It’s been a meteoric rise for Majak Daw.

The former ruck/forward’s transition to the backline in 2018 was widely reported, but the 27-year-proved the move was far from a gimmick, becoming one of the best defenders in the league.

At one stage he was ranked in the “elite” category by Champion Data, and at season’s end, he’s been listed at the fourth best.

Fellow defender Jamie Macmillan says Daw belongs at near the top of the list.

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Macmillan said of Daw’s ranking.

“He’s only played in defence for less than 12 months and it’s amazing to see some of the stuff he can do.

“As a fellow defender, and the amount of times he’s saved me, is phenomenal and that’s why the other defenders love having him there.

“He’s not only spoiling and crashing packs, he’s taking intercept marks, particularly in the back-half and that’s invaluable.”

Jeremy McGovern was ranked number one, with Harris Andrews two and Alex Rance three.

“He’ll print that [list] off and put that on the four walls tomorrow,” Macmillan told SEN