WHICH player can your club rely on the most?

Whether by good fortune, good management or good form, there's some players that just don't miss a beat and have managed remarkable runs of consecutive games.

We take a look at which players you can depend on the most at your club. 

Rory Laird

The midfield gun has missed just two games in the past four seasons and only four out of a possible 130 since the start of 2017. The only time he's been absent in that time has been due to a broken hand, an injury he's suffered twice (in 2018 and again in 2022). But not even that has been able to stop him for too long; he missed only the opening two rounds of last season despite fears he'd be sidelined for up to six weeks. – Martin Smith

Charlie Cameron

The Brisbane sun seems to be doing wonders for the exciting small forward, who is on a streak of 92 consecutive games. But it's not only Cameron's ability to get out on the park that makes him a reliable member of the Lions' side. The 28-year-old has been Brisbane's leading goalkicker for the past four seasons, as well as playing every game in that time. In fact, his only absence since joining the Lions from Adelaide in 2017 was when he missed the second half of 2018 due to an ankle injury. – Alison O'Connor

Adam Saad

Saad arrived at the Blues from rival Essendon during the 2020 Trade Period and has barely missed a beat for his new club since. The 2022 Therabody AFL All-Australian has been sidelined for only one game in that time, due to COVID, in round three last season. Saad's durability hasn't been reserved for the Blues, however, with the speedy defender missing just the one game in his time at the Bombers, playing 126 out of a possible 128 games between the two clubs. – Alison O'Connor

Jack Crisp

Crisp simply doesn't miss games. The two-time Copeland Trophy winner has played 188 consecutive matches for the Magpies, the longest active streak in the league and well clear of North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein (109). Crisp has played every Collingwood game since his arrival at the club from Brisbane in 2015, including dealing with hip and back problems during the 2018 finals series. He is getting closer to Jim Stynes' record for consecutive games (244) and, in good news for the Pies, has signed through until the end of 2026. – Dejan Kalinic

Zach Merrett

Not only has Merrett developed into one of the competition's best midfielders – he is a two-time All-Australian – but the 27-year-old is also ultra-reliable for the Bombers. Merrett has played 184 games since being drafted with pick No.26 in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft and has missed just five games since the start of the 2016 campaign, playing every match in four of those seven seasons. He made a quicker-than-expected return from an ankle injury last year, missed just one game in 2020 due to a controversial suspension and was absent in another outing in 2017. – Dejan Kalinic

Andrew Brayshaw

Brayshaw led the Dockers back to the finals last year for the first time since 2015 and the All-Australian midfielder, who won the Leigh Matthews Trophy in 2022, has been a reliable performer and consistently available for Fremantle. Since being drafted with pick No.2 in 2017, Brayshaw has played 100 of a possible 107 games, including 83 of 85 in the past four seasons. He was handed a one-match suspension in 2021, having also missed a clash against Sydney that year due to injury. – Dejan Kalinic

Mark Blicavs

Blicavs' importance to the Cats cannot be underestimated. His ability to play just about any position on the ground is one thing – he has won best and fairests in completely different positions – but his durability has seen him miss just two games in the past five seasons, and one of those was when he was 'managed'. The important utility has only missed 11 games since being drafted in 2012, playing 227 of a possible 238 since debut. Spearhead Tom Hawkins is another Cat who has proven to be ultra-dependable, having played 71 consecutive matches. However, Hawkins' run looks like it will come to an end with foot surgery in the off-season set to delay his 2023 campaign. – Alison O'Connor

Touk Miller

The Suns' co-captain has been a shining light on the Gold Coast and since being drafted in 2014, he has played 160 of a possible 171 games. The hard-working midfielder, a two-time All-Australian, has missed just once in the past three seasons and that was due to a suspension in 2021, while he played every game in 2022. Miller continues to lead the way for the Suns, winning the club's past two best and fairests. – Dejan Kalinic

Harry Himmelberg

Himmelberg has missed just two games in the past five seasons, with his 127 matches making him one of the Giants' longest-serving players. The 26-year-old tall is currently on a streak of 46 consecutive games – he last missed in the final round of the 2020 season when he was omitted. Himmelberg is the Giants' ultimate swingman, as dependable taking marks in defence as he is finding the big sticks when in the forward line. He's also Greater Western Sydney's third-highest goalkicker in its short history. – Alison O'Connor

