HAWTHORN doesn't need any extra motivation for Friday night's semi-final against Port Adelaide, but celebrating Luke Breust's 300th game with a win would make a victory even sweeter.

Breust will become just the 105th player in VFL/AFL history to play 300 games at the level and just the ninth in Hawthorn's long and proud history.

The 33-year-old's remarkable journey from pick 47 in the 2009 Rookie Draft to the top of the competition as a triple-premiership player, two-time All-Australian and five-time leading goalkicker has been well told.

But how does he rank compared to other small forwards of the modern era?

To celebrate Breust's milestone, the team at AFL.com.au has come up with a list of the 10 best small forwards of the AFL era, since 1990.

We've kept the criteria tight to include only those that fit the bill of being a genuine small forward, those champions of the modern game who made up for being undersized by producing big scoreboard impact from minimal touches in the forward 50.

For this reason, a group of legendary players were not considered as they had major impact further up the ground as well as in front of goal. Therefore, the likes of Jason Akermanis, Robbie Gray, Darren Jarman, Brad Johnson, Steve Johnson, Paul Chapman and Brent Harvey do not make the list.

10) Tom Papley (Sydney, 2016-current)

290 goals in 183 games
Goals per game: 1.58
Most goals in a season: 43 in 2021
Most goals in a game: 6 v Rich in 2023
All-Australian: 2021
Leading goalkicker: 2019, 2020, 2023

The Swan's reputation as an agitator and the best celebrator in the game may mean his feats in front of goal are underrated, particularly outside Sydney. Another rookie draft steal, the 28-year-old has kicked 30 or more goals in five of the past six seasons and could well be higher on this list by the end of his career.

9) Mark LeCras (West Coast, 2005-2018)

441 goals in 219 games
Goals per game: 2.01
Most goals in a season: 63 in 2010
Most goals in a game: 12 v Ess in 2010
All-Australian: 2010
Leading goalkicker: 2009, 2010

The highly skilled forward was a constant threat across 219 games for the Eagles. A good overhead mark, LeCras was a clever forward, and his ability to get into good spots, combined with his good goalkicking, made him a star throughout his AFL career.

8) Charlie Cameron (Adelaide & Brisbane, 2014-current)

399 goals in 226 games
Goals per game: 1.77
Most goals in a season: 59 in 2023
Most goals in a game: 7 v GWS in 2023
All-Australian: 2019, 2023
Leading goalkicker: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

The electric Lion is a modern-day star who has continued to punish teams when given any space. Also able to pressure opponents with his blistering speed, it's Cameron's ability to cause all sorts of damage when the ball hits the ground inside 50 that has put him among the game's best small forwards for so long.

7) Toby Greene (Greater Western Sydney, 2012-current)

372 goals in 238 games
Goals per game: 1.56
Most goals in a season: 66 in 2023
Most goals in a game: 7 v Western Bulldogs in 2022
All-Australian: 2016, 2021, 2023 (c)
Leading goalkicker: 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023

The Giants star has become one of the most dangerous forwards in the game. Greene has an incredible ability to turn small chances into goals, and he is a difficult match-up given he can cause major problems both higher up the field and deep inside 50.

6) Luke Breust (Hawthorn, 2011-current)

548 goals in 299 games
Goals per game: 1.83
Most goals in a season: 57 in 2014
Most goals in a game: 6 (five times)
All-Australian: 2014, 2018
Leading goalkicker: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023

Breust's numbers are undeniable but they only tell part of the story. The man known as 'Punky' is the ultimate team man and now mentor to Hawthorn's exciting young brigade of small forwards. Renowned as one of the most accurate shots for goal – he once kicked an equal VFL/AFL record (with Tony Lockett) of 29 goals without a behind in 2014 – Breust will go down as a club legend. He has booted 30+ goals in 12 of 14 seasons.

5) Jeff Farmer (Melbourne & Fremantle, 1995-2008)

483 goals in 249 games
Goals per game: 1.94
Most goals in a season: 76 in 2000
Most goals in a game: 9 v Collingwood in 2000
All-Australian: 2000
Leading goalkicker: 1997 (equal), 1998, 2000

A career of two halves - one in red and blue, one in purple - but both were equally brilliant. Just as comfortable as a classic crumbing forward or a makeshift lead-up option, Farmer could kick goals in multiple ways, with all of them spectacular. He twice won Goal of the Year (1996 and 1998) and could easily have claimed Mark of the Year in 1998 with his towering grab over an unsuspecting Garry Lyon. His nine-goal half against Collingwood in 2000 was incredible, and it could easily have been 10 had he not missed a simple set shot in the last quarter. Farmer headed back to WA at the end of 2001 and became a firm favourite among Fremantle fans, and a mainstay of the Dockers' finals sides under Chris Connolly in the mid-noughties. 

4) Phillip Matera (West Coast, 1996-2005)

389 goals in 179 games
Goals per game: 2.17
Most goals in a season: 62 in 2003
Most goals in a game: 7 v St Kilda in 2003
All-Australian: 2003
Leading goalkicker: 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

West Coast's most prolific forward as the club rebuilt in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Matera thrilled Eagles fans over a 10-year career that ended abruptly due to a chronic back injury just weeks after his side's loss in the 2005 Grand Final. At his best, Matera was a lively crumbing forward who was also strong on the lead and could kick bags of goals effortlessly.  

3) Stephen Milne (St Kilda, 2001-2013)

574 goals in 275 games
Goals per game: 2.09
Most goals in a season: 61 in 2005
Most goals in a game: 11 v Brisbane in 2005
All-Australian: 2011, 2012
Leading goalkicker: 2002, 2010, 2011, 2012

Another player taken via the Rookie Draft, Milne was a constant threat across 13 prolific seasons with the Saints. He kicked more than 50 goals in six of those campaigns, with his dynamism and finishing ability putting him among the game's best small forwards during that time.

2) Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn, 2008-2018)

275 goals in 189 games
Goals per game: 1.46
Most goals in a season: 47 in 2016
Most goals in a game: 6 (three times)
All-Australian: 2012, 2015, 2016
Leading goalkicker: Nil

A four-time premiership hero and Norm Smith medallist, Rioli could do things on the footy field that no one else dared to dream. Whether in the air or on the ground, the sight of the No.33 roaming across the forward line struck fear into opponents and heightened anticipation among Hawks fans. His Goal of the Year against Essendon in 2009 just has to be seen to be believed.

1) Eddie Betts (Adelaide & Carlton, 2005-2021)

640 goals in 350 games
Goals per game: 1.83
Most goals in a season: 75 in 2016
Most goals in a game: 8 against Essendon in 2011
All-Australian: 2015, 2016, 2017
Leading goalkicker: 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

The best of the best, Betts was must-watch across 17 seasons with the Blues and Crows. The fact Betts is a four-time winner of the NAB AFL Goal of the Year says it all. His ability to kick goals from just about anywhere made him almost unstoppable, and it was that talent that made him a showstopper in the League.