Pav, Sam miss AFL All-Australian team
Grant Birchall, Lance Franklin and Cyril Rioli of Hawthorn pose for a photo during the 2012 AFL All Australian Dinner. (Photo: Michael Willson/AFL Media)
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Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich and Hawthorn onballer Sam Mitchell are stunning non-selections in the AFL All-Australian team.
Both made the initial squad of 40 but are the most notable exclusions from the final team of 22 named on Monday night in Melbourne.
Pavlich was a key to Fremantle’s revival this season, overcoming hip and Achilles tendon problems to kick 62 goals in 21 home-and-away games.
The Dockers skipper revealed earlier on Monday that he had not received an invitation for the All-Australian dinner, but said it did not concern him.
“Individual awards aren’t what I play footy for, it’s about the team success,” Pavlich said.
“I’m sure externally there might be some comments about it, but I’m just looking forward to having a break and getting ready for next year.”
All-Australian selector Luke Darcy said one issue was that Pavlich spent a lot of time in the midfield at the start of the season.
Mitchell also played 21 games and was pivotal as the Hawks won the minor premiership.
The selection of West Coast’s Nic Naitanui as the first ruckman will also raise eyebrows.
His team-mate Dean Cox deservedly made the team in a forward pocket, but Naitanui was picked ahead of Adelaide ruckman Sam Jacobs and Richmond’s Ivan Maric.
Selector Gerard Healy said six of the seven judges voted for Naitanui.
Cox and Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett made the team for the sixth time.
They join Pavlich, Carlton captain Chris Judd and newly-retired Geelong star Matthew Scarlett as having the most selections among current players.
Incredibly, Ablett has made the past six All-Australian teams.
Eagles captain Darren Glass is the captain and Ablett is the vice-captain.
Selectors broke with the unofficial tradition that the Coleman Medallist as the league’s top goalkicker always makes the team.
Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt took that honour this season with 65 goals, but he was overlooked for the two key forward positions in favour of Hawthorn star Lance Franklin and Tom Hawkins of Geelong.
The last Coleman Medallist not to make the All-Australian team was St Kilda’s Fraser Gehrig in 2005.
Franklin kicked 59 goals despite missing six games because of injury and Hawkins blossomed this season, finishing with 62 goals.
Adelaide defender Brent Reilly and North Melbourne captain Andrew Swallow are two other players who are unlucky not to make the team.
But all the Brownlow Medal favourites – Jobe Watson (Essendon), Trent Cotchin (Richmond), Gary Ablett (Gold Coast), Josh Kennedy (Sydney) and Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide) – were picked.
West Coast led the selections with four, while Collingwood and Hawthorn had three apiece.
North Melbourne were the only finalists not to have a player in this year’s team.
There are 15 first-time selections, the most since the then-VFL first picked an All-Australian team in 1982.
2012 team:
B: Sean Dempster (StK) Luke McPharlin (Fre) Darren Glass (WC capt)
HB: Beau Waters (WC) Ted Richards (Syd) Grant Birchall (Haw)
C: Trent Cotchin (Rich) Jobe Watson (Ess) Dayne Beams (Coll)
R: Nic Naitanui (WC) Scott Thompson (Adel) Gary Ablett (GC v capt)
HF: Patrick Dangerfield (Adel) Lance Franklin (Haw) Cyril Rioli (Haw)
F: Stephen Milne (StK) Tom Hawkins (Geel) Dean Cox (WC)
I: Brett Deledio (Rich) Josh Kennedy (Syd) Scott Pendlebury (Coll) Dane Swan (Coll)
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September 18th 2012 @ 9:28am
BigAl said | September 18th 2012 @ 9:28am | Report comment
This years team must be some quirky and convoluted way of awarding Mathew Pavlich the official award of…
MOST UNDER RATED AND OVER LOOKED PLAYER IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME . . . EVER !!!
September 18th 2012 @ 10:55am
langou said | September 18th 2012 @ 10:55am | Report comment
I was really surprised when Pav missed out however I can understand why . He had a really good finish to the season but did start slowly. If it was the other way around (Brent Stanton for example) and you swapped the halves around I doubt anyone would have complaints. Then again towards the end of the season he was the most dominant player in the comp and perhaps more weighting should be given in the lead up to finals.
No biggie, unless you go on fan website Dockerland where they are threatening Sydney style riots, spinning conspiracy theories and threatening to revolt against the AFL. Possible the double of Pav not being included and four Eagles being included has sent them over the edge. Oh well, every club has em.
