I’ve been obsessed with this topic for over a decade.
In the Golden Generation, we were insanely lucky to have a quick succession of elite strikers like Viduka, Aloisi, Kennedy and Cahill.
As they started retiring we all expected someone else to come along. But it’s been 10-15 years and still nothing close to comparable.

I’ve just been suggesting in another thread that this new generation of players coming through is a cut above the quality of youth we saw in last 10-15 years. However, the clear and obvious weakness is still the #9 Striker position. There’s certainly a lot more potential than we’ve seen since the golden gen. But no one stands out as an obvious superstar.

So, I decided to channel my Australian Striker search obsession into this analysis and see what really are our options + what do the stats tell us?
Note on stats: I don’t beleive in including penalty kicks in goal stats. So all goalscoring stats are excluding PK’s.


1) New generation natural Striker options:
So many young strikers have at least started getting game time. So there’s a lot to consider, but so far no clear stand out favourites.

Kusini Yengi
Age: 24.8
Height: 6'2
Summary: Looked promising in the A-League and has upped it during his short stint for Portsmouth in League One which has earned his first cap for the Socceroos. Physically strong and fast player. Fingers crossed he can maintain this level of productivity and convert it to higher levels of play.
2023-24 | League One: Portsmouth | 136 minutes | 2 Goals | 0 Assists | 1.32 Goals/90 | 1.32 G+A/90
2022-23 | A-League: WSW | 827 minutes | 4 goals | 2 Assists | 0.44 Goals/90 | 0.65 G+A/90
2021-22 | A-Leauge: Adelaide Utd | 386 minutes | 1 Goal | 0 Assists | 0.23 Goals/90 | 0.23 G+A/90
2020-21 | A-League: Adelaide Utd | 760 minutes | 4 Goals | 2 Assists | 0.47 Goals/90 | 0.71 G+A/90

John Iredale
Age: 24.3
Height: 6'2
Summary: Been kicking around Europe on our radar for years. Finally made it to a good level at 2. Bundesliga, but yet to score a goal.
2023-24 | 2. Bundesliga: Wehen | 277 minutes | 0 Goals | 0 Assists
2022-23 | 3. Liga: Wehen | 912 minutes | 6 Goals | 1 Assist | 0.59 Goals/90 | 0.69 G+A/90
2021-22 | 3. Liga: Wehen | 390 minutes | 3 Goals | 0 assists | 0.69 Goal/90 | 0.69 G+A/90

Al Hassan Toure
Age: 23.5
Height: 6’1
Summary: Included more for comparison sake with his younger brothers further below.
2023-24 | Turkish 2nd Div | 483 minutes | 0 Goals | 0 Assists
2022-23 | A-League: Macarthur | 1259 minutes | 3 Goals | 5 Assists | 0.21 Goals/90 | 0.57 G+A/90
2021-22 | A-League: Macarthur | 825 minutes | 2 Goals | 2 Assists | 0.22 Goals/90 | 0.44 G+A/90
2020-21 | A-League: Adelaide Utd | 555 minutes | 0 Goals | 0 Assists
2019-20 | A-League: Adelaide Utd | 633 minutes | 2 Goals | 1 Assist | 0.28 Goals/90 | 0.43 G+A/90

Alou Kuol
Age: 22.3
Height: 6'0
Summary: Promising start to his career but went to Europe early where it didn’t work out for him. Since overshadowed by his younger brother in midfield, but has plenty of time to get himself back on track and compete for National Team selection.
2023-24 | A-League: CCM | 214 minutes | 1 Goal | 0 Assists | 0.42 Goals/90
2022-23 | Bundesliga: Stuttgart | 5 minutes | 0 Goals | 0 Assists
2021-22 | 2. Bundeslinga: Sandhausen | 11 minutes | 0 Goals | 0 Assists
2020-21 | A-League: CCM | 911 minutes | 7 Goals | 2 Assists | 0.69 Goals/90 | 0.89 G+A/90

Noah Botic
Age: 20.8
Height: 6'0
Summary: Currently first choice striker for the Olyroos which means he’s highly rated by Australian management, despite a poor start to this season for both Noah and his team.
2023-24 | A-League: Western Utd | 274 minutes | 0 Goals | 0 Assists
2022-23 | A-League: Western Utd | 879 minutes | 6 Goals | 0 Assists | 0.60 Goals/90 | 0.60 G+A/90
2021-22 | A-Leauge: Western Utd | 23 minutes | 0 Goals | 0 Assists

