Noted to be where the game is won or lost, the midfield is a crucial element in the AFL that each side will look to perfect.
In search of finding the right balance of offensive flourish and defensive accountability, each side's engine room is often where the star names and key players ply their trade.
The middle of the field is often the birthplace for Brownlow Medal winners, with the best accumulators going toe-to-toe when the ball hits the deck.
With all 18 AFL clubs having planned to perfect their midfield across the past months, we put each club's central contingent under the microscope and rank them from 18th best down to 1st.
Here is Part I of our midfield rankings, covering 18th to 13th.
It may only be a matter of years until we see Hawthorn's engine room humming to the tune of a top-tier ensemble within midfield, but for Sam Mitchell's earliest years as senior coach he'll be leading a youthful and inexperienced contingent in the centre of the field.
Made evident by the reliance on headlining ball-winner and 21-year-old Jai Newcombe, Hawthorn's midfield pack is equally exciting and underdone, with their potential and promise arguably among the highest in the AFL,
Joining Newcombe in midfield will be top 10 draft selections Cameron Mackenzie and Josh Ward, two players that still have the world at their feet and high ceilings, but with the former still uncapped there is plenty left to be understood.
Add sixth-year onballer James Worpel - Hawthorn's most senior midfielder - into the inside mix and the combined games tally for Sam Mitchell's leading four names spits out a total of 122 games between them.
Irishman Conor Nash, outside lockdown threat Finn Maginness and new recruit Karl Amon offer plenty on the periphery of the coalface, while second-year midfield-forward Connor MacDonald will also slot onto a wing as a conduit for Mitchell to consider.
Defender Will Day will also add new life to the Hawks' midfield rotations this year, while Cat-turned-Hawk Cooper Stephens will be looking to flex his pedigree as a former first-round pick.
Like their roving pack, Hawthorn's ruck options are still fledgeling, with Ned Reeves looking to lead the way alongside former fringe Fremantle tall Lloyd Meek in the middle.
The duo are likely to work in tandem as the Hawks meddle with a two-ruck system following Ben McEvoy's retirement.
North Melbourne's midfield crew is home to a balance of emerging talent and household figures, but it will be the former that takes the stage as the main attraction under Alastair Clarkson.
Explosive onballer Luke Davies-Uniacke could announce himself as a top-echelon midfielder by the end of this year after a stellar 2022 campaign saw him reach new heights, while two-time Syd Barker Medal winner and newly-appointed co-captain Jy Simpkin will feature as his partner in crime.
Inspirational veteran Ben Cunnington will return to the fold full-time this season, with the baton passed to the aforementioned duo after an extended period away from the game.
The all-business ball-winner will be the senior voice in Clarkson's midfield group and will be aided by experienced pair Hugh Greenwood and Liam Shiels.
At the other end of the age order is Pick 4 selection George Wardlaw, who will be given time to develop and hone his craft throughout his maiden campaign at Arden Street.
Third-year midfielder Will Phillips will be looking to enjoy a full season of football after illness hampered his sophomore year, while fellow 2020 draftee Tom Powell is sure to press for a starting role to begin the new season.
North Melbourne's wing options have been bolstered by the addition of Docker Darcy Tucker, while Shiels, Bailey Scott, Tarryn Thomas and Curtis Taylor can also offer outside run.
North Melbourne's ruck plans will be intriguing this year, with veteran Todd Goldstein sure to feel even more pressure from Tristan Xerri for the first-string ruck duties, while Callum Coleman-Jones will also make a case to pinch-hit in the middle.
Expect Xerri to lead the way this season as Clarkson's plans lock in on the future.
Despite being home to one of the AFL's premier midfielders in Jack Steele, the Saints are lacking the depth and firepower in midfield to see themselves rank near the top half of the competition for their centre stocks.
Steele's two-way prowess has the Saints skipper among the best ball winners and stoppers in the middle, with his tackling ability a trait that has him so highly rated at Moorabbin and across the league.
Sidekick Brad Crouch was arguably St Kilda's leading midfielder last season as Steele endured injury, with the former Crow having the highest per game average for contested possessions, disposals and clearances among Brett Ratten's midfield group, while also falling just 0.1 tackles per game shy of Steele with an average of 7.2.
The pairing of Crouch and Steele sees the duo at the forefront of Ross Lyon's plans for 2023, but his next line of options involves a mix of inexperience and injury issues.
Second-year Saint Marcus Windhager is proving to be a solid selection out of the club's Next Generation Academy, with his lockdown capabilities and work rate quickly placing the teenager as Lyon's third leading option in midfield.
Senior duo Seb Ross and Zak Jones find will find themselves in a battle to cement a post in Lyon's preferred midfield mix, starting the season under injury clouds while some new faces press their case come selection.
