Why Geelong forward Gryan Miers deserves to be in the All-Australian conversation
He may have only kicked two goals this year but nobody in the AFL is playing his position better right now than master assistant Gryan Miers.
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If being a forward is all about scoring goals, than Gryan Miers deserves to be right in the All-Australian conversation, even if he has kicked just two majors this year.
Miers has let himself down in front of the big sticks and kicked 2.9 in 2023 but he is currently the best half-forward in the game.
In the modern game, where the high-forward gets up the ground as an outlet, helps out around stoppages, puts on pressure and then delivers the ball to the deep forwards, nobody is doing it better than the Grovedale kid right now.
His kicking inside-50 is clearly the league’s best currently, with his soft-as-butter chipping balls seemingly always landing on the chest of one of his forward mates.
Thanks to his often derided kicking style, Miers has better control off his boot than anyone not named Caleb Daniel, as he often completely fools defenders trying to keep tabs on the likes of Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron.
His 20 goal assists this year leads the AFL, with Demon gun Christian Petracca (19) and his evergreen mate Tom Hawkins (17) coming in behind him.
Outside of Hawkins – who has sneakily turned a slow start into another elite season – only Giants captain Toby Greene sits in the league’s top-10 goal scorers while also having handed out at least 10 goals themselves.
Greene and Lions jet Charlie Cameron pick themselves as forward pockets in the All-Australian team right now, with Jeremy Cameron and Charlie Curnow likely the two big men in the front six.
The sticking points for Miers’ case will come on two fronts.
With two other spots in the forward line, and likely one bench spot for an attacker, a number of talls will be eagerly campaigning.
And the likes of Hawkins, Oscar Allen, Joe Daniher and Nick Larkey certainly have a strong case.
The second problem for the formally dreadlocked Cat is the fact All-Australian selectors have continually made a habit of picking midfielders on the half-forward flanks in recent years and the likes of Petracca and Collingwood’s Jordan De Goey will be thrown up after the first half of the year, even if they are midfielders first and foremost.
In a team that will never play a game, there is little point picking players primarily for roles but Miers fills a role none of the names mentioned do, as the link man who keeps his forward line humming.
Among forwards, he ranks elite in disposals, score involvements and pressure acts, while being rated above average in clearances and tackles – all the benchmarks of a good half-forward.
As he closes in on a new contract with the Cats, Miers is enjoying the best season of his career and it’s time for the All-Australian selectors to take notice.
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Originally published as Why Geelong forward Gryan Miers deserves to be in the All-Australian conversation
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