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.
Richmond
Brian Leys โ 1988-1994 (110 games)
To fit two of Richmond's best ever defenders on this list, a quintessential journeyman in Brian Leys had to be selected.
As the centre half-back in one of the Tiger's darkest periods, the 194 centimetre Leys was often left wrangling with the likes of Dermott Brereton and Wayne Carey.
Despite obviously being bested more often than not, Leys has more than adequate support from the remaining pair of this yellow and black trio.
Darren Gaspar โ 1996-2007 (207 games)
Despite originally being drafted by the Swans, Darren Gaspar's name will always be inextricably linked with the Richmond Football Club.
Over the course of his twelve seasons at Tigerland, the curly haired stopper was the dance partner of some of the game's greatest full forwards.
The highlights of Gaspar's storied days in a yellow sash were inarguably his Jack Dyer medal in 2001 and his pair of All-Australians in 2000 and 2001.
Alex Rance โ 2008-2019 (200 games)
Should you ask a Richmond fan who their greatest defender over their club's 135-year history is, you are likely to be inundated by just two answers โ Francis Bourke and Alex Rance.
As the former started his career on a wing, and never played in the AFL era, the latter was the obvious choice to fill our third and final slot.
Although a polarizing personality, there was no doubting the Western Australian's quality behind the ball, with five All-Australians, a Jack Dyer medal, two Jack Titus medals and a flag to his name.