Mohamed Toure
Age: 19.6
Height: 6’1
Summary: To some people, Mohamed is out most promising future Striking talent. His stats below on the A-League and Ligue 2 speak for themselves. Physical thread and has a knack for goal. But can he get more game time in France, be consistent and step up to a higher level of play?
2023-24 | Ligue 2: Paris FC | 146 minutes | 1 Goal | 1 Assist | 0.62 Goals/90 | 1.23 G+A/90
2022-23 | Ligue 1: Reims | 23 minutes | 0 Goals | 0 Assists
2021-22 | A-League: Adelaide Utd | 475 minutes | 3 Goals | 0 Assists | 0.57 Goals/90 | 0.57 G+A/90
2020-21 | A-League: Adelaide Utd | 357 minutes | 3 Goals | 1 Assist | 0.76 Goals/90 | 1.01 G+A/90
2019-20 | A-Leauge: Adelaide Utd | 150 minutes | 1 Goal | 0 Assists | 0.60 Goals/90 | 0.60 G+A/90

Archie Goodwin
Age: 19.0
Height: 5’10
Summary: Prolific goalscoring at youth level and seemlessly adapting to Senior level. Already clinical numbers infront of goal. One to watch as he starts to get more minutes.
2023-24 | A-League: Newcastle Jets | 0 minutes
2022-23 | A-League: Newcastle Jets | 144 minutes | 2 Goals | 0 Assists | 1.25 Goals/90 | 1.25 G+A/90
2021-22 | A-League: Newcastle Jets | 175 minutes | 2 Goals | 0 Assists | 1.03 Goals/90 | 1.03 G+A/90
2020-21 | A-League: Newcastle Jets | 298 minutes | 1 Goal | 1 Assist | 0.30 Goals/90 | 0.60 G+A/90

Thomas Waddingham
Age: 18.6
Height: ?
Summary: Brand new senior debutant who's off to a promising start to his career.
2023-24 | A-League: Brisbane Roar | 202 minutes | 1 Goal | 1 Assist | 0.45 Goals/90 | 0.89 G+A/90

Luka Jovanovic
Age: 18.5
Height: 5’9
Summary: Showed he has a knack for goal last season with 3 goals at only 17 years old.
2023-24 | A-League: Adelaide Utd | 45 minutes | 0 Goals | 0 Assists
2022-23 | A-League: Adelaide Utd | 372 minutes | 3 Goals | 0 Assists | 0.72 Goals/90 | 0.72 G+A/90

Max Caputo
Age: 18.3
Height: 5’10
Summary: Young debutant Striker with a goal to his name in a small number of minutes.
2023-24 | A-League: Melbourne City | 47 minutes | 0 Goals | 0 Assists
2022-23 | A-League: Melbourne City | 12 minutes | 1 Goal | 0 Assists | 7.5 Goals/90 | 7.5 G+A/90 (LOL)

Musa Toure
Age: 18.0
Height: 6’0
Summary: Youngest of the Toure brothers and the most technically gifted of the three. His 1.5 years older brother Mohamed is still ahead, but definitely has potential to overtake him. Some call Musa the most talented brother.
2023-24 | A-League: Adelaide Utd | 119 minutes | 1 Goal | 0 Assists | 0.76 Goals/90 | 0.76 G+A/90

Pretty depressing reading to be honest. On my quick scan of the younger players you listed, the most prolific has only 11 senior goals across a few seasons. Yea I know they’re young, but geez we have sucked at developing strikers for decades, and the trend doesn’t really look like ending any time soon. I wish it were otherwise, but the stats seem to speak for themselves.

Thanks for the massive effort! It's not like Taggart will return for Australia I think but a handy finisher.

I personally would like A League clubs to have local keepers and strikers but you can't enforce it like China does. I heard Uzbekistan have a policy like that of their young strikers racing towards 100 senior appearances in order to bolster them for the national team. 

I just want the new generation be put in the middle more and more and remove Maclaren. There were even times when Leckie was played in the middle. 

Brownlie and particularly Caputo are good prospects. Glasson is a hard worker who will improve and could get to a good level. Jovanović is real talent but not sure if his future is as a 9. Three more to watch out for are Max Hately (WSW), Sulemani (City) and Medin Memeti (City). Hately was the #1 striker for the Joeys (ahead of Glasson) but did his ACL at the start of the year. Memeti is a goalscorer. Sulemani also did his ACL at the start of the year when he was on the verge of an A-League debut.

