WHO has been the toughest defender in the AFL to beat one-on-one over the past five years?

Has it been Harris Andrews? How about Callum Wilkie? Sam Taylor? Jacob Weitering?  Maybe even Steven May before his retirement?

If you guessed any of those elite defensive stoppers, you'd be wrong. In fact, the honour goes to Taylor's unheralded Greater Western Sydney teammate, Connor Idun.

Of players who have been involved in at least 100 contests since the start of 2022, Idun has lost the fewest.

The 25-year-old has been beaten in a miserly 12.9 per cent of his 194 contests to put him at the top, according to Champion Data statistics.

Whether he's playing as a tall, as a lockdown on the opposition's best small forward, or trying to quell the influence of the League's dangerous midfielders who drift forward, Idun is tougher than anyone to get a kick on.

GWS backline coach Ben Hart knows a thing or two about defence, being a four-time All-Australian during his glittering career with Adelaide, and says Idun has all bases covered.

"It's just his ability to compete, in the air or on the ground. He just does not like losing," Hart told AFL.com.au.

"The first thing for me is his body positioning … he always tends to put himself in a dominant position where he dictates to his opponent and reads the ball really well.

"He's not just about stopping his opponent, he wants to win the footy as well and puts himself in a great position to do that."

Born in England before moving to Australia at the age of four, Idun was taken by the Giants at No.61 in the 2018 AFL Draft and then played just three games across his first two seasons.

His breakout came in 2021 and he hasn't looked back, playing 129 games, including the past 87 without a miss.

Of the top 10 toughest defenders to beat, by the numbers, Idun, Adelaide's Nick Murray and Richmond's triple-premiership player Nathan Broad are the only ones to not win an All-Australian blazer.

In fact, none of the trio have even made the squad of 44.

The AFL's hardest defenders to beat in one-on-ones since 2022

Idun does have nice balance to his game, currently ranked 12th for intercept possessions this season, at a time when he's taken on even more responsibility with Taylor sidelined for much of the year.

"This year he's had to play taller at times and on key forwards," Hart said.

"You can put him on Jack Gunston and also put him on a Charlie Cameron. We trust him with his skill set. The numbers speak for themselves.

"He's very happy to do any job we ask him. He doesn't think he's just mediums or smalls, he takes on the talls or whoever comes past.

"He's got a lot of energy. He gets the boys up and about and is really well connected to his teammates. They look to him for his leadership and the guy that provides energy.

"He's a pleasure to coach. He's diligent, always wants to learn more and takes feedback. He's a special person."

* Champion Data stats correct to round 13, 2026