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.

Back
Next

Greater Western Sydney

If you thought we had a tough time selecting the Gold Coast's group, it was nothing compared to finding three Giants that do not overlap.

As a disclaimer, before you start hollering, it was impossible to include any of GWS' household names, as they have essentially overlapped with everybody.

Chad Cornes โ€“ 2012-2013 (16 games)

After a stellar career in defense for Port Adelaide, Chad Cornes played out his autumn year in an apt orange guernsey amongst a befittingly lifeless list.

The 2004 premiership player's โ€˜zenith' as a Giant came in Round Two of 2012, when he recorded 32 disposals and 10 marks against North Melbourne.

Despite this stat line, the veteran's efforts were in vain, as his side were smashed by 129 points.

Josh Hunt โ€“ 2014 (14 games)

Despite growing accustom to winning both games and silverware with Geelong, after joining the Giants for the 2014 season, Josh Hunt quickly found out how the other half lived.

In his 14 games in orange and charcoal, the dual Premiership player only belted out the club's Cossack like theme song on four occasions.

A far cry from his Kardinia Park days indeed.

Lachie Keeffe โ€“ 2018-Present (31 games)

After serving his two-year ban and stagnating on Collingwood's Rookie List for two years, Keeffe was offered a lifeline by the Giants.

Across his three seasons in Western Sydney, Keeffe has spent the majority of his time down back as the Giant's big-bodied defender.

Expect him to lineup on Jeremy Cameron when the former teammates finally face off in Round 21 of the upcoming season.

Back
Next