The midfield is arguably the most important position 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 on-ballers, 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 and then there are sides that prefer a healthy balance of the two.
SEE ALSO: Every AFL club's midfield ranked: Part I
Each club has its own formula for constructing the ideal midfield but not all team'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 12-7.
The Sydney Swans find themselves down on this list due to the sizeable departures of tagger George Hewett and wingman Jordan Dawson.
While the Swannies have an assortment of youngsters who'll be able to rotate through the centre, they're losing elements of toughness and run. Hewett was exceptional at nullifying the opposition's best on-baller, while Dawson served as a strong link between defence and attack.
Surprisingly, Sydney was very middle of the pack when it came to midfield metrics in 2021, with the exceptions being fourth for inside 50s per game and sixth in average disposals per game, despite their ascendance into the eight. Meaning what differentiates the Swans from other midfields is their ability to constantly push the footy forward and win key contests to, time and again, pile pressure onto their opposition.
As they're currently constructed, the Bloods are very reliant on the ageing Josh P. Kennedy and veteran Luke Parker to not only win the ball but to also drive it forward. With Callum Mills finally putting together his breakout season in 2021, he makes up the trio of Swans who will be tasked to, once again, do the heavy lifting in the guts (provided he overcomes his Achilles troubles).
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Sydney's next echelon of on-ballers come in the likes of Oliver Florent and Justin McInerney, who are nice pieces but haven't proven to take the necessary steps in their development to warrant the acclaim of their other stalwarts.
If the Swans are going to consistently compete with the other contenders in the centre, John Longmire needs to strike the right balance between his strongest line-up and which youngsters he'll give a run on the ball.
With the likes of Isaac Heeney, Errol Gulden and Braeden Campbell poised for more midfield minutes, the Swans desperately need more of these hybrid players to step up if they are to continue building towards a legitimate premiership push.
Richmond is a dangerous team that has skewed perceptions in the wake of an injury-riddled season.
Yet, their midfield isn't great... The Tigers are a side that is largely anchored by their stellar defensive structure and dynamic forward line.
They were ranked 18th in total clearances per game, 17th in hit-outs and 13th in tackles, injuries or not the yellow and black didn't have the same intensity around the footy as in previous seasons.
This is concerning because effort isn't a type of skill that lacks without talented players, it's all about how hard you work when you're on the field which anyone should be able to display at the AFL level. If the Tigers are going to push for one last tilt at a flag they have some soul searching to do prior to the 2022 season.
Dustin Martin isn't even a full-time contributor to their engine room given Damien Hardwick's propensity to play the three-time Norm Smith Medalist as a centre-forward who pinch hits on the ball when Richmond needs a spark.
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That's a ridiculously large hole to plug and one that the Tigers quite frankly can't. Outside of the ageing Trent Cotchin, Richmond does field some nice pieces in Jack Graham, Dion Prestia, Kamdyn McIntosh, Shane Edwards and Toby Nankervis.
This lot is good at getting the footy and typically uses it well but it does lack some star power in comparison to the league's top-tier midfield groups.
The Fremantle Dockers outrank Richmond for two reasons.
2. Their top-tier stars in the dual Brownlow Medalist Nathan Fyfe, classy Andrew Brayshaw and hard-nosed Caleb Serong are better and younger in the centre, again not including 'Dusty' given his predominately forward-centric role. Furthermore, the acquisitions of draftees Neil Erasmus and Matthew Johnson add promising young talent to an already stellar nucleus.
When taking into account that Freo lost promising on-baller Adam Cerra to Carlton in the off-season, they did get weaker on paper but also have more opportunities for emerging players to grow into starring roles.
Fremantle also fields solid role players in their midfield group's lower ranks as the reliable James Aish, untested Will Brodie and diverse Darcy Tucker round out the Dockers centre with the ageless David Mundy likely popping through in his farewell season.
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Justin Longmuir's side boasts an already talented midfield group that has room to blossom into a top-tier unit with more experience.
Will art imitate life in regards to Carlton's midfield ranking and ladder finish...
With their aggressive off-season moves to secure the services of George Hewett and Adam Cerra, the Blues now boast a midfield worth bragging about. The pair add a buffer between star duo Sam Walsh and Patrick Cripps who have less of the proverbial load to shoulder now that Hewett can take on key defensive tasks in the middle while Cerra adds some class outside of the contest.
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Everyone knows the superhuman capabilities of Walsh, who hopefully makes a speedy recovery from his syndesmosis injury, as he not only attacks the footy with reckless abandon but also acts swiftly and aggressively when tasked with breaking the lines and advancing the ball forward.
'Crippa' is no stranger to accumulating the footy and with more assistance plus time to heal from the back issues that plagued him last year it will come as no surprise when he regains his best form.
Speaking of regaining form, Zac Williams will be determined to live up to the huge contract he commanded upon his arrival to Princes Park. Most likely tasked with a hybrid wing role entering 2022, Williams should feel more comfortable as he'll largely be tasked with fulfilling an advanced incarnation of his GWS role.
The ruck tandem of Marc Pittonet and Tom De Koning is solid but not great, while the varied degree of contributions from Ed Curnow, Matthew Kennedy, Nic Newman and Sam Docherty add depth to a now elite Carlton midfield.
Essendon has managed to construct a midfield unit that perfectly compliments their coach's game plan.
Ben Rutton's run-and-gun mantra has worked thus far because he has a healthy combination of inside bulls to accumulate the Sherrin, while also boasting speedsters and other burst players who can swing through the middle and facilitate inside 50.
The Bombers are fourth in uncontested possessions per game and first in disposal efficiency. While these metrics are self-explanatory, the Dons also rank sixth for inside 50s which means that their efficient use of the ball isn't a result of creeping around the opposition, and instead they are capable of dismantling others with consistent quality looks inside 50.
Furthering the mythos of their quick-strike offence, Essendon was ranked second for centre clearances per game which infers that they're always a couple of touches away from pinching a close contest.
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Zach Merrett and Darcy Parish are the Bombers standard-bearers, as their innate ability to find the footy in traffic often kickstarts offensive advancements given that they quickly move the ball into space where the team excels.
They are then bolstered by former pick one Andrew McGrath, young swingman Nikolas Cox and accumulator Dylan Shiel - a healthy balance of toughness, run and experience.
With another full of year of Rutten solely at the helm, the expectations for Essendon are already exceedingly high as they look to push forward into premiership contention for 2022 and beyond.
This ranking is purely based on the merit of a fully healthy and functioning West Coast outfit.
If it wasn't... It would be hard to not slot them dead last provided that no one knows whether or not the Eagles will field any AFL level players come Round 1?
Nonetheless, with a somewhat injury-hampered side last season, West Coast still managed to rank first in centre clearances per game, second in hit-outs per game and sixth in total clearances.
Surprisingly, the Eagles also ranked 14th for inside 50s per game but fifth in goal efficiency.
What this communicates is that their stacked (healthy) midfield is great when they can get first hands to the footy and often place their forwards in positions where they can succeed.
Yet, when West Coast struggles to claim possession they often falter in their defensive efforts, hence them ranking 18th for tackles per game.
If Adam Simpson is to give his side hope heading into this season he must implement a successful defensive adjustment into his current game plan to hold down the fort until the team has a chance to reload and give it a fair-dinkum crack.
With Nic Naitanui still healthy and motivated, the WAFL midfield that runs onto the ground with the All-Australian will have great service and opportunity to move the footy forward but whether or not this happens remains to be seen.
Under typical circumstances, there would be no debate as to the validity of a healthy Eagles midfield so we'll give them the benefit of the doubt.