Backlines can often do the heavy lifting in footy, especially if they're part of a side looking to turn their list around at the foot of the ladder.
With A-grade defenders a commodity in the AFL, and half-backs often going unnoticed whilst offering their best efforts, those that ply their trade down back hold an accountable role that can go unrewarded.
As made evident in last year's premiership run, a well-gelled rearguard can be the cornerstone in conjuring the right list worthy of planting their flag at the summit come the end of the season.
With the season nearing and each side looking to improve on the results of yesteryear, we profile each side's list of defenders and rank them against their league counterparts.
In part one of three, we look at the six clubs ranked 18 down to 13.
The lack of a standout second-string key defender is a looming issue for the Crows, with emerging young gun Jordon Butts looking to carry the workload this year.
Future captain Tom Doedee is sure to offer his sublime services as an intercept option, however a taller asset to aid both Butts and Doedee is needed.
Fischer McAsey and Nick Murray are yet to prove their prowess at AFL level, while veteran pair Luke Brown and Brodie Smith aren't key-positon contributors.
The Crows lost Jake Kelly to Essendon during the off-season and weren't able to plug the void left by the versatile backman.
Adelaide will welcome back Wayne Milera from injury however, while youngster Chayce Jones could be a significant figure in defence as he continues his impressive development.
The Suns were required to rebuild their backline in recent years and have recently begun to show a more competitive structure in defence.
Key defender Sam Collins has emerged as a star of the game, and has found support in Charlie Ballard and Wil Powell across the past two years.
Stuart Dew is set to be without defender Jack Bowes for the early rounds of the year, while swingman Jack Lukoisus is sure to spend a majority of his time as a forward in 2022 in what will be a blow for their defensive contingent.
They will welcome back youngster Connor Budarick from an ACL injury, while Oleg Markov and Jeremy Sharp add much-needed depth to their rotations.
As far as their 2021 form, the Suns struggled to compete with the best-attacking systems in the AFL, failing to mount pressure on the opposition despite being off the ball more often than on it.
The Roos have hardly seen their best backline feature alongside one another, with key defenders Ben McKay, Aidan Corr and Aiden Bonar all having endured battles with injury in recent years.
At his best, McKay is one of the top emerging defenders in the AFL, and will take on a more senior role in 2022 given the loss of Robbie Tarrant to Richmond.
Jack Ziebell and Aaron Hall were a formidable duo last season, arising as strong accumulators down back to give their side a quick transition into attack.
Luke McDonald and Kayne Turner will add to the Shinboners' back third, which conceded over 100 more points than any other side in 2021.
With optimism building at Arden Street, the Kangaroos will be hoping to see a large turnaround from their defensive efforts this year.
The foundation of Hawthorn's back third is solid, with Sam Mitchell inheriting an exciting rearguard that is sure to place plenty of headaches on opposition forwards for the years to come.
While they boast promising young prospects in Changkuoth Jiath, Jack Scrimshaw, Denver Grainger-Barras and Will Day, they currently lack ready-made assets to lead from the back this season.
Key defensive duo Kyle Hartigan and Sam Frost stand as an underwhelming pairing among their opposition counterparts, with their taller options an area needing to be addressed.
Should we see a continued rise from Jiath, a predicted breakout campaign for Day and larger steps taken by Grainger-Barras, the Hawks could ruffle a few feathers in 2022.
The leading criticism of the Blues' defence is their lack of support for Jacob Weitering following the loss of Liam Jones.
While Carlton have options to replace the veteran defender, there isn't a standout name to slot into his place, with Lewis Young and Mitch McGovern set to fight for first-team duties.
Having faced an onslaught of entries into their defensive third last year, weaknesses were present most weeks as the Blues struggled to combat wave after wave of opposing attacks.
The Blues will also be without highly-respected leader Sam Docherty for an indefinite period, relying on Adam Saad, Zach Williams, Liam Stocker and Lachie Plowman to offer attack from the back.
With ambitions to feature in the top eight and a strengthened midfield this year, Carlton will be hoping to see less reliance on their backline having to deal with the heavy lifting.
The Saints' backline took a major hit before Round 1, with young defender Nick Coffield having his season end before it could start.
His absence opens another void down back for the Saints, who will be hoping to unlock the best out of several key figures within their back third.
Dougal Howard and Cal Wilkie will continue to hold key roles, while speed and skill will come from the likes of Jack Sinclair and Brad Hill throughout the year ahead.
Having seen enough from Tom Highmore and Ben Paton in recent years, along with the resurgence of Jimmy Webster, there are plenty of formidable assets below St Kilda's top echelon in defence.
Perhaps still needing another tall option down back, promising swingman Josh Battle could be the next piece of Brett Ratten's defensive puzzle as they eye a return to the top eight.