In the lead-up to the 2026 AFL season, Richmond Media will assess how each positional group is tracking in the pre-season. Today, we focus on the forward line with Assistant Coach, Forwards, Chris Newman. Click here to read the backline preview and click here for the midfield preview.

The future of Richmond’s forward line is here, stacked with youthful talent and exciting prospects ready to break out onto the scene.

Former Richmond captain Newman is fostering the development of the forward line, with his players poised to take the next step up in 2026.

“We're starting to ramp up a bit of gameplay now,” Newman told Richmond Media.

“Pre-Christmas, a huge focus was around the technical side of the game, making sure our fundamentals are sound.

“Really breaking down the craft of small forward and tall forward, and then now sort of trying to put it all together with our couple of matches and getting some exposure to all players, whether it's Lynchy (Tom Lynch) or one of the first-year players.”

Throughout the 2025 season, five debutants took a spot in the forward line in Harry Armstrong, Liam Fawcett, Jonty Faull, Tom Sims and Jasper Alger. 

Each debutant hit the scoreboard, proving themselves at the elite level and becoming viable options in attack. 

“The young boys have been fantastic, they're all good kids and good people, so I think that's the number one thing that we've tried to recruit,” Newman said.

“Blair (Hartley) and the team have tried to recruit good people first and foremost, and they've certainly fitted into the group really well.

“They all train really hard, and they all bring certain footy qualities that are going to be really important to play their role.

“They can all run, and they've all got a really good football brain and good footy IQ, so I've been really impressed with what they've been able to bring.”

One constant in Richmond’s forward line over the last seven years has been two-time premiership player and 2022 Jack Dyer medallist, Lynch.

Newman praised the 33-year-old for his ability to help build up his younger teammates, especially the likes of Armstrong, Fawcett, Sims, and Faull, who has taken over the No. 8 guernsey, previously worn by Jack Riewoldt.

“They are the least experienced but they're really hungry to learn, even from someone like Tom Lynch,” Newman said.

“The taller guys work with him a lot, and they do a lot of craft. He sits down, he watches videos, he does a master craft, with the aerial stuff in particular, so they gravitate towards him.

“Someone like Rhyan Mansell, too. He's one of the more experienced forwards that we have who's really shown some strong leadership throughout not only this summer but throughout the last year or so.”

Newman was impressed with how well the second-year players have developed their game in such a short time, going from strength to strength this pre-season.

Most notably, Alger has returned to the Swinburne Centre fit and firing, impressing with his aerial contests and attack on the football.

“Physically, (the second-year players have) got stronger, and I feel like because of the exposure that they had last year, it has helped their knowledge this pre-season,” Newman explained.

“Jasper's another one that's really impressed this summer, he's one of those guys that has that footy chip and knows how to play, particularly tall and small.

“He is really good in the air and at ground level. He's presented really well from pre-season and some of the training sessions that we've had, he's been a standout.”

Small forward Seth Campbell enjoyed a breakout season in 2025, finishing fifth in the Club’s Best and Fairest count and winning Michael Roach Medal as the leading goalkicker.

Newman said the 21-year-old has already shown leadership qualities only 43 games into his AFL career.

“Seth presented really well, back from the off-season, and he wants to take his game to the next level,” Newman said.  

“He's a next-level type of energy guy. He's been really strong in some of the drills we've been doing, and he's trying to drive and improve his leadership as well.

“The more games that he plays, the more footy knowledge that he'll get and the more he can pass that on, and that's what he's trying to work on in particular.

“It'll still take a little bit of time on the leadership side of things, but he looks pretty sharp on the track.”

Small forward duo, Steely Green and Maurice Rioli, have both been lighting up the track this pre-season, impressing Newman with their pressure acts and sharp foot skills.

“Steely Green's another one that's looked really sharp, who once again, looked after himself in the off-season and came back having a good block of training,” Newman said.

“Maurice Rioli's the other one that's showing some really good signs too, putting on a lot of pressure as he does and he is working really hard on his game.”

Off the field, Richmond has bolstered its forward line coaching panel by appointing three-time Hawthorn premiership player, and two-time All-Australian, Luke Breust, as a development coach.

“He's been massive for us, especially the small forwards. They've really gravitated towards him,” Newman said of Breust.

“Luke has played as a small forward for 15 or 16 years, maybe longer, and has really come in and tried to form relationships with all those guys and he has done that really easily.

“Some of the craft and knowledge that he's been able to pass on in these early stages has been really important for us and will be really important for those guys in their development.”