It will begin at pick No.80 and count down to No.1, taking in the first year of the draft in 1986 and spanning to the most recent in 2015.

It is not the best 80 players ever drafted; rather, the best player taken at each of the 80 individual selections – for instance, the best No.1 pick ever, the best No.2 pick ever, and so on.

Have your say on our selections of the best ever picks from 80-20, and be sure to come back to realfooty.com.au and vote on the best top-20 picks of all time. Your votes will shape the final countdown.

THE CRITERIA:

Selections are based on a player's overall career and not just his value to the club that originally drafted him.

Players who originally came into the AFL system via one club, but then left and had a greater impact elsewhere, are not discounted. But players are only considered at the selection where they first entered the system.

This means players who might have been "redrafted" by another club at a different pick, or players who originally entered the system via the rookie draft and were later "elevated" by the same club through the national draft, are not considered at that new selection number.

Father-son players are only counted when clubs had to use a specific draft pick to secure them.

Our list does not encompass pre-draft, zone, compensation, uncontracted player, merger, 17-year-old access or any other additional selections. Only players whose careers could be traced back to a specific number in the national draft are included.

The list covers only the national draft – not the pre-season or rookie drafts.

Longevity – games played and years in the system – is sometimes used to break deadlocks.

Draft orders were taken from the official AFL records.

Without further ado, here's our picks from 40 to 31

Pick No.40

Gary Ablett Jr.

(Geelong, Father-Son - 2001, 274 games)

The "Money in the Bank" pick, because clubs keep cashing in. Michael O'Loughlin (303 games), Brownlow Medallist Jobe Watson (200 games), Sydney duo Josh Kennedy (158 games) and Luke Parker (101 games), Matthew Lappin (251 games), David Hille (197 games), Ivan Maric (154 games), Chris Mayne (150 games), Mitch Robinson (121 games) and Allen Christensen (87 games).

Pick No.39

Travis Cloke

(Collingwood, Father-Son - 2004, 233 games)

Former Collingwood midfielder Scott Russell (1988, 198 games), Geelong maestro Steven Motlop (2008, 88 games) and Essendon and Fremantle utility Adam McPhee (2000, 223 games) were considered, but a monster forward like Cloke is a valuable commodity.

Pick No.38

Cameron Ling

(Geelong, 1999, 246 games)

Brendan Fevola (Carlton, 1998, 204 games) punched bigger holes in games when he was on, but in terms of the overall effect for their teams on and off the field, the Geelong premiership skipper and one of the best taggers ever wins it. Sam Reid (Sydney, 2009) and personal favourite Simon Minton-Connell (Carlton, 1986) made up the numbers.

Pick No.37

Leigh Montagna

(St Kilda, 2001, 249 games)

The two-time All-Australian midfielder who will play 250th game in round one this year edged out a man nearly twice his size set to play his 150th - North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein (2006). A deep pick included another All-Australian Roo, Scott Thompson (2007), West Coast sharp shooter Mark LeCras (2004) and Western Bulldogs hard man Mitch Hahn (1999).

Pick No.36

Sam Mitchell

(Hawthorn, 2001, 285 games)

In the 10 years between 2006 and 2015, Mitchell won premiership medals in four of them. In four of the six non-premiership years (2006, '09, '11 and '12), he won the club's best and fairest medal. All he needs now is a Brownlow.

Pick No.35

Chris Bond

(Carlton, 1989, 163 games)

A super skinny pick given it is considered a "second-rounder" nowadays. There have been 18 players enter this system at this slot who have played just 16 games or less so far, and 9 players haven't played at all. Bond's former Richmond team-mate Mark Chaffey (1996, 166 games) only narrowly missed out.

Pick No.34

Daryn Cresswell

(Geelong, 1988, 244 games)

The former Sydney best and fairest, All-Australian and team of the century member won a competitive race, bobbing his head at the post before Sean Dempster (Sydney, Father-Son - 2002), Leon Davis (Collingwood, 1999), Liam Shiels (Hawthorn, 2008) and Craig Kelly (Collingwood, 1986).

Pick No.33

Shaun Hart

(Brisbane, 1989, 273 games)

The 2001 Norm Smith Medallist was a heart-and-soul player on the all-conquering Brisbane teams of the early 2000s. Craig Bolton (1998), a 2005 Sydney premiership player and later club captain, made it a fight. Knocked out earlier was another club captain, Jed Adcock (Brisbane, 2003), St Kilda defender Sam Gilbert (2005) and three highlight reel players - Brad Hill (2011), Jeremy Howe (2010) and David Rodan (2001).

Pick No.32

Daniel Giansiracusa

(Western Bulldogs, 1999, 265 games)

The "longevity rule" lifted the Bulldog champion over a list of contenders that started with Brad Sholl (1988) and kept on giving - Paul Barnard (1993), Campbell Brown (2001), Bernie Vince (2005), Kurt Tippett (2006).

Pick No.31 

Simon Black

(Brisbane, 1997, 322 games)

Only two players at this table - a marquee showdown between a pair of three-time premiership-winning, Norm Smith Medallists. Black's Brownlow Medal was the ace that trumped the unlucky Paul Chapman (1999, 280 games).