Every AFL club's most irreplaceable player in 2026

The phrase "player your club can least afford to lose" can be interpreted in many different ways. It doesn't mean best player or most influential all the time. There are multiple factors why a team couldn't afford to lose a certain player, such as depth in their position, how much they influence the game plan or whether they could fill the void more easily than others. Have a look below at my list of who would be the player for each club that they would least afford to lose. Adelaide Jordan Dawson If Adelaide chose a player they believe they could least afford to lose, they would definitely choose their captain, Jordan Dawson, on any given day. The role he provides for this Crows team is unmatched; his leadership, foot skills, and willpower all over the ground are an incredible inspiration to his side. Losing him would put a dagger in the team's heart and would be irreparable. Brisbane Harris Andrews The back-to-back premiers have a big list of stars, but co-captain Harris Andrews would be the hardest to replace if he were to go down, rather than some of their midfield stars. Andrews is the leader of their backline and has consistently held up the Lions' defence over the years. With the struggles the Lions are currently having in defence, giving up 18 more points this year than last. Missing Andrews would make this look even worse than what it already is. Carlton Jacob Weitering Similar to Harris Andrews, Weitering is the backbone of Carlton's defence and has been for years now, which puts him as the Blues' most important player. Arguably one of the best defenders in the game, Carlton has no one who could replicate what Weitering does; his shutdown defence and leadership back there are important to their overall team structure. Collingwood Nick Daicos This is an easy choice for the Magpies. We all know how important Daicos is to their game plan and style every week, and when they are without him, it hasn't gone too well in the past. Last time he missed a game, they lost by 54 points. Arguably the best player in the comp, not many in the world can replicate the impact he has on the field. Averaging an insane 35 touches, his ball use and IQ are utterly important to the Pies. Essendon Zach Merrett There aren't many options to choose from for the Bombers, so no wonder the six-time best and fairest is their most influential player. Merrett's consistency over the years has put him in conversations as one of the league's best players; his ability to win the ball and the ways he uses it are quite remarkable to witness. It can't get much worse for Essendon with injuries and performance, but if they lost Merrett, everything would go up in flames. Fremantle Luke Jackson Fremantle have a vast number of options to choose from with stars all over the ground, but if Luke Jackson were to miss, his influence on games would affect the team the most. Arguably the best ruckman in the competition, his ability to compete, then basically become another tall midfielder once it hits the ground, is what only a few can do. Then they have the luxury to put him down forward and be able to influence the game in another way, making him the ultimate unicorn player. Geelong Jeremy Cameron Jeremy Cameron has consistently been a top-ten influential player in the AFL since arriving at Geelong, and that hasn't changed at all this year. His goal-scoring ability is unmatched, along with his ability to impact the play anywhere on the ground. You could argue they would miss Bailey Smith more, but I think they have enough players to fill some of his impact than they do for Jeremy Cameron. Gold Coast Christian Petracca After a new move, Petracca has really stamped himself back into the best footballers in the competition, and Gold Coast are quite glad that he stumbled up there. In his nine games, he is averaging 26 touches with six clearances and over a goal a game, which is extraordinary. In those nine games, the Suns were 7-2, and in the two games they played without him, they lost. This shows his worth on the side and proves to be the player they can't afford to lose. GWS Giants Finn Callaghan The Giants' young gun midfielder is having a career year, and it's made him their most important player due to the lack of midfield depth. What makes him different to the other midfielders is his ability to run and break lines, then use his foot skills to carve through the opponent. Hawthorn Jai Newcombe Going into the season, we knew the Hawks' struggles were going to be in the midfield, but Newcombe has proved to have the ability to lead and carry a premiership side's midfield. A career-best year, ranking second in the league in clearances, has put his name in All-Australian conversations. You can argue that the Hawks have better players or even more influential players, but the gap Newcombe would leave for their midfield will be harder to replace than any other position they have. Melbourne Max Gawn Well, everyone knows Melbourne can not afford to lose the greatest ruckman of this generation. The 34-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down under Steven King, leading the Demons during a phenomenal season. The eight-time All-Australian is currently second among the league in hitouts while also averaging a career best in disposals, goals and clearances. The Demons can't afford to lose their leader, or their season might take a sharp turn. North Melbourne Tristan Xerri North Melbourne is another team who have a few options to choose from, but Xerri is the player they can least afford to lose out of everyone. His impact in the ruck is unmatched for the Kangaroos; they don't have enough depth in the role to replace him consistently throughout a season. They have already lost him for a period this year, and they got dominated in hitouts other than the game against Richmond. Port Adelaide Zak Butters Zak Butters is one of the more influential players in the comp and easily ranks as the Power's best player week in and week out. In their three wins, he will poll Brownlow votes, and in their losses, he seems to be one of their only shining lights. It's hard to replace what he does, and if they happen to lose him to another team at the end of the year, you will see how much he will be missed. Richmond Nick Vlastuin Richmond doesn't have too much bright stuff happening in their season thus far, but one area they can rely on is their veteran premiership presence, and this is why Nick Vlastuin would be too valuable to lose. A defender who bleeds black and yellow, a true leader from the front and coming off a career-best season, Vlastuin is a key part to what the Tigers do. St Kilda Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera It's a tough choice between Wilkie and NAS on who they would miss more, but I think with the influence NAS has across the entire ground, he would be more missed. The Saints are 1-3 without the midfielder this season, and it shows how much they miss his usage, running power and unreal foot skills, which help the Saints put high scores on the board. It's hard to tell how much they would miss Wilkie with his unreal consistency. Sydney Tom McCartin Sydney is having a phenomenal season, and it's hard to choose a player who they could least afford to lose, but their key defender, Tom McCartin, is the right option. His importance in 2026 for their intercepting game, structure, and ball movement has been All-Australian worthy. Sydney will find it harder to fill his void in defence if he were to be absent. West Coast Harley Reid With the play of Harley Reid this season, he has turned into West Coast's best player on a consistent level each week, averaging a career high in most categories and had his best performance in Round 10. Leading the team to already four wins on the season, where he deserves best on ground for all those wins, his influence has been remarkable this year, and if the Eagles lost him, it would be hard for this young team to compete. Western Bulldogs Tim English Yes, Bontempelli is the best player the Bulldogs have and the most influential, but Tim English is the player who would be missed most if he were to get injured, due to the lack of players they have to go into the Ruck. In games English has played this year, the Dogs are 6-1, when he hasn't been on the field, they are 1-4, which is a vast difference. Yes, you can blame it on other injuries, but evidence doesn't lie, and the Dogs need him out there to be competitive consistently.

		P	W	L	PTS	%
1	FRE	13	12	1	48	147.9
2	SYD	13	11	2	44	147.3
3	HAW	13	8	4	34	113.2
4	GEEL	13	8	5	32	120.2
5	WB	13	8	5	32	94.6
6	GC	12	7	5	28	112.2
7	ADEL	12	7	5	28	107.4
8	BL	13	7	6	28	106.2
9	MELB	12	7	5	28	101.8
10	GWS	12	6	6	24	103.2

Every AFL club’s most irreplaceable player in 2026

The best player isn’t always the hardest to replace. We identify the one star each AFL club can least afford to lose.

Essendon

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

Latest News

Heartbreak at the SCG as Swans escape

AFL Teams Round 13 2026: Confirmed line-ups, ins and outs

FULL TIME: Sydney vs St Kilda – Round 13, 2026

Sydney defender suffers another concussion

AFL Draft: Lowdown from Victorian pathway trial game

FOLLOW US