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.
Greater Western Sydney
Jonathan Giles โ 2012-2014 (51 games)
In a career that saw him spend time on four AFL lists after carving out a career as a backup ruck, it was with the Giants that Jonathan Giles was afforded the most playing time.
In his 51 appearances in the west of Sydney town, the 201 centimetre South Australian amassed a total of 1190 hitouts at a mean of 23.3.
Although not the Giants' biggest name to start games in the centre circle, Giles did offer the club sound service in a three-year period that yielded just nine wins.
Ryan Griffen โ 2015-2018 (55 games)
After shedding himself of the Bulldogs, and their captaincy, in a bitter split at the end of 2014, Ryan Griffen drifted north in search of a flag.
With the Dogs proceeding to salute in 2016, one can only expect that it is a decision the former midfielder rues to this day.
The former number three pick failed to repeat his All-Australian and dual best and fairest form whilst based in New South Wales, however, Griffen did manage averages of 18.8 disposals and 2.7 clearances a game in his four seasons with GWS.
Lachie Ash โ 2020-Present (12 games)
After being taken with the fourth pick of the 2019 Draft, it was fair to say the Giants have high hopes for Lachie Ash.
Having played 12 of a possible 17 games for his new club, it would also be reasonable to suggest the Katandra kid has laid a solid foundation for the rest of his career.
Whether or not he remains with the Giants or becomes the next in a long line of Victorians to head home, what we do know is Ash will certainly improve on his 11.33 disposals per game average in his debut year.
