has him by three centimetres.

For Cripps, 22, it might also help his longevity given he has so often played with the pain of collision-based injuries.

“I have just been working on it in the pre-season, a few of the midfielders have,’’ he said of the move forward.

“With my size you can get forward and if you jump at it you can clunk a few. I was lucky to get on the end of a few tonight, which is nice, especially early.

“It saves you rotating to the bench and you can go forward. I wouldn’t say you get a breather because playing forward is hard but you can use your size to your advantage.

“Guys like Fyfe do that well and (Marcus) Bontempelli as well.”

West Australian Cripps says it is hard not to want to replicate Fyfe’s forward craft given his impact.

“I definitely look at all the best players and try to pick different parts of their game. But definitely his overhead marking as a mid is the best in the competition, I would say.”

Richmond have a trio of marking midfielders in Martin, Trent Cotchin and Josh Caddy, while Fremantle also have plenty of strings to their bow.

Fyfe’s gifts are obvious, but David Mundy beat Richmond off his own boot as a full forward last year and Michael Walters is lethal one-out and deep.

Blues assistant coach David Teague, in charge of Carlton on Thursday, believes clubs will play to their strengths if they have marking midfielders.

“We have got a lot of depth in our playing list and quite a bit of versatility. To have guys who can play there, it might be a thing you can use to your advantage.

“Or sometimes the guy just isn’t having a great day so you can use him to get into the game.

“To have leaders like that to be able to play in both areas, it’s a great position to be in.”

Eddie Betts is a wizard inside 50. Picture Sarah Reed

YOUR DUSTY MARTIN-TYPE MIDFIELDER

ADELAIDE

Isolating Eddie Betts is the obvious Plan B for the Crows, given he has won the 10th most one-on-one contests of any player in the past five years.

Rory Sloane kicked 20 goals last year, but most pushing forward as a mid.

BRISBANE

They have lost Tom Rockliff, capable of playing deep forward, so will likely go with a more conventional set-up.

They have a fleet of small forwards anyway, but hopefully Cam Rayner will turn into that Dusty-type mid-forward over time.

CARLTON

Charlie Curnow can already create mismatches but 195cm colossus Patrick Cripps shapes as the obvious onballer to throw forward.

He won 29 per cent of one-on-one marking contests across the ground last year but kicked only seven goals.

COLLINGWOOD

Scott Pendlebury is such a smooth mover he could create havoc at full forward, but neither he or Steele Sidebottom won a forward 50 one-on-one last year.

The Pies have a stack of medium-sized aerial forwards like Alex Fasolo and Jamie Elliott, they just need them to stay fit.

ESSENDON

When you have Joe Daniher, you want to play him deep. Jake Stringer is the midfielder who swings forward.

But he won only five of 28 inside-50 marking contests last year, so clearly has heaps of work to do on that side of his game.

FREMANTLE

A wealth of options. In his Brownlow year Nathan Fyfe won a massive 50 per cent of one-on-one contests deep.

Last year it was David Mundy as the ice man winning games as a marking forward, while Michael Walters ranks 20th in the AFL for one-on-one wins in the past five years.

Patrick Dangerfield has shown what a handful he is near goal. Pic: Getty Images

GEELONG

We know what Patty Danger can do and can’t wait to see more of it this year.

For all Gary Ablett’s goalpower he played 85 per cent in the midfield last year, winning three of just five one-on-one contests.

GOLD COAST

Jack Martin is the man, with a bag of four goals last year against Brisbane and a trio of three-goal hauls (27 per cent one-on-one wins).

From there its down to the goalsneaks like Ben Ainsworth to get it done.

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY

Toby Greene has turned into the silky game-changing half forward, winning a sensational 41 per cent of one-on-ones last year.

He has 89 goals in the past two years. Can Brett Deledio get fit enough to fill a similar role?

HAWTHORN

In 2016 with no Jarryd Roughead, Cyril Rioli kicked 47 goals as a deep forward, winning an exceptional 41 per cent of deep contests.

Shaun Burgoyne has cameos in attack but it is actually Roughy who has the versatility to play midfield, ruck and forward.

MELBOURNE

Christian Petracca won an off-the-charts 46 per cent of his one-on-ones inside forward 50 last year and is capable of being isolated deep.

For all his pace and dare, Jeff Garlett has won 32 per cent of his one-on-ones in the past five years, good enough for 24th in the league.

NORTH MELBOURNE

Jack Ziebell is the man, averaging 17 goals in his past five years and slamming through five goals against the Pies last year.

But he and the club seem happy for him to strut his stuff predominantly in the midfield despite his attacking weaponry.

Jack Ziebell is more than capable near goal. Pic: Getty Images

PORT ADELAIDE

Plenty of versatility from Port Adelaide’s half forwards, with both Robbie Gray and Chad Wingard exceptional in attack and equally happy in the midfield.

RICHMOND

The premiership proves it and the stats back it up.

Dustin Martin won a league-best 54 per cent of attacking one-on-ones last year, with Daniel Rioli well above AFL average at 37 per cent and Josh Caddy not far behind at 31 per cent.

With Trent Cotchin also kicking 17.8, Damien Hardwick had a fleet of dangerous mid-forwards at his disposal.

ST KILDA

The Saints have a potentially lethal pair of smalls in Jack Billings and Jade Gresham but probably not a power mid capable of being isolated deep.

SYDNEY

Luke Parker is superb over head (40 per cent one-on-one wins last year, while we all know Isaac Heeney’s prowess as a jumping jack who also plays forwad.

WEST COAST

Here is hoping Liam Ryan and Willie Rioli can provide the highlights, but the Eagles don’t really have a strong-bodied mid capable of pushing forward one-out.

WESTERN BULLDOGS

Last year Marcus Bontempelli played forward 32 per cent of the time and won matches for the Dogs, his 38 per cent one-on-one win-rate exceptional.

No Jake Stringer any more, while Bailey Dale’s 17 goals off the wing last year thrilled the Doggies faithful.

‘The Bont’ loves a goal. Pic: Michael Klein