The players that the top five AFL teams can least afford to lose

Let's talk about the survival of the fittest.

For most of the last decade the teams with the best talent and game style have been successful in winning their way through to the Grand Final, overcoming the inevitable injuries that come throughout the year and also the heartbreaking ones that occur throughout the final series.

Well, this year, that could all change.

Never before have we seen a season that's been so even. At times we've had one game separating teams from second to 10th.

So with this in mind, injuries or the lack of them, have played a major role in the form line of many teams.

Collingwood and Melbourne have suffered injuries throughout the year. More recently, Carlton and Sydney.

In the case of the Swans, they sat three games clear on top of the ladder and seemed a lock for a Grand Final berth, but their great run of injury ended when you think of Tom Papley, Justin McInerney, Dane Rampe and James Rowbottom.

Their form dropped away a little at first with narrow losses but then dramatically against the Bulldogs before their embarrassing venture against the Power.

For so long clubs have said they don't want to use injuries as excuses but right now, more than ever, if you lose first-choice players, you are gonna struggle come finals time.

So who are the players that your team can least afford to lose?

Let's have a look at some of the teams in the top eight.

Well, for Sydney, it's any key forward or any key defender. They can cover mids because they've got lots of great midfielders, but they can't afford to lose the keys at either end.

For Port Adelaide I think it’s Dan Houston. He’s the architect. Also Aliir Aliir is very, very important in that defensive unit.

As you can see, it's not always the team's best player but the ones that are difficult to replace.

So for Brisbane, it's Harris Andrews. Also Oscar McInerney.

GWS would struggle without Jesse Hogan or Tom Green, their leading goal kicker and the big bull inside their midfield setup.

And for Geelong, it's Jeremy Cameron and the star Patrick Dangerfield.

So as we approach the most even final series in my lifetime, could the flag be decided by the twist of an ankle, the tweak of a hamstring or the strain of a tendon?