With the names of our offensive and defensive trios already on the whiteboard, it is now time to list the men that link the two together โ the midfielders.
Due to their aerobic and ball winning capacities, modern midfielders receive plaudits and pay packets far beyond their part-time predecessors.
These players at the coalface are regularly seen as their club's blue-chip talent, with their output integral to securing victory.
Like the previous pair of catalogues, the same four rules for selection apply for our third and final list:
1. Three players must be selected from each club.
2. Even if they have played for multiple clubs, no player can be selected on the list of two teams.
3. All players must have played at least a portion of their careers from 1990 onwards.
4. Most importantly, no player can have played an in-season match with any of their colleagues during their time at their selected club.
To up the ante, we have also added a fifth point of criteria: aย ruckman must also be selected for each team.
For example, should Brodie Grundy be selected for Collingwood, then all of his midfield mates between 2013 and the present day become ineligible.
With all this in mind, here is our best stab.
Let us know how we have gone and which clubs you feel have fared best.
St. Kilda
Robert Harvey โ 1988-2008 (383 games)
By picking a bloke that played 21 seasons of AFL/VFL football, we are eliminating many other possible candidates due to our criteria.
But when it comes to a champion like Robert Harvey, you do not think twice.
As arguably one of the game's hardest workers, โBanger' got the best out of himself across his marathon span in the big league.
Never wavering from his helmet haircut, Harvey collected eight All-Australian selections, four club best and fairests, three E.J Whitten medals, a league MVP, and a pair of back-to-back Brownlows.
Although his trophy cabinet is jam packed, it is missing the game's most prized possession โ a Premiership medallion.
Rhys Stanley โ 2010-2014 (58 games)
Although it could be argued that Rhys Stanley was mainly used as a tall forward in his time at Moorabbin, the latter part of his five-year stint with the Saints was spent in the ruck.
Although Stanley recorded a measly mean of 5.65 hitouts per game across his final three seasons in red, white, and black, he did manage to record 35 majors.
Jack Steele โ 2017-Present (80 games)
After spending a pair of years in Sydney, Jack Steele crossed to the Saints for a future second round pick at the end of 2016.
Although originally played as a tagger under former coach Alan Richardson, Steele flourished last season under Brett Ratten with a comprehensive stat line of 21.9 disposals, 5.5 clearances and 5.47 tackles per game.
When floating forward across the Covid interrupted season, Steele also managed 11 goals in the Saints 11-win season.
With these numbers in mind, it was no surprise to see the Canberran take out the club's best and fairest and earn an All-Australian jacket.
If the Saints do return back to September this year, you can be sure that St. Kilda's future captain will have been an instrumental driving force.
