The midfield is arguably the most important positional group in footy, as they're tasked with being present at most contests and all stoppages while serving as the link between their defence and offence.
Without a strong ensemble of onballers, teams are destined to fall apart as middling play in this area results in catastrophic consequences to the outcome of a contest on a given day.
Not all midfields are alike, as some prioritise a physical ball-winning style, while others emphasise a run-and-gun outside game, while there are sides that prefer a healthy balance of the two.
Each club has its own formula for constructing the ideal midfield but every side's engine room can perform at the highest level.
With this in mind, let's have a look at the league's best midfield groups heading into 2022, starting from 18-13.
3. (16) St Kilda
If Jack Steele wasn't a member of the St Kilda football club you can best believe that they would rank dead last on this list.
The Saints midfielders, outside of Steele have dramatically underdelivered to date. Zak Jones is still hoping to see his best in the red, white and black, while Seb Ross, Bradley Hill and Daniel Hannebery are clearly past their primes and are depreciating assets at this point who are taking spots in the best 22 away from some youngsters pushing for a crack at the top flight.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
Adding to St Kilda's woes is that the departure of inside midfielder Luke Dunstan, which costs them a formidable ball-winner and leaves Brad Crouch as the Robin to Steele's Batman. The major concern is that while Crouch can get his mitts on the footy he is quick to dish the hands instead of taking the game on, likely due to his subpar kicking efficiency as he went at an abysmal 50% by foot in 2021.
The Saints ranked 17th for centre clearances and 15th in rebound 50's, which communicates their over-reliance on Steele to win the ball and their lack of ability to win the footy when he's being targeted at stoppages. Additionally, St Kilda's mids have a laissez-faire work rate when it comes to hustling down the field on counter-attacks, which handicaps their offensive opportunities. Essentially, they're lazy.
While Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera should add some dash on the wing, St Kilda's current crop of onballers doesn't present much room for improvement. Furthermore, their ruck stocks in Paddy Ryder and Rowan Marshall are hampered with injuries, which only furthers their troubles if no one else can step up.
