Dustin Martin, Luke Hodge and Andrew McLeod stamped their place in football immortality, rising above the rest in their respective finals campaigns, dominating an impossible September campaign looking like a training run.
This season, many of the league's best will have their opportunity to take to the field and put their name in the conversation as one of the great finals performers.
Each player in the 2026 AFL finals series can shape the way the remainder of the season unravels, but there are some who are required to do much more.
With the added element of Wildcard football to this finals campaign, the game has never required more from a star player to deliver premiership success from that position.
Superstars like Nick Daicos, Ed Richards, Max Gawn and Patrick Cripps must lead their teams out of the trenches that is the wildcard, just to give themselves a chance to battle through a gruelling September.
Some teams will go into battle without some of their stars, while others may just be tipped as heavy underdogs.
One legacy-defining performance could completely alter the finals race from anything we thought could happen this year.
So here are the 20 most important players to their respective clubs' chances of shaping the 2026 AFL finals race.
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10. Luke Jackson
Fremantle has been head and shoulders above the rest of the competition in 2026, meeting every challenge they have been dealt head-on, putting themselves in a perfect position to make it to the Grand Final.
Jackson has been widely regarded as a top ten player in the game, and will need to deliver for Fremantle to ensure the Dockers take care of home ground advantage, booking their ticket to the big dance.
9. Ed Richards
Fresh off a disrespectful All-Australian snub where he was rated as the third-highest rated player in the AFL according to Champion Data, Richards will be out with a motive to produce a dominant finals campaign.
Richards has put together some of the most dominant individual displays this season, including his 30 disposals and 2 goals against Brisbane in Opening Round, 30 disposals and 3 goals against Melbourne in Round 11 and 31 disposals and 2 goals against Carlton in Round 23.
The superstar on-baller has shown up for the Bulldogs in the big matches this year, and can tear a final apart as well as anybody.
8. Jeremy Cameron
A proven performer, Cameron plays a crucial role in Geelong's premiership chances with his unique agility and speed for his size, vitally important for the Cats' transition from the back half.
It has been over a year since we last saw Cameron at full health, with the last time being in the conversation for a 100-goal season.
7. Patrick Cripps
The Carlton captain has helped transform the Blues from a 1-win, 8-loss bottom-feeder to the in-form team of the competition now going into their wildcard final against Melbourne as favourites.
The two-time Brownlow Medallist was exceptional in the Blues' 2023 finals run, and has stood up for Carlton every time he is required.
6. Alex Pearce
Leading the premiership favourite is a daunting task, and it's the one Pearce will have to endure on Fremantle's finals run this year.
Pearce had a career year at full-back for the Dockers and will face the opposition's best key forward each week of their run, placing even greater responsibility on the captain.
