How strong is your club’s midfield group heading into 2024?
You can’t win anything in footy without a quality on-ball unit, so we’ve analysed the starting midfields for all 18 clubs.
We’ve named the six players that will start in the positions of ruck, ruck rover, rover, centre and wings.
Below each group is an analysis and explanation of the group and how they may fare next season.
Note: Players with long-term injuries have been left out of these groups.
On-ball: Reilly O’Brien, Rory Laird, Jordan Dawson, Matt Crouch
Wings: Jake Soligo, Ben Keays
A consistent midfield group from this year to next, the primary question revolves around what Adelaide will do with Matt Crouch.
The 28-year-old forced his way back into Matthew Nicks’ side late in 2023 and impressed to hold his spot. But what are his fortunes for 2024?
There are a number of younger players the Crows will look to rotate through the midfield mix, while Rory Sloane and Izak Rankine will command time in the middle.
However, the Crows have few options for standout wingmen.
Seb Mottram
On-ball: Oscar McInerney, Josh Dunkley, Lachie Neale, Hugh McCluggage
Wings: Jaspa Fletcher, Jarrod Berry
An incredibly strong midfield group, it’s no shock that Brisbane made it all of the way to the Grand Final in 2023.
Will Ashcroft would slot in on-ball if he were fit, but in his absence Hugh McCluggage will spend more time on ball, opening up more wing minutes for young Fletcher.
A nice mix of outside speed and inside grunt. The one question on this group without Ashcroft is elite kicking.
Lachlan Geleit
On-ball: Tom De Koning, Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh, Adam Cerra
Wings: Blake Acres, Ollie Hollands
Carlton has a midfield core the envy of a lot of teams around the league, particularly now that they turned a wing weakness into one of their great strengths.
They went from relying on, with all due respect, Lochie O’Brien and Jack Newnes, to Blake Acres and Ollie Hollands – the former was one of their best across the finals series and the latter a first-year player who immediately looked at home at AFL level. Matthew Cottrell and Sam Docherty will also rotate through the wings across 2024.
On-ball, the Blues will usually rotate Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh, Adam Cerra, Sam Docherty and one of George Hewett or Matthew Kennedy through there alongside two half forward pinch hitters.
It’s hard to imagine anything changing in 2024, they will simply have another summer to add layers to Michael Voss’ system and hope the improvement comes from Tom De Koning, who could be one of the breakout stars of the season.
Nic Negrepontis
On-ball: Darcy Cameron, Jordan De Goey, Nick Daicos, Scott Pendlebury
Wings: Steele Sidebottom, Josh Daicos
The 2023 premiership midfield returns for 2024.
Craig McRae has a nice blend with this unit. De Goey offers the burst and power, Daicos the finesse and class, while Pendlebury can do it all and play more of a defensive role. Tom Mitchell, Jack Crisp and Fin Macrae give this group great depth.
The Magpies are also incredibly well set up with the best wing combination in the AFL.
Lachlan Geleit
On-ball: Sam Draper, Zach Merrett, Darcy Parish, Ben Hobbs
Wings: Nick Martin, Sam Durham
The Bombers have a lot to solve over summer. They have quite a few players vying for spots in their midfield rotation beyond Zach Merrett and Darcy Parish and you can only play so many.
Dylan Shiel, Ben Hobbs, Jye Caldwell, Elijah Tsatas, Will Setterfield, Archie Perkins and the newly acquired Xavier Duursma will all go into 2024 believing they should be in there. That’s not to mention Jake Stringer, who might be their best on-baller when healthy.
Nick Martin and Sam Durham are great wing options and super reliable in those roles. They’ll rotate with Duursma as a trio and create a strong core for the Bombers.
Nic Negrepontis
On-ball: Sean Darcy, Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong, Jaeger O’Meara
Wings: Hayden Young, Matthew Johnson
Fremantle has a few pieces locked in, with Sean Darcy, Andrew Brayshaw and Caleb Serong established stars of their positions, while Hayden Young could be the breakout midfielder of 2024.
