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.
2. Sydney
Midfielders: Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, James Rowbottom, Angus Sheldrick, Errol Gulden, Justin McInerney, James Jordon, Jai Serong, Matthew Roberts, Noah Chamberlain.
Although a lot of controversy has followed the Swans in season 2026, their core midfield group is still one of the best in the AFL.
Sydney only finished behind Melbourne and Brisbane in third spot for average centre clearances (14.2), and with Grundy giving the mids the ball more often than not, they relished the rewards.
Their ability to convert clearances into goals was outstanding as Heeney and Warner regularly kicked goals, finishing with 66 between them.
Coming back from a shoulder injury, Gulden arguably became a top 10 player in the AFL, finishing the year averaging 32 disposals and as the Swans' best midfielder.
McInerney started the year as a genuine Brownlow Medal chance, getting above 20 disposals in each of his first 10 games to go with 11 goals, showing the depth they have.
Rowbotton, Sheldrick, Jordan and Serong all had more midfield minutes at the end of the season following the player bans, and pushed their cases forward as permanent mids, landing the Swans in 2nd on our rankings.
The Swans remain one of the best in the game at converting scores from clearances, and if Heeney and Warner can remain in the side for the full 2027 season, Dean Cox has another chance to go one better than a Preliminary Final.