Both the younger Touré brothers are good prospects. Not sure Musa is a 9. Mohamed should be a long-term Socceroo. 

Nic D'agostino & Arzani probably need to be included in the list

Amazing write-up. Very comprehensive. Thanks for taking the effort. 

I think that list suggests our best performed prospects are Kusini Yengi, Mohamed Toure, Garang Kuol (if he finds his Europe legs) and Archie Goodwin. 

I'd keep Duke in the fold through to the Asian Cup and surround him with the next generation. I'm really bullish on Toure and would like to see him in our NT squads. Yengi came from nowhere really but his form shouldn't be ignored. G. Kuol I think should be given space to figure out his club form. Archie Goodwin production surprised me but perhaps should be more highly rated. 

Martin Boyle deserves a shout as alternative for a number 9. He's not the physical profile often associated as a 9 but he has some form there and is a tricky player. 

For completeness I'd add Nick D'Agostino and Tete Yengi. Bruno Fornaroli is in better form than most of the old brigade but at his age I understand the omission. Taggart maybe?

That generational gap you mentioned is interesting. Recently I think Duke has really stepped up. He's beginning to be recognised but probably is still underappreciated. The league he plays in doesn't help. I can't help but feel that the loss of Dylan Tombides was just huge. Dyke to Scotland also. What ifs. 

Some potential but also some grim reading. The fact Cummings is there after being a bit of a joke in Scotland isn’t good.

Some thoughts: Iredale could’ve been huge by now if not for injury (and he’s scored a penalty), Dykes was a loss and should’ve been capped when he was in Scotland, shame Deni Juric has sunk like a stone, Martin Boyle can definitely play striker.

Yes and no. He matured over here. He played more like a second striker here. Dropping deep and feeding firstly Garang and then Tulio and Silvera. He contributes a lot more than his goals. He also combined really well with Boyle when they played together in Scotland with both of them having their best seasons feeding off each other. The pity is he is playing in India, I can't see him getting picked from there but if he goes somewhere better he can really bring a lot of others into play. 

its the best we've seen it in a decade, about a player every age group who looks like they are capable of being at least as good as our current roos strikers.

Having said that, we are improving from a low level. Gotta hope on of those players pokes their head through

I guess patrick wood is missing?

Congratulations Neanderthal-terrific work.The spearhead of the attack is such a vital cog in the machine.You can have a well organised defence,a committed and clever  midfield ,fast and skilful wingers but if the main focus of the attack is not up to scratch winning games becomes hard work.Of course if you have players like Mbappe,Best,Garrincha,Robben and CR7( in his early career) who can score goals from  the wide positions the No 9 can be not quite as important though his role still ties up the opposition CBs.More central midfielders( 8s and 10s)  also should  be able to get into goal scoring positions

From reading your analysis it is not all good news  but that new generation has tons of potential if given sufficient game time and in teams which can handle the transition from defence  to attack with some speed.I think Yengi,Mo Toure,Botic and the very new boy Waddingham could go far if those conditions are met.Archie Goodwin did look very promising but is suffering from lack of game time.

Duke ,while not a prolific scorer,gets important goals and has improved with age( his stints in Japan have awakened and expanded his " football intelligence").His heading prowess,ability to hold up the ball and willingness to press are the strengths of his game and he is an on field leader.J Mac is the fox in the box but as we all know he has not the strength to outmuscle top class defenders.Viduka was as strong as a bull with excellent close control but on cold analysis his return of 9 goals in forty odd games did not read well but he had the same strengths as Duke(apart from the pressing ability which was not as important in the game at that stage).

It is a pity Cummings went to India.He was great for the Mariners and the A-League in general .He was the type of CF who was willing to drop back and play between the lines and let on of the AMs move into his position( he and Tulio had this down pat by the end of last season) thus often confounding the CBs.If he had stayed I am sure Arnie would have given him more chances in the qualifying games at least.

It will be interesting to see how Irankunda fares at BM.I wonder whether the coaches there would consider him as a no 9-he is physically imposing,quick and has a thunderbolt shot.I have never seen Iredale play so not sure where his place is in the scheme of things.Borrello looked great last season but has had a slow start this season and though scoring a goal the other night against Bangladesh he did not stand out.

Hopefully Mo Toure and Kusini Yengi get the necessary game time at their respective clubs,score regularly and then may be move up to a higher league.

though the point Nearderthal made was a 9....and they are not 9's.

