Rightly or wrongly, midfielders have a monopoly on just about every major individual award in our game, similar to an NFL quarterback.
It makes sense to a degree, they are situated where the ball resides for the majority of the contest - in the middle - but must also cover the entire field to find the footy wherever required.
In turn, they typically clock in the most kms, accumulate the most touches and fill up the stat sheet more than any other typer of player on the ground.
They play a variety of roles - in & under the contest feeding the outside runners, exploding out of packs with strength, speed and agility, plus using the ball skilfully and efficiently by hand or foot.
Some are suited to a particular role more than others, making it hard to definitively rank one player over another using stats or achievements. Patrick Cripps and Nick Daicos both fall under the midfielder category but carry a 12cm & 15kg size difference and dominate in vastly different ways on the ground.
We must look beyond just the numbers which may favour a Tom Green, or the eye-test which may favour a Jordan De Goey to decide on number one.
Instead, we need a rich tapestry of impact, stats, moments, value, performance and pedigree to judge who holds the crown as the league's best midfielder.
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2. Nick Daicos
This 20-year-old phenom has risen to the top of the AFL player pyramid quicker than anyone else this century.
Chris Judd, Joel Selwood or Sam Walsh all shone early in the careers, but not like this.
In just 47 AFL games he has amassed a cabinet of honours and accolades most players could only dream of; a premiership medal, All-Australian blazer, Rising Star Award, Anzac Medal and Best Young Player Award just to name a few.
Falling one knee-injury short of a Brownlow Medal-winning sophomore season, Daicos overcame his heartbreak with a near best-on-ground performance in Collingwood's illustrious premiership win over Brisbane, collecting a game-high 29 disposals with some critical touches in the game's biggest moments, including two contested handballs leading to Jordan De Goey's fourth quarter go-ahead major.
The skill, poise, class, decision-making and running capacity are at a level we've never seen from a 20-year-old in our competition, let alone most seasoned veterans in today's game.
He's also earned a level of opposition attention and respect unmatched by any current player and perhaps only Gary Ablett jnr. in the last decade.
With Craig McRae at the helm, Collingwood hold the keys to two generational gems in their senior coach and best player in a tenure that is still on the rise.
