In an ever-changing competition, they remain amongst the game’s few constants - football’s coveted medals the Charles Brownlow, the Norm Smith, the Jock McHale and the John Coleman.

Each medal carries the name of a competition luminary, and deservedly so too. But with the Coleman confined to the most prolific goalkicker, and the Brownlow largely considered a midfielder’s award, it’s surely time to acknowledge the best defender with a medal when the popular view is that a premiership team is built around the best defence.

And I humbly suggest that such a medal finally be cast in the name of a Carlton great - preferably one or both of the Blues’ revered backmen, Bruce Doull and Stephen Silvagni.

It’s worth noting here that Doull, Silvagni and John Nicholls (arguably the game’s greatest ruckman) took up three spaces in the back six of the AFL’s feted Team of the 20th Century when it was named in September 1996.

All-Australian selectors - amongst them Robert Walls, who shared in Grand Final successes with Doull as a player and Silvagni as coach - could determine the Doull/Silvagni Medallist as the best of the best from the six backmen they name in the All-Australian team.

For Doull and Silvagni - two of the greatest Carlton footballers ever to lace a boot - a medal carrying their monikers would best reflect the illustrious status in which they are universally held.

For the likes of Matthew Scarlett and Brian Lake - grand defenders who miss out only because of where they play - the Doull/Silvagni Medal would sit comfortably.

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