Glorifying the AFL's ball-winners and goalkickers is commonplace across the footballing landscape, but as the age-old adage goes: 'defence wins premierships'.
The club that holds the silverware aloft at the end of a season typically boasts a backline consisting of immovable key defenders, eagle-eyed interceptors and attack-minded flankers.
Last year's grand finalists, for example, each possessed stingy, impregnable defensive units, comprising stars such as Darcy Moore, Harris Andrews, Brayden Maynard, Brandon Starcevich, Isaac Quaynor and Keidean Coleman, among others.
So, taking into account last year's performance, current personnel and injuries, where does each club's defence rank as we prepare to embark on the 2024 season?
We've ranked every AFL club's backline from worst to first. Here's 18 through 13.
*Asterisk denotes a current injury to the player.
Core personnel: Aidan Corr, Griffin Logue*, Charlie Comben, Toby Pink, Luke McDonald, Harry Sheezel, Zac Fisher*, Miller Bergman, Josh Goater
North Melbourne's defence enters the new campaign after something of a refresh, following premier key backman Ben McKay's departure to Essendon.
Logue's prolonged absence will hurt the Roos early, while former Carlton speedster Fisher will also start on the back foot after suffering a hamstring strain in the pre-season.
There is, however, longer-term optimism surrounding the club's backline personnel, particularly after key-position stoppers Pink and Bigoa Nyuon were added via last year's exchange window. Comben's defensive transition is another season-long storyline worth monitoring.
The Roos' apparent plan to deploy Sheezel and draftee Colby McKercher as a dynamic half-back-flanking duo figures to pay handsome dividends, but the unit as a whole is likely to struggle again after ranking bottom-two last year in average goals allowed (14.7), shots at goal conceded (29.4) and scoring shots allowed per inside-50 rate (46.8 per cent), along with a host of other disappointing performance metrics.
Core personnel: James Sicily, James Blanck*, Sam Frost, Denver Grainger-Barras, Changkuoth Jiath*, Josh Weddle, Jarman Impey, Jack Scrimshaw, Seamus Mitchell*
Hawthorn has been ravaged by the injury bug this pre-season.
The worst ailment of all was suffered by Blanck, who will be sidelined for the season after rupturing his ACL during an intra-club game. Not only does the Box Hill product's absence restrict Sicily's intercepting freedom, but it also forces coach Sam Mitchell to rely heavily on Frost and potentially Grainger-Barras this year.
Blake Hardwick's apparent forward move means his services are unlikely to be observed in defence this year, with Weddle – a shining Hawks light – appearing to have snatched the subsequent vacancy. The exciting 19-year-old, who recently penned a contract extension, is poised for a big year.
The other catalyst for this lowly Hawthorn ranking is its subpar 2023 performance. The Hawks conceded a goal 25.4 per cent of the time their opponent entered the forward arc last season; a figure that ranked 17th in the AFL and marginally ahead of the league-worst Eagles.
Hawthorn also ranked bottom-six in goals conceded, shots at goal allowed, goals per inside-50 rate, scoring shots per inside-50 rate, and marks inside-50.
Core personnel: Luke Ryan, Alex Pearce, Brennan Cox*, Ethan Hughes, Oscar McDonald, Jordan Clark, Heath Chapman*, Corey Wagner, Brandon Walker
Fremantle's defence is another that has been decimated by injury to start the year. Cox (fractured fibula) and Chapman (hamstring) suffered setbacks, subtracting from an already-thin backline core at Cockburn.
In further losses for the unit, depth defender Joel Hamling made his way to Sydney, while Hayden Young's purported midfield move means he won't be present in the back third.
Ryan and Pearce are a solid key-defending tandem, though, and Clark is an exciting user of the ball when exiting defence, supplying hope for the Dockers.
However, Fremantle landed among the AFL's bottom-five last season in goals conceded per inside-50 rate (24.0 per cent) and shots at goal allowed per inside-50 rate (48.6 per cent), inspiring little hope for major improvement this year.
Core personnel: Tom Barrass, Jeremy McGovern, Liam Duggan, Elliot Yeo, Brady Hough, Jayden Hunt, Tom Cole, Alex Witherden, Jamaine Jones
Among a bevy of shortcomings around the ground, the Eagles will be aiming for more defensive continuity this season after star key-position tandem McGovern and Barrass missed 23 combined games in 2023.
Hard-nosed co-captain Duggan is also an instrumental part of West Coast's defence, as is Hough, who projects to ascend in his third AFL season.
However, if their All-Australian pairing is forced to combat injury again, the Eagles are in strife. Depth defenders Josh Rotham, Rhett Bazzo and Harry Edwards are on standby, but McGovern and Barrass' shoes are massive ones to fill, especially in a side that was consigned to the wooden spoon last season.
West Coast surrendered an average of 33.2 shots at goal per game last year; the most in the AFL and almost four more shots than North Melbourne's next-worst 29.4.
Despite the expectation that key personnel stays available for a large portion of the year, the Eagles are still likely to concede heavily again in '24.
Core personnel: Dylan Grimes, Tylar Young, Josh Gibcus, Nick Vlastuin, Nathan Broad, Ben Miller, Daniel Rioli, Jayden Short, Sam Banks
Even in its continued decline, this backline still has premiership credentials, as Vlastuin, Grimes, Broad, Rioli and Short remain valuable assets.
The long-term outlook for Richmond's defence, though, rests largely on the shoulders of Gibcus – whose availability this season will be critical in his development after his hamstring ailment cost him all of last season – and Young, who displayed admirable composure and one-on-one nous during his 19-game maiden campaign.
Then there's the predicament regarding Noah Balta, whose apparent transition back to the forward line leaves a substantial opening in defence.
Further, Grimes is likely embarking on his final AFL campaign, and Vlastuin and Broad are each a year older.
Core personnel: Charlie Ballard, Sam Collins, Mac Andrew, Caleb Graham, Wil Powell, Jy Farrar, Connor Budarick, Lachie Weller, Bodhi Uwland
Gold Coast's backline, like its list as a whole, is ascending. Ballard and Andrew – the Suns' key-defending future – impressed as last year went on and they shape as integral assets in the coming seasons.
The same should be said for seventh-year defender Powell, whose 2023 disposal (20.3) and marking (6.4) averages smashed his career means, while the returning Budarick – who's managed just 13 games across the last three years due to injury – adds dash and distribution.
While the Suns finished fifth-worst in goals allowed (12.8) and shots at goal conceded (26.3) per game last season, the overarching arrow is pointing up at Carrara, with plenty more growth to come from their youthful contingent.