It staggering why we don't produce true 9's like most other nations.
What are we doing development wise ?

A 20yrold in NSWPL2 Kai Denton 26goals last season.
U20's Samuel Tzanakes 24goals.
Both golden boots past season.

Have hopes with Yengi and Irankunda, Kuol as well.
Well done on the thread mate.

Think Bennie may do well also.

There is potential there for the next striking prospects to come through, i said in another thread we probably a pure No.6 and GK away from creating a decent team for the future so we will see really.

The ones to keep an eye for me are Waddingham, Caputo and Jovanovic from the u20s, Botic, Mo Toure and Alou Kuol from the u23 group.
Yengi already is a Socceroo with good potential too.

The key will be game time and showing form, No.9s like genuine attacking midfielders tend to be favoured for foreign or experienced Aussies when it comes to the a-league which is a reason we don't see many break through but whats good about those names they already are playing and even scoring which is a good sign.

Yeah I chose to exclude Taggart. it’s been over 4 years since he’s had a cap, he’s 30 and Arnie doesn't seem to rate him. Just don’t see him in the conversation.


On the brightside, a lot of them have very good goals per 90 ratio’s. Just super frustrating that they don’t get more game time. We need to trust young local strikers more.
How does Archie Goodwin got a goal per game but is lucky to get 200 minutes per season?


Good tips. Hope they get their senior debuts soon.
I think Musa is a 9 in terms of how Adelaide have played him so far. He has the build for it.


Yeah fair call. He probably deserves to be on the list.



Read everyone elses comments. Some great reads, thanks all.
And yes I excluded non-natural strikers. I’m sure there are other great candidates to be false #9’s that might make it theirs by 2026, but time didn’t allow.

Taggart is a funny one because he was doing everything right up until covid. Post covid he was also very good in the China game and Japan he almost scored. I think injury came then and a reshuffle and I feel that's part of how we crumbled. We ended up relaxing on Maclaren and Duke wasn't firing yet. Taggart played the NZ friendly pre WC and just couldn't get into the game and that was that. I think he may have had a knock then too.

Lets compare how each striker is doing compared to our current generation. I’m only going to count goals and minutes for games at a similar or higher level than the a league. Controversially, I will include the 3rd division of england and germany. 

Last generation of roos strikers: Nabbout (17/12/1992), Juric(22/7/1991), Duke (18/1/1991), Mclaren (29/7/1993), Taggart (June/1993) Of these only two played at a higher level than the a league in Taggart and Juric, with Duke the late bloomer due to do so next season. Nabbout also spent some time in the a league but wasn’t a consistent starter. It is interesting that Taggart and Juric were the most impressive at a very young age, followed by nabbout. Maclaren took a bit to get going but then started smashing them in

Yengi 15/Jan 1999 15 goals in 2579 minutes
Nabbout as of October 2017: 3605 minutes for 13 goals
Duke as of November 2015 16 goals from 6598 minutes
Juric as of May 2016 23 goals from 4686 minutes
Mclaren as of May 2018 61 goals from 7914
Taggart as of April 2018 43 goals from 7079 minutes
Summary, less minutes than all other players but more goals than Nabbout and a higher goal to minute ratio than anyone but mclaren and Taggart.

Iredale August 1999
12 goals after 1819 minutes
Nabout as of March 2017 13 goals at 3279
Duke as of April 2015 15 goals at 4868 minutes
Juric as of October 2015 23 goals at 4686 minutes
Maclaren as of October 2017 53 goals at 6838 minutes
Taggart as of September 2017 35 goals at 5570 minutes
Well behind in minutes but has a good goal to minute ratio beaten only by maclaren

A Kuol July 2001
11 goals at 1628 minutes
Nabout as of April 2015 5 goals at 1291 minutes
Duke as of May 2013 9 goals at 1250 minutes
Juric as of November 2013 6 goals at 1547 minutes
Maclaren as of November 2015 11 goals at 1954
Taggart as of October 2015 19 goals at 3348 minutes

Botic Jan 2002 8 goals at 1389 minutes
Nabout as of Oct 2014 5 goals at 1258
Duke as of Nov 2012  1 goal at 44 minutes
Juric as of May 2013 6 goals at 1547
Mclaren as of May 2015 11 goals at 1954
Taggart as of April 2015 19 goals at 3348 minutes

