For some teams currently sitting outside the eight, the possibility of finals football has already evaporated.
Dismal performances, rebuilds, and tough fixtures have left the wins and losses column looking bleak and supporter's minds already cast to the upcoming trade and draft periods.
With some teams in dire need of aid in every area, others sit within a whisker of finals footy and require only a lick of polish rather than a total renovation.
This led us to contemplate that if each team outside of the eight could re-draft one club legend at their peak, who would it be?
From ninth place to the certain wooden spooners, here are our selections.
Essendon โ James Hird
Essendon has no shortage of midfielders that can win the ball. What they do lack is a player that can push forward and slot the big sticks.
It is for this reason that we've picked James Hird to re-don the sash.
Hird's resume as a player speaks for itself. Two flags, a Brownlow, a Norm Smith, five best and fairests and five All- Australian selections.
The former number five was also a peerless leader, something the Bombers seem devoid of with current captain Dyson Heppell continually sidelined.
Whether or not Hird would be welcome back at Bomberland is another question. However, we here at Zero Hanger prefer to take a utopian view.