Luke Breust

Breust will enter 2023 as the Hawks' most experienced player and he has also been one of the club's most reliable since being selected in the 2009 rookie draft. Since the start of 2012, the forward has missed just 11 games, incredibly playing 243 of a possible 254 matches, including missing just three in eight seasons between 2012 and 2019. He's showing no signs of slowing down either having played 22 in a row last year after missing the opening round due to COVID. The three-time premiership player and two-time All-Australian, Breust remains one of the game's most trustworthy forwards, kicking 30 or more goals in 11 of the past 12 seasons. – Dejan Kalinic

Christian Petracca

Not even a broken leg can stop Melbourne's midfield bull. Petracca has played 107 games on the trot, including last year's semi-final against Brisbane where he remarkably pushed through a hairline fracture in his leg and a corked calf. The 2021 Norm Smith medallist's durability has been evident throughout his glittering career; he has played 151 out of 152 games since debut, missing in round six, 2018 due to a dog bite that became infected. We also should give a shout out to Petracca's midfield partner in crime, Clayton Oliver, who played 127 consecutive games up until round 18 last season when he was forced to miss one after undergoing surgery on a fractured thumb. – Alison O'Connor

Todd Goldstein

Boasting the second-longest active games streak in the League with 109, Todd Goldstein has been Mr Reliable as North Melbourne has navigated a rough patch and a long rebuild. Going into his 16th AFL season, the 34-year-old hasn't missed a game since round 18, 2017, displaying a durability and longevity that's uncharacteristic of a ruck. Goldstein has played 295 matches out of a possible 334 across his career, and he's only got better with age, missing just 10 matches since 2010, and never more than two consecutively. While other rucks often have to contend with injury disruptions due to the physical nature of the role, Goldstein's durability means he's worth his weight in gold. – Sophie Welsh

Travis Boak

They say age is just a number and it couldn't be any more apt for 34-year-old Boak. The evergreen midfielder has only missed six games in the past 10 seasons, playing 219 of a possible 225 matches in that time. He has only missed three games in the past five years, with one of those due to COVID. He may be entering his twilight years, but Boak showed no signs of slowing down in 2022; he missed just the one game due to health and safety protocols, ranked second at the club for disposals (26.8) and contested possessions (11.7) and finished runner-up in Port's best and fairest. – Alison O'Connor

Jayden Short

The prolific midfielder is on a 78-game streak since breaking back into the side in round 15, 2019 on the way to winning that year's premiership. Short was an emergency in Richmond's drought-breaking 2017 Grand Final triumph – 115 games ago – and since that time his only absence was a 10-game patch in early 2019 when he was sidelined with an elbow injury. Fellow Tiger Liam Baker isn't too far behind Short's consecutive games streak having played 63 straight, and he has only missed one game in the past 74 – back in round three, 2020 – which was due to a family funeral. – Alison O'Connor

Callum Wilkie

Since being plucked out of the SANFL as a 23-year-old in 2019, Callum Wilkie has not missed a beat – or a game. The unassuming defender has played every one of a possible 85 games since his first AFL match in round one, 2019 and holds the longest active streak of consecutive games from debut. He also sits seventh on the list of current consecutive matches played. Drafted by St Kilda with pick No.3 in the 2019 NAB AFL Rookie Draft, the North Adelaide product is as reliable as they come, with his consistent efforts in the Saints' backline earning him a spot in the 2022 Therabody AFL All-Australian squad. His importance to the Saints' line-up extends beyond the stats sheet, with the former accountant promoted to the club's leadership group in 2021 before captaining the club in 2022 while skipper Jack Steele was injured. – Sophie Welsh

Luke Parker

Parker's consecutive games streak has hit 88, dating all the way back to round 23, 2018 when he was a late out on the eve of finals. That match is the only one the three-time best-and-fairest winner has missed in the past seven seasons, and his durability has been obvious for the better part of the past decade – he has been sidelined for only six games since the start of 2013, five of which were due to a broken leg suffered in late 2015. Oliver Florent also has an impressive games streak underway, with the speedster sitting on 69 on the trot. – Alison O'Connor

Jack Darling

Darling has been a mainstay of the Eagles' side since he was taken at pick No.26 in the 2010 NAB AFL Draft. The veteran has missed just 19 of a possible 276 games in that time, including a patch of 10 games at the start of the 2015 season due to a nasty foot injury. The 30-year-old sits third in West Coast's all-time goalkicking list behind the recently retired Josh Kennedy and club legend Peter Sumich. – Alison O'Connor

Jack Macrae

A remarkably consistent performer for the Bulldogs, Macrae is also one of the competition's most reliable players. He has played 97 consecutive games – the fourth longest active streak – and last missed a match in round 16, 2018. The 2016 premiership player and three-time All-Australian has missed just 10 games since the start of 2014, which was his second season in the AFL. – Dejan Kalinic