The midfield is the engine room of a football club, where star players will their team to victory and where most accolades are won.
Midfielders Nick Daicos, Patrick Cripps, Marcus Bontempelli, and Lachie Neale are the poster men for the competition, with their video game stats each week taking the AFL world by storm.
Ordering each club 18-1 is a difficult task given each club's midfield is littered with talent, with numerous players vying for an All-Australian selection each year despite only three traditional midfield spots up for grabs for the entire competition.
Yet, here at Zero Hanger, we've attempted the challenge of ranking the best midfields in the league, with this first instalment revealing the bottom six clubs, 18th through 13th.
3. (16th) St Kilda
St Kilda's midfield was the key focal point of their struggles in 2024, with even coach Ross Lyon admitting there was room for improvement mid-season.
However, the Saints only made the addition of veteran Jack Macrae in the off-season, whose form has slumped in recent times despite owning three All-Australian blazers between 2019 and 2021. Macrae averaged over 33 disposals per game in two of his All-Australian campaigns; last year he averaged a tick over 18.
St Kilda have promising youngsters that could improve their midfield in 2025 though. Darcy Wilson is a tireless outside runner and is a scoreboard threat, while top ten pick Mattaes Phillipou seemed to find his groove at the backend of last year following a stint in the VFL.
After performances of five and four disposals in Rounds 9 and 10, Mattaes played in the state league until Round 17, where he returned to rack up a career-high 26 touches in an upset win against Sydney.
Rowan Marshall in the ruck kicks the Saints up this list slightly, however, given his arguable All-Australian form last season.
Jack Sinclair and Jack Steele can be stars on their day, and consistent outings from them could potentially propel the Saints back into finals contention.
There is certainly talent brewing for the Saints but their one-paced midfield has ultimately been detrimental to their results. Ranking 17th for clearances per game and 15th for inside 50s in 2024, there is work to be done if the Saints are to escape mediocrity.