Patrick wood sep 2002 13 goals at 2020 minutes
Nabout as of Feb 2014 4 goals at 1145
Duke as of March 2012  1 goal at 44 minutes
Juric as of Nov 2012 3 goals at 782
Mclaren as of Nov 2014 2 goals at 1109
Taggart as of Oct 2014 19 goals at 3348 minutes

Mo Toure
March 2004 8 goals for 1141 minutes
Nabout as of Dec 2012 4 goals at 439
Duke as of Jan 2011  0 goals at 0 minutes
Juric as of July 2011 0 goals at 0
Mclaren as of July 2013 0 goals at 0
Taggart as of June 2013 3 goals at 1182 minutes

A Goodwin
November 2004 7 goals at 717 minutes
Nabout as of Mar 2012 0 goals at 0 minutes
Taggart as of Nov 2012 1 goal at 393

T Waddingham
April 2005
5 goals at 654
Taggart as of Dec 2011 1 goal at 298 minutes

L Jovanovic
May 2005 4 goals at 485 minutes
Taggart as of Nov 2011 1 goal at 298 minutes

M Caputo
Aug 2005 2 goals at 347
Taggart as of Sep 2011 1 goal at 298 minutes

Mu Toure
Nov 2005
1 goal from 138 minutes
Taggart as of July 2011 1 goal at 298 minutes

M Glasson
May 2006
0 goals at 121 minutes
Taggart as of Dec 2010 0 goals at 0 minutes

R Brownlie
Feb 2007
0 goals after 101 minutes

Conclusion: It looks as though we are producing a lot more strikers who are getting a lot more minutes at a younger age but it is still a problem position. I predict that Alou Kuol and most strikers younger than them are capable of playing at a higher level than the a league, though few are likely to have a good chance at the big 5. Even still, it is a noticeable improvement on the last decade without completely solving our problem. With so many coming through and the fact strikers develop non-linearly there is an ok chance we have 1 player in the big 5 starting regularly with maybe 5-6 playing at a higher level than the a league regularly. The standouts for me are Mo Toure, Patrick Wood, Waddingham, archie goodwin and R Brownlie. 

TBH - I have the most hope for Irakunda and Garang Kuol. Both predominantly play as a RW - but both know how and when to shoot and can bring others into play. They also have speed to press defenders. 

They both need to get game time at a higher level and are a long way from the finished product. Garang had a goal every 95 minutes at CCM and a goal involvement every 61 minutes. Irankunda has a goal every 116 minutes and a goal involvement every 95 minutes at Adelaide. If they had played predominantly as strikers that would likely have been greater.

Neither of them are the 'next Harry Kewell' - but really I want the conversation in years to come to be who is the 'next Garang Kuol' or who is the 'next Irankunda'.

       

Epic post! That really makes things seem a lot more positive.

Also, Yengi's 199915 goals in 2559 minutes is impressive.

I did notice when Kuol scored for Voldenham he was playing on the left and cutting inside.... most wingers are playing like this these days, I think that may suit Garang better in the long run, I hope this is the reason they are taking their time with him.

lol born in 1999 and 15 goals :D

I agree we have improved, albeit from a low base. For whatever reason fullback and 9 have been problem positions for us

D'Agostino has played as a 9. His best form at Victory which secured his move to Viking was as a 9. 

I think this thread illustrates there are some opportunities for AL clubs who are brave. I look at a guy like Goodwin and think he's underutilised and undervalued. The team that gives him a proper go at it will be rewarded. Although I think injuries have played a role there too. I'd love him at Victory. 

Add young Zach Sapsford. Nicely taken goal.

Archie Goodwin finally got some game time -15 minutes for a well beaten team but he scored their goal.Evidently has has had some back problems.

How good is he & why doesn't he get game time.
I read a lot of good stuff about him, but haven't seen too much of his game to comment. Why doesn't he get more game time especially for a side that is struggling?

Just coming back from back surgery. He is a natural striker, is quick and finds space. If he can stay injury free then a front three of Garang, Goodwin and Irakunda looks very exciting. 

He is now 7 goals at 720 minutes which is a noticeable  improvement over our current socceroos at the same age

Archie, Mo and waddingham look like they could really improve our current stock. Patrick wood really looks promising too and flying under the radar

Hi everyone sorry for my rubbish formatting, I was travelling and a bit under the weather

my long post should be easier to read now

Thanks for the tidy up. Makes for a great re-read.

No worries! Will do an update around jan since a lot of players are getting good game time