Every AFL club's squad for the 2027 season is coming together, so how does each team's back, midfield and forward line stack up against their rivals?
We at Zero Hanger will be going through all 18 clubs, analysing and ranking them 1-18 across all three thirds of the ground, starting with the backline.
While the draft, delisted free agent signing period and trial spots remain for clubs to recruit players, the majority of each team's starting 23 are in place.
Focusing on the players at their disposal, their style of football in 2026, and with a look forward to Round 1, 2027, this is how we ranked every club 1-18 for its midfield.
18. Essendon
Midfielders: Darcy Parish, Sam Durham, Jye Caldwell, Brayden Fiorini, Sullivan Robey, Will Setterfield, Dyson Sharp, Nic Martin, Andrew McGrath, Xavier Duursma, Max Kondogiannis, Angus Clarke, Jack Bowes.
The Bombers already have a tough climb back up the ladder, following a last-place finish in 2026 with only two wins beside their name, and it doesn't get much easier.
Essendon ranked equal last in average centre clearances (11.4), last in average stoppage clearances (20.9) and last in average total clearances (32.3) last season, and will need to heavily rely upon Parish, Caldwell, Durham and potentially new Geelong recruit Bowes to help buff up their middle.
It gets even tougher without their seven-time club Best and Fairest and former captain Zach Merrett, but youngsters Sharp and Robey look as though they could possibly join the midfield rotation.
Half-back Jacob Farrow is a potential candidate for more midfield minutes following a top 10 Best and Fairest finish in his debut year, and new coach Mark McVeigh will certainly want some change from the get-go with a new game plan on the horizon.
Roberts and McGrath also enjoyed midfield minutes throughout parts of 2026.
It will still be a very young midfield group, and it looks as though it could be a tough season ahead, although they will be all the better for it with experienced minutes against the competition's best players.