Mitch Owens and Mattaes Phillipou are set to add youth and size in the middle as they rotate across the forward half, filling the void set to be left by Jack Billings are the Saint suffered yet another setback in the pre-season.
Brad Hill, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Mason Wood and Dan Mckenzie will offer outside run as Lyon's leading wing options.
St Kilda's ruck plans will heavily rely on Rowan Marshall this year following Paddy Ryder's departure, with the Saints tall set to step into the leading role while gaining a helping hand from Jack Hayes.
The queue behind Marshall for the first-string duck duties is bleak, with veteran Tom Campbell ahead of uncapped pair Max Heath and Isaac Keeler.
When fit and firing, West Coast's midfield group can almost match any club on its day.
Home to one of the more experienced packs, the Eagles will be hoping their injury crisis was just a trend for 2022 after struggling to field their best ball-winning contingent throughout last year.
Dom Sheed, Luke Shuey, Elliot Yeo, Andrew Gaff, Tim Kelly and ruckman Nic Natianui would combine for a grand total of 64 games from a possible 132 matches in 2022, pricing the quality and experience they lacked on their way to a 17th-placed finish.
Fans have become accustomed to seeing 2-3 of these stars sidelined most weekends, leaving an uphill battle for those that are on the track.
Naitanui is arguably their most important player, with his ruck craft and efficiency offering a silver service to the men at his feet. His reinforcements in Bailey Williams and Callum Jamieson have struggled in the veteran's absence, further compounding their midfield woes.
Looking toward 2023 and beyond, the Eagles are building a new wave of midfield talent to soon succeed their premiership stars, with first-round picks and local lads Reuben Ginbey and Elijah Hewett seen as their key figures of the future.
Campbell Chesser, another Eagle that endured a difficult 2022 campaign, will also look to prove his worth as West Coast's earliest draft pick from the 2021 count.
The Bombers have some clear tiers throughout their midfield pack, with a start duo, some serviceable rotation options and a flock of young names all combining to make up Brad Scott's engine room.
Their midfield is headline by Zach Merrett and Darcy Parish, who orchestrated the finest work of their careers in the past two seasons. Parish enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2021 to earn All-Australian honours, while Merrett was among the competition's best players in the second half of last season.
Former Giant Dylan Shiel is an astute third-string onballer who will be looking to improve on a better 2022 season as he again compliments the likes of Parish and Merrett.
With Andrew McGrath moving out of the midfield this year, more opportunities will be on offer to Essendon's younger ranks, with Archie Perkins, Jye Caldwell, Elijah Tsatas, Ben Hobbs and Nic Martin all set to get a good look through the middle.
Martin has proven to be a shrewd pickup for the Bombers and will likely slot into a wing spot, with Sam Durham and new recruit Will Setterfield also viable outside options.
Kyle Langford may be squeezed out of the midfield rotations and utilised as a permanent forward, a move Jake Stringer is also flagged to undergo this year.
Father-son recruit Alwyn Davey is another midfielder that is expected to be thrown into the forward group as he looks to build his game.
Ruckman Sam Draper will resume his role as Essendon's sole hit-out force, with the South Australian looking to reach new heights after a solid campaign last year.
The Crows' top line of midfielders is desirable, with Rory Laird, Jordan Dawson, Ben Keays and Sam Berry each bringing their own unique traits and strengths to the centre of the field.
For the umpteenth season, Laird will be the workhorse in midfield for Adelaide as he continues to solidify himself as a premier ball-winner in the competition.
Keays has emerged as a valuable asset alongside Laird across the past two seasons, while Berry has adopted Laird's old role as the defensive juggernaut among the roving pack.
Dawson looks likely to be used on the wing if he's not positioned at half-back, with the former Swan also able to slot into the centre with ease if required.
From there though Adelaide's midfield depth chart does descend sharply, with senior pair Rory Sloane and Matt Crouch not seen as certain starters for Matthew Nicks heading into 2023.
In their place will be a bevy of players still honing their craft at the elite level in Jake Soligo and Harry Schoenberg, while Jackson Hately and Lachlan Sholl will be wanting to show their value this year.
SSP recruit and ex-Collingwood father-son pick Tyler Brown will be looking to redeem himself after being cut from the Magpies, potentially slotting into the wing void made absent by Paul Seedsman for this year.
Mitch Hinge will be in his way for an outside midfielder role - a position the likes of Patrick Parnell and Ned McHenry could also be in contention for.
You can also expect forward pair Josh Rachele and Izak Rankine to be run through midfield to form a lethal one-two punch across the attacking half of the field.
Reilly O'Brien is likely to continue in his position as the leading ruck option but will be feeling the heat from former Pick 2 selection Riley Thilthorpe this year.
Those two could combine to form a nice rotation for Matthew Nicks between the middle and his attacking 50 plans.