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.
3. Fremantle
Midfielders: Caleb Serong, Shai Bolton, Andrew Brayshaw, Murphy Reid, Hayden Young, Neil Erasmus, Matthew Johnson, Jaeger O'Meara, Jeremy Sharp, Corey Wagner, Adam Sweid, Toby Whan.
Although the Dockers don't boast the biggest midfield group and depth, they have big names who allow them to score from clearances.
Serong, Bolton and Brayshaw are all superstars of the AFL and combined often throughout the season to help turn games in Freo's favour.
Fremantle finished first in 2026 for scores from clearance differential and finished third for points scored from centre bounces, largely due to the ruck craft of Luke Jackson.
They could have easily been at one or two on this list as their next men up in Young and Reid are more than capable of becoming starters in the midfield.
Reid is still only 20 years old and with a Grand Final under his belt along with an All-Australian selection, the 2025 Rising Star Award and an AFLPA Best First Year Player Award, he could be anything.
Throw in the experience of O'Meara and cameos from Erasmus, and the Dockers midfield is a really complete and cohesive group.
The Dockers are more than set to have another real crack at their first Premiership in 2027, and their core midfield group will be tough to stop again.
