Forwards win memberships and defenders win Premierships, the old adage goes.
The men at the back are not only integral in keeping opposition scores down, they also provide the first line of attack.
In the AFL era, 1990 until the present day, plenty of players have called the defensive fifty home. Many of this aforementioned group have also retired champions of the game, or at least look set to.
With the off-season slowly creeping to a close, we here at Zero Hanger have attempted to create a list of every club's best three defenders that never played together.
However, there are four rules to this exercise.
1. Three players must be selected from each club.
2. Even if they have played for multiple clubs, no player can be selected on the list of two teams.
3. All players must have played at least a portion of their careers from 1990 onwards.
4. As mentioned, no player can have played an in-season match with any of their colleagues.
For example, should Glenn Archer be selected for North Melbourne, then all of his backline buddies between 1992 and 2007 become ineligible.
With that in mind, here is our best stab.
Let us know how we have gone and which clubs you feel have fared best.
Hawthorn
Chris Langford โ 1983-1997 (303 games)
After such a glittering career in defense, it would be impossible not to select Chris Langford.
Having taken the scalp of almost every forward he played against over 303 games, it is unsurprising that Langford's list of achievements is a mile long.
If you were to peruse Langford's trophy cabinet, you would find that he has four Premierships, four All-Australian selections, two EJ Whitten medals, league and club Hall of Fame honours and a place in Hawthorn's team of the 20th century.
This aforementioned team is so strong that the legendary Langford has not even cracked a starting position.
Trent Croad โ 1998-2001 and 2004-2009 (184 games)
Although sent west as part of the deal to land Luke Hodge, Trent Croad returned to Glenferrie after two seasons with the Dockers.
Despite previously playing up forward, Croad was told at the beginning of the 2004 season that his new home would be within the defensive 50 arc.
Following a season getting adjusted in defense, Croad's stellar 2005 season saw him named an All-Australian for the first and only time.
Three seasons later, in what would prove to be his final AFL game, the Kiwi born Hawk ambled to the dais on crutches to claim his 2008 Premiership medallion.
Josh Gibson โ 2010-2017 (160 games)
After a 65 games with North Melbourne that provided more troughs that peaks, Josh Gibson was traded to Hawthorn at the completion of the 2009 season.
What transpired over the next eight seasons was nothing short of extraordinary.
The formerly maligned and afroed Kangaroo transformed himself into one of his generation's most decorated defenders under the eye of master coach Alistair Clarkson.
After hanging his boots up after the 2017 season, Gibson's mantel was stacked. His spoils included three Premiership medals, two best and fairest awards (both in Premiership winning seasons), an All-Australian selection and the 2013 Golden Fist award.
Perhaps the truest testament to Gibson's industrious nature is that he ended his career with a league record for the most one-percenters ever recorded โ 1690.
