We're up to Part II in our 2023 AFL midfield rankings, with the next six teams assessed and ranked ahead of the new season.
Across three instalments we'll rank each AFL club's midfield list, breaking down the competition in thirds.
Here is Part II of our midfield rankings, covering 12th to 7th.
SEE PART I OF OUR MIDFIELD RANKINGS.
Losing two of your best onballers would often be a significant blow for most sides, but given the Giants' deep depth chart in the centre of the field you wouldn't be too worried for the New South Wales side.
Both Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper departed for Richmond in the off-season to be the latest to swap Western Sydney for Victoria, while young midfielder Tanner Bruhn also uprooted in a trade to Geelong.
The trio of departures, while sizeable, will only open up further opportunities for the Giants' best ball-winners to stake their claim as some of the AFL's premier midfielders.
Already at the top of the tree is silky mover Josh Kelly and inside onballer Stephen Coniglio, who will be the senior presence in Adam Kinglsey's midfield.
But while both Kelly and Conigio look to steer the ship, it might be contested bull Tom Green that comes out on top this year, with the Townsville-born onballer primed for a breakout campaign in 2023.
The Giants' next line of midfielders sees serviceable utility Harry Perryman and top-three draft pick Finn Callaghan come through the middle, while superstar forward Toby Greene could pick up some of the weight left by the departed Taranto and Hopper.
Callaghan has been particularly impressive ahead of his second season, seen as a standout in his side's pre-season win over Gold Coast.
Kingsley will also have Lachie Whitfield and Lachie Ash at his disposal for further rotations, with the defensive-minded pair able to offer plenty of run and clean ball use as outside options.
Callan Ward is the experienced veteran that will be seen at centre stoppages throughout the year, while draftees Darcy Jones and Harry Rowston may get a look too.
The Suns' midfield could be considered 'top heavy', with co-captain Touk Miller head and shoulders above his peers heading into 2023.
There's certainly an argument that the gap will be shortened by the end of the year, with duo Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell to continue on their sharp ascension as they enter their fourth season at Carrara.
Miller's past two campaigns have seen the inside ball-winner explode onto the scene to claim consecutive best and fairests and All-Australian selections, while also earning the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award in 2022.
Anderson's emergence across the past 18 months have seen the Oakleigh Chargers product destined for greatness, potentially surpassing close mate and 2019 No.1 pick Matt Rowell.
Rowell's battle with injuries was halted last year as the young midfielder managed to play in every home and away game of the year and rank as one of the competition's best tacklers.
Working in tandem with Miller and Anderson, a fit and firing Rowell will give the Suns plenty of balance in the middle of the park.
Stuart Dew is likely to trial a few fresh faces and emerging names through the midfield this year to support the aforementioned trio, with Elijah Hollands looking to build on a promising five-game debut season.
Likely to shift onto the wing in the absence of the injured Lachie Weller, look out for Hollands' long kicking and explosiveness on the fringes of the engine room.
Weller himself is a steady hand within the Suns' system, working with ex-Tiger Brandon Ellis and Miller to be the leaders in midfield.
Young Sam Flanders, new first-round selection Bailey Humphrey and fringe midfielder Brayden Fiorini will also be in the mix for minutes in midfield, while it remains to be seen what impact second-chance additions Jed Anderson and Connor Blakely will have.
An underrated aspect of Gold Coast's midfield contingent is ruckman Jarrod Witts, who ranks as arguably the best ruck in the AFL. Perhaps unfortunate to miss out on an All-Australian selection since moving to the Suns six years ago, Witts is a dominant force and an efficient servant to his roving onballers.
What screams out about Collingwood's midfield group is the fact they don't rely on one or two players to do the heavy lifting, instead Craig McRae has the benefit of rotating and utilising players that can ply their trade in the middle and on other lines of the field.
With premiership pair Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom handing over the baton, the Magpies have seen several players stick their hand up to be the new leading options in their engine room.
Taylor Adams has held down the fort for the better part of a decade, while Jack Crisp, and more recently Brayden Maynard, have looked to shift from the back third into the middle.
Crisp's transition into a midfielder has been a fruitful one for Collingwood, as shown by the former Lion's successive Copeland Trophy nods, while Maynard's run in the middle is still quite raw.
They'll gain some assistance from the likes of Patrick Lipinski and new recruit Tom Mitchell, who has made the move from Hawthorn and will be an astute facilitator in McRae's midfield planning.
Collingwood's efficiency to secure the ball and move it forward from centre bounces was among the small criticisms the Magpies faced last season, with Mitchell set to slot into the in-and-under role in his first season in black and white.
Forward-turned-midfielder Jordan De Goey will be among those that benefit most from Mitchell's arrival, with his explosive run and power from the middle set to aid Collingwood's plans to smoothen their fluidity in the forward half.
Another name that is sure to headline the Magpies' midfield contingent will be second-year star Nick Daicos, who is expected to take on a larger role in the middle after spending most of his rookie campaign at half-back.
The 20-year-old poise and pace are what have him so highly rated heading into 2023, while his brother, Josh, is seen as one of the better wing options in the competition.
Pairing with Sidebottom last season, Daicos was a standout for the Magpies on their way to a preliminary final finish as a conduit between the two arcs.
Despite losing dual All-Australian ruckman Brodie Grundy, the Magpies' ruck plans are in safe hands with Darcy Cameron to lead the way after a breakout campaign.
