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Strategy 2026 | Let's Construct Our Best 23 | Part 1: Midfielders

Thread starter FootyGuy13
Start date Jan 31, 2026
Tagged users None

Which six players should fill the midfield positions in a pre-2026 Best 23?

#4 Harvey Langford
Votes: 28 96.6%
#5 Xavier Lindsay
Votes: 4 13.8%
#6 Caleb Windsor
Votes: 19 65.5%
#7 Jack Viney
Votes: 9 31.0%
#9 Jack Steele
Votes: 21 72.4%
#11 Max Gawn
Votes: 25 86.2%
#13 Jai Culley
Votes: 8 27.6%
#14 Changkuoth Jiath
Votes: 0 0.0%
#15 Ed Langdon
Votes: 16 55.2%
#24 Trent Rivers
Votes: 17 58.6%
#27 Max Heath
Votes: 0 0.0%
#29 Tom Campbell
Votes: 0 0.0%
#30 Harry Sharp
Votes: 0 0.0%
#31 Bayley Fritsch
Votes: 0 0.0%
#32 Tom Sparrow
Votes: 0 0.0%
#34 Kalani White
Votes: 0 0.0%
#36 Kysaiah Pickett
Votes: 24 82.8%
#40 Riley Onley
Votes: 0 0.0%

Total voters

29
Poll closed Feb 7, 2026.

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FootyGuy13

That Guy in the Back Corner

Jan 31, 2026

#1

Well, 2025 was certainly... something. Even my escapism from Goodyball was struggling to stay positive. Now that it's 2026, we can put that awful year behind us and focus on Kingyball. With summer only a month away from ending, the State-of-Origin game just around the corner, and Melbourne having the Round O bye again, it's time to once again decide who in the squad makes up the Best 22 team (sorry, Best 23, team now that the 5th bench spot has eventually made permanent). This'll mean that people will have to give their opinion on their favourite players that you don't like. Scary times, I know. So, before we dive into a season that's equal-chance wildcard finals hopeful and equal-chance 14th again, let's see which players the Melbourne BigFooty Board as a whole thinks our best players are. Spoilers: Someone probably thinks you're wrong.

There'll be 4 polls, 1 each for Mids, Defenders, Forwards and other, put up every Saturday until I run out of threads.

In Part 1, vote for up to 6 players in the poll to fill these positions.

C: Wing | Centre | Wing
R: Ruck | Ruck-Rover | Rover

In the poll above are every player I've seen listed as a midfielder or ruckman in DreamTeam, SuperCoach and/or any of the 44 Best 23 sides I've seen given for the Dees so far this off-season... so Happy Voting! :smallfooty:

:smallfooty:

2020 team:
FB: Neville Jetta | Steven May | Marty Hore
HB: Michael Hibberd | Jake Lever | Christian Salem
C: Ed Langdon | Jack Viney (vc) | James Harmes
HF: Christian Petracca | Jake Melksham | Bayley Fritsch
FF: Kysaiah Pickett | Tom McDonald | Sam Weideman
R: Max Gawn (c) | Clayton Oliver | Angus Brayshaw
INT: Aaron vandenBerg | Nathan Jones | Adam Tomlinson | Mitch Brown

E: Luke Jackson | Jayden Hunt | Harley Bennell | Jay Lockhart

IN FROM 2019: Ed Langdon, Marty Hore, Kysaiah Pickett, Adam Tomlinson, Mitch Brown
OUT FROM 2019: Jordan Lewis, Oscar McDonald, Alex Neal-Bullen, Kade Kolojashnij, Charlie Spargo

2021 team:
FB: Michael Hibberd | Steven May | Trent Rivers
HB: Christian Salem | Jake Lever | Adam Tomlinson
C: Ed Langdon | Jack Viney (vc) | James Harmes
HF: Luke Jackson | Sam Weideman | Bayley Fritsch
FF: Kysaiah Pickett | Ben Brown | Charlie Spargo
R: Max Gawn (c) | Clayton Oliver | Christian Petracca
INT: Angus Brayshaw | Jayden Hunt | Jay Lockhart | Tom McDonald

E: Jake Melksham | Bailey Laurie | Neville Jetta | Oskar Baker

IN FROM 2020: Trent Rivers, Ben Brown, Luke Jackson, Charlie Spargo, Jayden Hunt, Jay Lockhart
OUT FROM 2020: Neville Jetta, Marty Hore, Jake Melksham, Aaron vandenBerg, Nathan Jones, Mitch Brown

2022 team:
FB: Trent Rivers | Steven May | Jake Lever
HB: Jake Bowey | Harrison Petty | Christian Salem
C: Ed Langdon | Jack Viney (vc) | Angus Brayshaw
HF: Kysaiah Pickett | Tom McDonald | Alex Neal-Bullen
FF: Charlie Spargo | Ben Brown | Bayley Fritsch
R: Max Gawn (c) | Clayton Oliver | Christian Petracca
INT: Luke Jackson | James Harmes | Tom Sparrow | Adam Tomlinson | James Jordon (sub)

