The players each team can least afford to lose in 2018

Heading into 2018, and on the dawn of a new season of footy, optimism abounds each of the eighteen teams.

Naturally, there’s been a lot of discussion about premiership chances, best 22s and everything in between, but what about the player (or players) whose presence would be keenly missed if they were to succumb to injury or suspension for an extended period of time. Here’s a quick article with my opinions on each, but of course get prepared to tell me how wrong I was.

Adelaide
Rory Sloane, or Taylor Walker. New recruit Bryce Gibbs, or ruckman Sam Jacobs. With Adelaide, this list could go on a while, but the answer is Eddie Betts. Imagine an Adelaide side without Betts for a few weeks, or longer.

I couldn’t.

Brisbane
Dayne Beams or Dayne Zorko. Take your pick.

Carlton
One of my immediate answers would’ve been Sam Docherty, so that nightmare has unfortunately come to life. Patrick Cripps, or Matthew Kreuzer would also be big losses. Injuries to multiple youngsters is a very real worst case scenario for Blues fans, I’d gather.

Collingwood
Any of their star midfielders, honestly. Pendlebury missing wouldn’t help their precarious fortunes, Treloar would be frustrating, and Adams would be a vital cog missing. Jamie Elliott or Grundy being off-field for a long period of time would also be a big loss.

Essendon
For a club on the rise, they’d be wanting to avoid losing just about anyone. Daniher would be an impactful loss from their forward line, or speedy players Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti or Orazio Fantasia would also be big losses.

Fremantle
I’m not sure I need to even mention the name, but here goes: Nat Fyfe. Fremantle’s captain, who is also handily their best player, is such a vital cog in a machine that’s slowly being prepared to full pace that it would unfathomable for Freo’s faithful to lose him – again.

While his midfield power would soon become sorely missed, it would be the absence his position on field as a leader that would hurt Fremantle the most, I reckon. Lachie Neale would be one to avoid losing, as well.

(AAP Image/Travis Anderson)

Geelong
There’s a name (or three) on Geelong’s list that are quite obvious: Pat Dangerfield, Gary Ablett and Joel Selwood. Losing one wouldn’t be bad, two would be worrying – and all three would be an catastrophe.

Cross your fingers and touch some wood, Geelong fans: let’s hope I didn’t just jinx it.

Gold Coast
Gold Coast’s situation is so pitiful, and so delicate, that the loss of any notable player would be beyond unfortunate.

I’d suggest that losing either their defensive kingmaker, Stephen May, or their forward line master, Tom Lynch, would be beyond frustrating for the club. A mass-injury outbreak in their younger ranks would be demoralising as well.

GWS Giants
With 2018 potentially being one of the final years the Giants are a premiership chance with their current list, limiting injuries would be a priority. Josh Kelly would be a terrible loss, but backline leader Heath Shaw could be an even more calamitous loss.

Hawthorn
Tom Mitchell might be a clearance king, and would certainly be a big loss, but I’d say most in the Hawthorn camp would desire, more than anything, to keep Jarryd Roughead on the park.

(AAP Image/Rob Blakers)

Melbourne
Losing Jake Lever to an injury so soon after poaching him from the Crows would probably be the most Melbourne-like thing to happen, but for their sakes let’s hope it doesn’t. Losing Max Gawn, would also hurt the rising club’s fortunes. But, like Hawthorn’s Roughead, they’d be hoping that Jesse Hogan stays healthy and on the park.

North Melbourne
Weirdly, North was the hardest team for me to pick a vital player from. I’d probably go with Ben Brown. Or captain Jack Ziebell. I honestly don’t know.

Port Adelaide
Charlie Dixon did some good work for the South Australian club last year, so his loss would be keenly felt, but losing one of Chad Wingard or all-Australian Robbie Grey would also hurt a club that’s in the gunning for a top-four position this season. Losing a ruckman in Ryder would also be very bad.

Richmond
Dustin Martin, duh. Or perhaps Alex Rance. Neither would be good for the premiers.

(AAP Image/Julian Smith)

St Kilda
Like the Demons, they’re a club on the rise, so St Kilda would also be hoping to limit injuries to their important players. Carlisle from their backline would be a big loss if he were to miss games, as would Dylan Roberton and, for all his failings, Josh Bruce.

Sydney
With a list as talented as Sydney’s, their applicants for the “most-missed” squad are plentiful. An injury Buddy would be a disastrous loss, while they’d also desperately want to avoid injuries to their midfield brigade.

Luke Parker, Josh Kennedy and so would be wanting to be out on the field as much as possible, while a Dane Rampe injury would be bad as well. And, for sympathetic purposes more than anything, let’s hope to not see any injuries to Gary Rohan or Alex Johnson.

West Coast
They’ve lived the nightmare of a Nic Naitanui long-term injury lay off, so they’d be wanting to avoid that again, I’d hope. Matt Priddis mightn’t be that much of a loss than in previous years, but fellow midfielders Luke Shuey and Andrew Gaff would be frustrating losses. Josh Kennedy might be one of the biggest losses in the land, though, if he went down again.

Western Bulldogs
Marcus Botempelli is the easy answer, but I’ll go left-of-field and say losing the likes of Jason Johannsson or Matty Suckling would also hurt the Dogs in their pursuit of a return to finals action.