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.
Melbourne
Steven Febey โ 1987-2001 (258 games)
As one half of Melbourne's long serving identical twin partnership, Steven Febey ended his career as a Demon having played what is now the sixth most games in the club's history.
A mainstay in defense across three decades, the six foot and 82-kilogram Febey had the ability to not only smother his opponent, but also run off them to aplomb.
Despite only managing to finish as high as third in a best and fairest count, the Tasmanian's longevity saw him play in Grand Finals played 12 years apart.
Sadly, for Febey and Dees fans, both were resounding losses.
James Frawley โ 2007-2014 (139 games)
Although playing in defense can quite often end up resembling a nightmare, playing in defense for Melbourne between 2007 and 2014 was bound to have left you with PTSD.
In spite of the cricket scores Melbourne regularly had posted against them over this period, James Frawley could still hold his head up high.
Despite only managing 34 wins from his 139 games in red and blue, Frawley was named in the back pocket of the 2010 All-Australian team โ a season in which Melbourne won just eight games.
Even though a Premiership with Hawthorn may have followed after his Demon departure, it is worth remembering his ability to stand out in such a woeful team.
Steven May โ 2019-Present (25 games)
Following a 2018 season that saw the Suns finish second to bottom, they traded co-captain, along with Kade Kolodjashnij, to the Demons for pick six.
After losing a Preliminary Final to the bigger bodies of West Coast's forward line in the same year, Melbourne sought to bolster their backline with the addition of Steven May.
Although Melbourne's form has faltered since his arrival south of the border, May's 2020 season proved a spectacular rise from his chequered 2019 output.
After failing to obtain All-Australian selection in 2020, many fans were left bemused by the defender's omission. With averages of 16 disposals, 5.2 rebound 50s and 4.4 marks per game, the masses may have a point.