E: Jayden Hunt | Michael Hibberd | Luke Dunstan

IN FROM 2021: Harrison Petty, Jake Bowey, Alex Neal-Bullen, Tom Sparrow, James Jordon (sub)
OUT FROM 2021: Jay Lockhart, Michael Hibberd, Sam Weideman, Jayden Hunt

2023 team:
FB: Jake Bowey | Steven May | Jake Lever
HB: Angus Brayshaw | Harrison Petty | Christian Salem
C: Ed Langdon | Christian Petracca | Lachie Hunter
HF: Charlie Spargo | Tom McDonald | Alex Neal-Bullen
FF: Kysaiah Pickett | Jacob van Rooyen | Bayley Fritsch
R: Max Gawn (c) | Jack Viney (vc) | Clayton Oliver
INT: Brodie Grundy | James Harmes | Tom Sparrow | Trent Rivers | Michael Hibberd (sub)

E: Kade Chandler | James Jordon | Joel Smith

IN FROM 2022: Lachie Hunter, Jacob van Rooyen, Brodie Grundy, Michael Hibberd (sub)
OUT FROM 2022: Luke Jackson, Ben Brown, Adam Tomlinson, James Jordon (sub)

2024 team:
FB: Judd McVee | Steven May | Jake Lever
HB: Jake Bowey | Adam Tomlinson | Trent Rivers
C: Ed Langdon | Clayton Oliver | Caleb Windsor
HF: Kysaiah Pickett | Jacob van Rooyen | Alex Neal-Bullen
FF: Shane McAdam | Harrison Petty | Bayley Fritsch
R: Max Gawn | Jack Viney | Christian Petracca
INT: Jack Billings | Tom Sparrow | Kade Chandler | Christian Salem | Lachie Hunter (sub)

E: Kynan Brown | Bailey Laurie | Charlie Spargo

IN FROM 2023: Caleb Windsor, Judd McVee, Adam Tomlinson, Shane McAdam, Jack Billings, Kade Chandler
OUT FROM 2023: Brodie Grundy, James Harmes, Michael Hibberd (sub), Angus Brayshaw, Charlie Spargo, Tom McDonald

2025 team:
FB: Jake Lever | Steven May | Judd McVee
HB: Andy Moniz-Wakefield | Harrison Petty | Trent Rivers
C: Ed Langdon | Jack Viney | Caleb Windsor
HF: Kysaiah Pickett | Jacob van Rooyen | Harvey Langford
FF: Kade Chandler | Bayley Fritsch | Daniel Turner
R: Max Gawn | Clayton Oliver | Christian Petracca
INT: Xavier Lindsay | Harry Sharp | Koltyn Tholstrup | Jake Bowey | Blake Howes (sub)

E: Tom Sparrow | Christian Salem | Tom McDonald

IN FROM 2024: Andy Moniz-Wakefield, Daniel Turner, Harvey Langford, Xavier Lindsay, Harry Sharp, Koltyn Tholstrup, Blake Howes (sub)
OUT FROM 2024: Adam Tomlinson, Alex Neal-Bullen, Lachie Hunter (sub), Shane McAdam, Jack Billings, Tom Sparrow, Christian Salem

2026 team so far:
FB: Back Pocket | Full Back | Back Pocket
HB: Half Back Flank | Centre Half Back | Half Back Flank
C: Wing | Centre | Wing
HF: Half Forward Flank | Centre Half Forward | Half Forward Flank
FF: Forward Pocket | Full Forward | Forward Pocket
R: Ruck | Ruck-Rover | Rover
INT: Interchange | Interchange | Interchange | Interchange | Interchange

E: Emergency | Emergency | Emergency

IN FROM 2025:
OUT FROM 2024: Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Judd McVee

Crimson Azure

Moderator

Jan 31, 2026

Staff
#2

Oliver and Trac in the guts please.

schmuttt

Hall of Famer

Jan 31, 2026

#3

Langford Steele Langdon
Gawn Kozzy Rivers

Windsor first guy in off the bench.

Demon Attack

Club Legend

Jan 31, 2026

#4

Culley no Brownlow conspiracy in full force

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Toump Ass

The Big Deal

Jan 31, 2026

#5

schmuttt said:
Langford Steele Langdon
Gawn Kozzy Rivers

Windsor first guy in off the bench.

This for me too, but I'd like to see Lindsay crack into the starting midfield at some point.

Theseventhhamster

Brownlow Medallist

Feb 1, 2026

#6

Langford and Lindsay swapping in the guts and left wing, Windsor the other wing, Pickett roving, Gawn and Steele organising.

schmuttt

Hall of Famer

Feb 1, 2026

#7

Think Steele will be pretty good for us. A mid who actually defends is something we've sorely missed.

Dory_77

Premium Platinum

Feb 1, 2026

#8

Langford Steele Windsor
Gawn Kozzy Culley

To start at least. Riv, Lindsay, Langdon can all run through. Viney eventually back. Chin probably gets a couple of runs to mix things up.

Bluelegs

Content Enthusiast

Feb 2, 2026

#9

schmuttt said:
Langford Steele Langdon
Gawn Kozzy Rivers

Windsor first guy in off the bench.

This for me but Culley instead of Rivers.

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