What are the key factors that put clubs in the best possible position to challenge for a flag?

You need depth in your midfield, that's a no-brainer. And solid book-ends. Not to mention at least one pack-bursting, goalkicking forward. Maybe two. You need a brilliant gameplan, obviously. And if you could have a player like Hawk Cyril Rioli, that would be great.

But something that is often lost in the conversation is the number of star players available for selection each and every week.

It's an intangible that's often discussed in the English Premier League. Over a 38-game season, the team that wins the championship is often the one that has its best players on the park for the longest time.

With AFL football arguably being more physical than ever, and with clubs needing to play a minimum 25 games to make a grand final, teams need their toughest players to stay injury free for as long as possible.

And that's where the irony comes in.

When you think tough, you think of players who would do anything to win the football. Players who run back with the flight, cannon into packs. Players who drop into the hole to chop off a pass to a 6-foot-5 full forward. Things that usually result in injury.

So, who are the game's toughest players, tho footballers who rarely miss games?

In no particular order, here are our top 8.

Joel Selwood, Geelong

It used to be jokingly said that Selwood was lucky to play in three grand finals in his first three seasons of AFL football. But luck has played very little part in this man's career. Arguably the toughest player in the competition, Selwood has played 228 of a possible 242 games - an incredible feat given the way he plays. He has missed just two games since the start of 2013! A genuine superstar and an absolute bull.

Geelong captain Joel Selwood leads his team out at Etihad Stadium. Photo: Pat Scala

Nathan Jones, Melbourne

When you think warrior, you think Jones. If you had to go to war with one person in Australian sport, he'd be right up there on the shortlist. If you're ever looking for the tattooed combatant, you can bet he's either got ball in hand or he's fighting for it on hands and knees. Jones also has one of the most outstanding records in the AFL when it comes to games played. Since the start of his second season in 2007, he has missed just five games. The last game he missed was in 2012.

Josh Kennedy, Sydney 

The man who plays like a battering ram, has the engine of a '69 Charger and looks like a Rolls Royce. And yet somehow the new Swans captain never misses games. Since making the move from Hawthorn at the end of 2009, Kennedy has barely missed a beat. In fact, he didn't miss a game for his new club for the first three seasons. In total, he has played 167 of a possible 170 for the Bloods. It's easy to run out of superlatives when talking about this ball magnet. 

Ball magnet: Josh Kennedy. Photo: Getty Images

Callan Ward, Greater Western Sydney 

The man they call "Cement Head", and for good reason. Players coming off a collision with the GWS talisman would feel more like they'd been hit by a freight train than by an AFL footballer. He hasn't shirked a contest in his life, and yet somehow has remained incredibly durable. In his second last year for the Western Bulldogs, he missed half the season with a groin injury, but since then his record is remarkable. He hasn't missed a game since 2014 and since 2011 has played 129 of a possible 134 games.

Patrick Dangerfield, Geelong

​Is there anything this man can't do? Probably not. The former Crow epitomises the word tough and yet gets up for games each and every week. His first season at AFL level doesn't really count, given Adelaide allowed him to stay in Victoria. So, after two games in his debut season in 2008, he has played 176 of a possible 185 games. He played every game in 2016 in his first season for the Cats, in which he won almost every award possible. 

Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield.

Jordan Lewis, Melbourne

Round 3, 2010. Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs. Need I say more? Lewis was involved in one of the most sickening collisions you'll see in modern footy when he was knocked out cold by Jarrod Harbrow. Lewis had eyes only for the footy and paid a price for his courage. Despite the way he plays, his durability is incredible. He played 260 of his 264 games under Alastair Clarkson - the fourth most games by a player under one coach in VFL/AFL history. He last played fewer than 20 games in a season in 2009. The Demons have done well.

Luke Hodge, Hawthorn 

Almost the definition of inspirational in the AFL dictionary. You feel like he'd walk over hot coals or jump out of a plane to chase the footy or protect a teammate. Often battered and bruised, Hodge has an exceptional durability record, despite the strange myth among footy fans that he misses quite a bit of footy. He played only 15 games in 2016 but still did remarkably well to play hurt after breaking a wrist. He missed a combined total of only nine games during the Hawks' three-peat and has played fewer than 20 games in a season only three times in the last 12. Not bad for a three-time premiership captain and two-time North Smith medallist. 

Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge. Photo: Getty Images

Dan Hannebery, Sydney 

Can't remember too many bigger moments in big games than Hannebery's mark in the 2012 grand final. He came from nowhere in the first quarter to mark a ball he had no right to go for before David Hale clattered into him. The classy left-footer wouldn't know how to shirk a contest even if you tried to teach him. He played seven games in his first season - while still completing secondary school in Melbourne - and has missed only 10 games since. Five of those were in 2014 when he suffered an ankle injury. He's destined to win a Brownlow at some stage.

Dan Hannebery leaves the field injured during the 2016 AFL grand final. Photo: Getty Images