Outside of that, a lot is still up in the air. Does Jaeger O’Meara remain in the starting midfield rotation? Could someone overtake him in that role? Will it be a youngster like Matthew Johnson or Neil Erasmus? Could it be a veteran like Nathan Fyfe or Will Brodie? It’s a big summer for the Dockers’ midfield core.
This is especially true on the wings. Blake Acres was their best wingman in 2022. Left in the trade period. Liam Henry was their best wingman in 2023. Left in the trade period. The Dockers have a lot to work out.
Nic Negrepontis
On-ball: Rhys Stanley, Patrick Dangerfield, Tom Atkins, Cameron Guthrie
Wings: Max Holmes, Jack Bowes
Geelong’s midfield was its weak point in 2023 and there will be plenty of work done over the pre-season to determine the best mix going forward.
Rhys Stanley will again claim the no.1 ruck mantle but will have support from Mark Blicavs as a best 22 regular. Dangerfield, Atkins and Guthrie represent a strong starting midfield but the depth is questionable beyond that trio.
Max Holmes adds more speed and will hope for greater midfield time, while Jack Bowes’ best spot looks to be on the wing and can take Isaac Smith's position.
Seb Mottram
On-ball: Jarrod Witts, Touk Miller, Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson
Wings: Sam Flanders, Brandon Ellis
What Damien Hardwick does with one of the most consistent midfield groups is a big watch ahead of the 2024 season.
Touk Miller, Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson are all locks for the most midfield minutes, often pushing the emerging Sam Flanders to the wing.
One of the toughest midfield units in terms of their contested footy, expect more personnel to filter through next year.
Seb Mottram
On-ball: Kieren Briggs, Tom Green, Stephen Coniglio, Josh Kelly
Wings: Finn Callaghan, Isaac Cumming
A group that encompasses youth and experience, GWS are well set on-ball.
Kieren Briggs leads the group in the ruck after a breakout 2023 campaign. Tom Green is one of the competition’s best inside ball winners which brings out the best in Coniglio and Kelly.
On the wings, Isaac Cumming is more of a traditional outside player while Callaghan has the class and skills to excel in the role. He’ll also roll through stoppages as a follower.
Lachlan Geleit
On-ball: Ned Reeves, Conor Nash, Will Day, Jai Newcombe
Wings: Karl Amon, Josh Ward
Ned Reeves should be the preferred ruckman in 2024 after undertaking most of the duties last year.
Underneath him in brown and gold will be reigning Peter Crimmins Medallist and emerging star Will Day alongside the ever-improving Jai Newcombe and either Connor Nash or James Worpel. We’ll side with Nash as a point of difference for this exercise.
Karl Amon was very good on the wing in his debut season with the Hawks, getting better as the campaign went on, while youngster Josh Ward leads the pack of a number of others who could be used on the other wing.
Andrew Slevison
On-ball: Max Gawn, Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney
Wings: Ed Langdon, Lachie Hunter
The Demons have an extremely reliable on-ball unit, arguably the most consistent in the competition.
Captain and star ruckman Max Gawn will again be the focal point in the middle after the Brodie Grundy experiment failed, providing first use to clearance experts Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Jack Viney.
If Oliver is back to his best in 2024, this group will again be responsible for taking the club to finals again.
The wings are sorted by hard-running pair Ed Langdon and Lachie Hunter who patrol the periphery with aplomb.
Andrew Slevison
On-ball: Tristan Xerri, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Jy Simpkin, George Wardlaw
Wings: Bailey Scott, Colby McKercher
The Kangaroos have a young but talented midfield group. Luke Davies-Uniacke is one of the growing superstars of the game, Jy Simpkin is an established A-grader and George Wardlaw is a wildcard in his second season.
Add to that the likes of Harry Sheezel, Tarryn Thomas and Zane Duursma who could rotate through and they have a great mix of inside and outside talents.
Bailey Scott quietly had an excellent 2023 season on the wing, while top draftee Colby McKercher will likely start his career on the outside utilising his outstanding kicking skills.
