It’s hard to argue considering Best slotted 1624 goals, including 13 century-plus tallies in his BFL career.

In the past 20 years, three champion full-forwards – Steven Oliver, Steven Reaper and Grant Weeks – have dominated the competition.

Three different styles of full-forward with one common ingredient – a hunger for kicking goals.

Oliver kicked 1021 goals, including four centuries, and led Castlemaine to two premierships in 1992 and 2000.

Chased heavily by AFL club Carlton, Oliver played 13 games for the Blues before returning to Castlemaine to enjoy country life.

His 1992 BFL season had the potential to be a record-breaker.

In the first 13 games he’d kicked 132 goals and was on track to smash the league home and away record of 154.

He was cut down by injuries, but returned for the finals and finished with 147 goals.

Reaper was arguably the most accurate kick for goal the BFL has seen in the past 30 years.

He only needed to have eight kicks per game to have a major influence on the match.

His coach at Gisborne, Collingwood great Mick McGuane, is on record as rating Reaper’s kicking for goal alongside St Kilda champion Tony Lockett.

Reaper kicked more than 800 goals, including four tons, played in two premierships each with Kyneton and Gisborne and was well-known for his self-proclaimed nicknames of “The Action Attraction” and “Revenue” - because he attracted people through the gates.

Weeks has taken the BFL by storm in the past three seasons.

The 23-year-old has kicked 428 goals in just 55 games for the Bulldogs and played in two premierships.

He’s twice been named an All-Australian after dominating the 2010 and 2012 Australian Country Football Championships.

Weeks’ strong hands and body positioning is first-class and his ability to win the ball at ground level is better than Oliver and Reaper.

As a coach you’d be happy to have any of the three forwards in your side.

Three men who are well-placed to give their thoughts on the great modern-day forwards are Derrick Filo, Richard Jones and Jock Clark.

DERRICK FILO

Former team-mate of Oliver, coached and played alongside Reaper and now coaches against Weeks.

“Oliver is the best player I’ve seen in country footy by that far, it’s not funny.

“I’m not trying to downgrade Weeks and Reaper, they’re both fantastic players, but Oliver is clearly the best I’ve seen.

“Oliver was a freak show. As a 17-year-old he kicked 10 goals against Golden Square the year they won the flag. 

“Imagine these days if a 17-year-old came into the competition and kicked 10 goals against the best team in the competition, it just doesn’t happen.

“In his prime he was six foot four, kick the ball 65m and he could jump on your head and mark it. Then he put on 27kg.

“Weeks and Reaper are top class. No matter how many players you drop back on them they always manage to find space. At the moment you’d rate Weeks ahead of Reaper, but the big boy (Reaper) did do it over eight years.”

RICHARD JONES

Former Sports Editor of the Bendigo Advertiser. In his 36th consecutive season of covering Bendigo football.

“There’s no doubt I would rank Ron Best as the top forward I’ve seen. His sheer number of goals puts him in a category of his own.

“Of all the many bags I’ve seen him kick, two games stand out.

“The 1980 inter-league game at Narrandera when the Blue and Golds defeated South West District.

“It took us all Saturday to get there. Then on the Sunday, Best slotted a lazy 10.

“Then in his final game, the 1984 grand final, Besty slotted 11 of Northern United’s 18 as the Swallows accounted for Eaglehawk by 42 points.

“In Northern United’s final ever game, round one in 1996, Ollie snagged 19.

“Ollie kicked them from everywhere. Out on the railway flank, tucked in on the boundaries, and of course from straight in front.

“He tallied 146 goals in 1992, finals included, and is the only other BFL player apart from Best to have booted more than 1000 goals.

“I saw Reaper bag 10 one day for Gisborne over at Princes Park in Maryborough. 

“In the 2003 grand final against Eaglehawk he shot past the 100-goal mark for the season in the third quarter. He’d finished the home-and-away rounds on 86, but got the goals he needed in the finals series to top the ton.

“I was also at the Camp Reserve when Weeks got his hundred in 2010. He needed six for the ton and got 14.”

JOCK CLARK

Chief commentator for 101.5 Fresh FM for the past 25 years.

“It’s very hard to split the three modern-day full-forwards.

“Reaper was the traditional full-forward - hard lead, good hands and a great kick for goal.

“Oliver was such a big, athletic man. He was so hard to stop. He could get up high and take a big pack mark or out muscle you one-on-one. He had the capabilities to do some freakish things.

“Weeks doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the little things he does. His record in the past three years shows he can kick goals, but he’s also very good at ground level.

“I’m staggered that an AFL club hasn’t offered Weeks a contract. As a St Kilda supporter I’d swap him for Justin Koschitzke tomorrow.

“If I was picking a team from scratch and could only pick one of the three at full-forward, I’d lean to Oliver.”