American Pie Mason Cox is likely to assist as a pinch-hit option, but Collingwood's ruck stocks are inexperienced from there on.
Ken Hinkley's midfield brigade is home to a perfect balance of young stars, household veterans and primed ball winners that will all play a part in Port Adelaide's plans to return to premiership contention this year.
The Power's midfield ensemble was further strengthened with the addition of former No.1 pick Jason Horne-Francis through the trade window, with the South Adelaide product set to be a damaging acquisition for Hinkley to utilise.
The second-year midfield bull won't be thrown onto Port Adelaide's top line of midfielders, with breakout star Connor Rozee and senior duo Travis Boak and Ollie Wines to lead the way once again.
Rozee was a standout for the Alberton club last season on his way to a top-five finish in the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year voting, ahead of Brownlow Medal winner Patrick Cripps.
Wines, a Brownlow winner himself, will tussle with Rozee to be the headline act in Hinkley's midfield, while Boak continues to defy the odds as after averaging over 26 disposals, 5.8 clearances and 11.6 contested possessions per game last year - his 16th with the club.
The aforementioned Horne-Francis will learn plenty from the likes of Boak and Wines, while Zak Butters is another that could take a big step in 2023 as he too looks set on a part to stardom.
The fifth-year midfielder can slot onto a wing or at half-forward to aid rotations, with his endurance and ball-winning capabilities among Butters' best traits.
Tackling machine Willem Drew and defensive stalwart Dan Houston will also move through the middle off the back of career-best campaigns last year, adding more layers to Port Adelaide's powerful midfield group.
Where they struggled for stability last season was in their ruck department, with a season-ending shoulder injury to Scott Lycett forcing forward Jeremy Finlayson into the middle.
The former Giant did a commendable job in Lycett's absence, but with the latter now back in the mix for 2023, the Power's tantalising potential could reach great heights.
Much like the Magpies, Geelong's midfield isn't home to one or two standout names but instead works efficiently with a host of names playing their role.
The void left by retired champion Joel Selwood is sure to be felt, but Geelong's plans through the off-season have quickly managed to plug the gap.
Versatile midfield-defender Jack Bowes will add some clean ball use into Geelong's system, while Giant-turned-Cat Tanner Bruhn is another that has made the move to Kardinia Park and could have an instant impact.
Jhye Clark, Geelong's new first-round pick, is seen as a fitting addition following Selwood's departure, but will require some time to develop before reaching anything close to the four-time premiership Cat.
Thankfully, new captain and Brownlow Medal winner Patrick Dangerfield will be among the senior figures assisting Geelong's premiership defence, while 2022 Carji Greeves Medal winner Cameron Guthrie is another veteran that will lead from the front.
The Cats' premiership campaign arose thanks to career-best seasons from All-Australian utility Mark Blicavs and hard-nosed midfielder Tom Atkins, who both held key roles in the middle of the field last year on the defensive end.
Chris Scott will also have 516 games worth of AFL experience from Isaac Smith and Mitch Duncan alone as options on the outside of his midfield, while young wingman Max Holmes looks to be a star in the making at the Cattery.
Brandan Parfitt, Sam Menegola and Mark O'Connor add further layers to Geelong's deep midfield stocks, giving the Cats plenty to work with in 2023.
Expect Rhys Stanley to resume the first-string ruck duties this year, with assistance from Blicavs and Jonathon Ceglar to come.
Fremantle could leave dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe in the forward line for every minute of the 2023 season and their midfield is still well-placed to lead them back into the finals picture despite losing veteran David Mundy to retirement.
The changing of the guard has been effortless at Cockburn, with the long-standing duo of Fyfe and Mundy now succeeded by star pair Andrew Brayshaw and Caleb Serong.
Brayshaw, who took out the AFLPA MVP Award in 2022, is ready to take the next step in his career as a top-echelon onballer, while Serong is primed to follow a similar path as prepares for his fourth season in purple.
The duo were stellar in leading the way for Justin Longmuir last year, with some plaudits also needing to go toward recruit Will Brodie, who was arguably the pick-up of the year.
Brodie ranked top 10 in the AFL for clearances, disposals and contested possessions in 2022 to be the third prong in Fremantle's midfield group to help steer the WA side to September.
Fyfe will still get a strong run through the middle this year but will find minutes harder to come by as third-club midfielder Jaeger O'Meara joins the depth chart.
The former Hawk and Sun is a shred pickup for the Dockers and will bring some formidable midfield traits to Longmuir's planning for 2023.
The Dockers also have a handful of young names looking to make the leap this year, with Nathan O'Driscoll, Neil Erasmus and Matt Johnson also pressing their cases heading into 2023.
All three neophytes will be fighting for the wing vacancy made by Blake Acres' departure, while James Aish is likely to command the other wing spot.
Liam Henry will also have an eye on more impact through the middle, as will fellow forward Sam Switkowski.
Despite losing Rory Lobb and Lloyd Meek, the Dockers' ruck plans won't be hindered too significantly after the club added Luke Jackson from Melbourne.
Set to assist Sean Darcy while also rotating in attack, Jackson is yet another star on the rise that will pull on purple this year. It just so happens he'll assist Darcy, who could be in for a breakout campaign of his own in 2023.