Nic Negrepontis
On-ball: Ivan Soldo, Ollie Wines, Zak Butters, Willem Drew
Wings: Connor Rozee, Jason Horne-Francis
Boasting multiple All-Australians and a Brownlow medallist, it’s clear why this midfield unit is so highly regarded throughout the competition.
The main drawback for this group in previous seasons has been the lack of a consistent ruckman, however new recruit Ivan Soldo will be looking to provide some stability to the role.
Rozee and Horne-Francis on the wings does look slightly odd, however with this much talent and a lack of established wingmen, this is the best combination for the squad.
Jack Makeham
On-ball: Toby Nankervis, TimTaranto, Jacob Hopper, Dion Prestia
Wings: Jack Ross, Kamdyn McIntosh
Richmond’s midfield unit is fairly set from a starting viewpoint.
Co-captain Toby Nankervis is the undisputed number one ruckman while reigning best and fairest Tim Taranto and his former GWS colleague Jacob Hopper
Dustin Martin and Shai Bolton are the ones that provide extra depth and grunt by starting in place of Hopper if Adem Yze chooses to go that way.
Jack Ross was effective on the wing under Andrew McQualter in the second half of last season while Kamdyn McIntosh plays a team-first role and is good for defensive protection.
Andrew Slevison
On-ball: Rowan Marshall, Jack Steele, Brad Crouch, Seb Ross
Wings: Brad Hill, Liam Henry
St Kilda's midfield is one of the most one-dimensional in the competition and their centre bounce attendees won't change much from last season.
Rowan Marshall is one of the best ruckman in the competition and he announced himself last season.
His ability to ruck the game one-out for all four quarters is a mighty effort but he just needs some help from his fellow midfielders.
This isn't a pot at the likes of Jack Steele, Brad Crouch and Seb Ross as they can only deal with what they've got, but if the Saints are going to compete deep into finals they need to inject some speed into their midfield.
But that's how I see them lining up in Round 1 against Geelong next year.
As for their wings, Ross Lyon's side will have two of the more silkier wingman in the competition in Brad Hill and Liam Henry.
They were keen as to bring Henry over to Melbourne from Western Australia and there's no doubt their midfield needed more speed and skill and those are two qualities Henry possesses.
Hugh Fizpatrick
On-ball: Brodie Grundy, Luke Parker, Chad Warner, Taylor Adams
Wings: Errol Gulden, Braeden Campbell
Sydney’s midfield unit will have a new look in 2024 with Brodie Grundy and Taylor Adams operating at centre bounces.
This group is incredibly well set up for the small spaces on the SCG, and that’s without Callum Mills who will miss a fair portion of the season injured.
There is some seriously elite kicking on the outside with Gulden and Campbell making the wing their own.
Lachlan Geleit
On-ball: Bailey Williams, Tim Kelly, Dom Sheed, Reuben Ginbey
Wings: Andrew Gaff, Harley Reid For a side that has struggled mightily through the previous two seasons, this starting midfield unit is legitimately talented.
Williams came into his own as a first-choice ruckman in 2023, Kelly and Sheed are established ballwinners, while Ginbey is busy making his name as a tackling machine.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Reid shift into a prime midfield role as the season goes on, but for now it’d be a safer bet to ease him in via the wing.
Jack Makeham
On-ball: Tim English, Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore, Adam Treloar
Wings: Bailey Smith, Caleb Poulter
One of the best starting units in the league, the Bulldogs’ engine room strikes fear to other clubs with their combination of superstars.
As one of the competition’s premier ruckmen, English does it all for the Dogs, while The Bont leads the way for this group of dominant ballwinners.
While Bailey Smith saw himself move away from the wing last season, it’s clear that he has been most effective as a running threat, and should line up along with Caleb Poulter, who slotted seamlessly into the role after being picked up mid-year.
Yet with Luke Beveridge’s track record for bold selection moves, it’s hard to predict who will line up on the wing throughout the season.
Jack Makeham