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.

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Gold Coast

With less than 150 players wearing a Suns' guernsey over their 10 seasons in the AFL, selecting a trio of names whose careers have not crossed over is a tough ask.

However, we have managed to find three

Nathan Bock โ€“ 2011-2013 (27 games)

Kicking us off was a man that won a B&F in Adelaide, but sizzled out with his second club โ€“ Nathan Bock.

Having flown north for Gold Coast's inaugural season, the former Crow's stay as a Sun was only brief, ending after confirmation he had publicly assaulted his then partner.

Adam Saad โ€“ 2015-2017 (48 games)

With his departure from the Dons still fresh in the forefront of everyone's minds, some may have forgotten that Adam Saad begun his AFL life on the Gold Coast.

Like Luke Ryan, Saad was another mature aged recruit from VFL outfit Coburg.

Despite failing to reach his 50-game milestone with the Suns, Saad left an indelible mark on the sparsely attended Metricon Stadium with his blistering pace off the half-back flank.

Jack Lukosius โ€“ 2019-Present (38 games)

Akin to Darcy Moore with the Magpies, Jack Lukosius was another top 10 Draft pick that was originally seen as a forward.

However, it has been Lukosius' shift to defense that has kickstarted his fledgling career.

In a 2020 season that initially saw him overshadowed by the Suns' shiny new toy Matt Rowell, the South Australian finished the season strongly with a top 10 finish in the club's Best and Fairest.

Some may suggest fellow defender and reigning best and fairest winner Sam Collins is unlucky to have missed selection, but due to his elite foot skills and an arguably higher ceiling, we have gone with the 20-year-old Lukosius.

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