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.
5. Hawthorn
Midfielders: Jai Newcombe, Will Day, Zach Merrett, Josh Ward, Cameron Mackenzie, Conor Nash, Connor MacDonald, Harry Morrison, Massimo D'Ambrosio, Cameron Nairn, Will McCabe.
The Hawks midfield is now as superb as ever with the signing of Essendon champion Merrett for 2027.
Newcombe continues to show why he is so good in the middle, ranking as the 2nd best clearance player in the AFL this season, finishing with 80 clearances.
Day showed what he brings to the star-studded Hawks side, overcoming a shoulder injury to come back midway through the year and dominating while regularly hitting the scoreboard with a goal or two.
Nash, Day and Ward all got handy midfield time while Mackenzie, McDonald and the wizard Nick Watson also all had cameos throughout the season.
The combination of Newcombe and Merrett is as exciting as ever for Hawks fans, and adding another key forward in Ben King should help them improve even more.
After two back-to-back Preliminary Final defeats, Sam Mitchell is hopeful for a Grand Final appearance for the first time since 2015 with this stacked midfield group.
