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Ken's 10: The toughest players in the AFL
Jaiden Sciberras • May 6th, 2026 2:49 pm
Ken Hinkley has named the 10 players he believes to be the toughest in the AFL.
From inside midfielders, lockdown defenders and tackling machines, you do not want to line up on any of these 10 nominees!
Before getting into his list, Hinkley laid out a list of rules that he abided by across the course of the exercise.
"I've got to put the rules in - you have to have played in '26, so Jack Viney, who I think is nearly the toughest player in the game, unlucky," Hinkley told SEN Sportsday.
"Mark Keane from Adelaide, unlucky. Nick Holman from the Suns, stiff.
"The other rule is we can only have one per club, so Jason Horne-Francis can't get in, Blake Hardwick from the Hawks misses out, Patrick Dangerfield, unlucky, but there's a player I like more for hardness around the ball.
Honourable mentions
"Alex Pearce, Liam Baker and Nick Vlastuin.
"There's another player that I would have had in here, but slappers can't get in. Ben Long, you're out. You can't get into the tough group if you're going to slap.
"Matty Rowell is (tough) - he has missed a fair bit of footy this year, he has missed about five games out of the eight. He nearly falls in.
"Reuben Ginbey is a good call too. I think he is absolutely tough."
See the list below:
10. Toby Greene (GWS Giants)
"He is a ferocious little fella, and when he gets cranky and angry, he is tough and hard and he doesn't get out of the way of nothing."
9. George Wardlaw (North Melbourne)
"One of my absolute favourites who I think will be in the top three very shortly if he can stay fit.
"I think he is an outstanding player when it comes to fearlessness and the way he goes about it."
8. Sam Durham (Essendon)
"He is the toughest they've got."
7. Brayden Maynard (Collingwood)
6. Luke Pedlar (Adelaide)
"This one will get a few people, I reckon. I've seen a fair few of the Adelaide Crows games this year.
"I think he is fearless in the way he goes after the ball. I said this to him in the rooms after the game a couple of weeks ago when I was ambushed into the Crows' rooms by Fox.
"I said to him, 'I love how tough you are and how you play'. He said, 'that's why I get a game. I just have to get a game. If that means being tough, I'll be tough'."
5. Tom Atkins (Geelong)
"The replacement for Danger. He is as tough as they come."
4. Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs)
"The great, the genius, the little tough fella out at the Western Bulldogs.
"He is just tough."
3. Josh Dunkley (Brisbane)
"Last year's toughest voted player by his peers in the competition.
"He is just an outstanding player."
2. Jai Newcombe (Hawthorn)
"One of the success stories of the VFL system.
"My goodness, he is playing well but he is tough. The way he just goes at the ball, he does not blink."
1. Zak Butters (Port Adelaide)
"He's a favourite of mine, but he has to be number one.
"Pound for pound, for size, Zak has to be the toughest. He has voted two of the last three years as the toughest player in the competition by his peers.
"Zak is the number one. Just pure size, for the way he goes at things, he is crazy, he is ruthless and he brings that spirit that everyone loves."
Hinkley releases his 'Ken's 10' every Tuesday night on SEN Sportsday.