September 18th 2012 @ 10:57am
Nathan of Perth said | September 18th 2012 @ 10:57am | Report comment
Probably got screwed by the attempts to play him more in the middle in the first half of the year.
September 18th 2012 @ 2:03pm
Tim said | September 18th 2012 @ 2:03pm | Report comment
Didn’t seem to hurt Franklin.
September 18th 2012 @ 6:41pm
Nathan of Perth said | September 18th 2012 @ 6:41pm | Report comment
Don’t think they were playing Franklin as a mutant midfielder…?
September 18th 2012 @ 1:28pm
TomC said | September 18th 2012 @ 1:28pm | Report comment
Spot on, Iangou.
September 18th 2012 @ 9:31am
Tanami Mehmet said | September 18th 2012 @ 9:31am | Report comment
nic nat over jacobs is wack, give the selectors the bone.
September 18th 2012 @ 9:43am
T said | September 18th 2012 @ 9:43am | Report comment
These are the best out of the 40 nominated?! Why the hell would you have gone Nic Nat over Jacobs or even Ivan? Why leave out Pavlich and more importantly, why choose Hawkins over over Pavlich or even Riewoldt? Pav and Jack would have been in my team. Watched the explinations and I’m still scratching my head.
September 18th 2012 @ 9:46am
Nathan of Perth said | September 18th 2012 @ 9:46am | Report comment
Beautiful result for the Eagles – can’t argue with it either – if the AA is to be picked as a team you could take to the field with then the Coxanui combo is what you would want to be working with.
September 18th 2012 @ 10:22am
Tanami Mehmet said | September 18th 2012 @ 10:22am | Report comment
Good result for Cox and his third man up. So by your thinking it would mean the entire eagles squad should have been picked. Hawthorn finished top so why isn’t it their team that make up the list???
September 18th 2012 @ 10:31am
Nathan of Perth said | September 18th 2012 @ 10:31am | Report comment
Look at you jumping from selecting the ruck combo as a whole to “the entire eagles squad”. Try to at least pretend to read through what I’m saying before jumping on my back.
September 18th 2012 @ 10:44am
Tanami Mehmet said | September 18th 2012 @ 10:44am | Report comment
I jumped on your back because the AA team is supposed to be the best players in the positions they play. Cox the best forward pocket and not in the ruck is a joke and a middle of the road player being picked as starting ruckman ahead of Jacobs is a complete disgrace. Do you only watch one game a weekend?
September 18th 2012 @ 10:54am
Nathan of Perth said | September 18th 2012 @ 10:54am | Report comment
Nah, watch a couple per week, usually Eagles and Cats, a bit of NM or Richmond because they’re entertaining teams.
And apparently the ambition of the AA selectors was to select a team that you could take to the field with. And quite frankly, whatever percent of the ruck-work he takes, he’s still a better ruckman than Jacobs (even when Adelaide was busily pantsing us in Adelaide, Naita still had more hit outs than Jacobs).
People have pushed the over-rated/hyped meme so much that people have actually begun to devalue his actual work.
September 18th 2012 @ 3:29pm
Tom Dimanis said | September 18th 2012 @ 3:29pm | Report comment
“People have pushed the over-rated/hyped meme so much that people have actually begun to devalue his actual work.”
That’s a damn good point.
September 18th 2012 @ 9:47am
me, I like football said | September 18th 2012 @ 9:47am | Report comment
Pendlbury was lucky as was Swan. Especialy when Jack, Selwood and Mitchell missed out
September 18th 2012 @ 1:29pm
TomC said | September 18th 2012 @ 1:29pm | Report comment
I reckon Pendlebury was just about the best player in the league, based on output per match. I was really glad that he made the team.
Not sure how missed games should factor in, though.
September 18th 2012 @ 9:48am
bunratty said | September 18th 2012 @ 9:48am | Report comment
“Individual awards aren’t what I play footy for, it’s about the team success,” Pavlich said.
Well said, Pav!
September 18th 2012 @ 10:18am
Nathan of Perth said | September 18th 2012 @ 10:18am | Report comment
Great stuff from a great player, must be said
September 18th 2012 @ 12:08pm
wisey_9 said | September 18th 2012 @ 12:08pm | Report comment
I thought it was odd that the logic the selectors used to pick Naitanui
~ even though he only plays in the ruck 50% of the time, when he plays there he is excellent
was the exact opposite of the logic that they used to omit Pavlich…
~ he spent too much of his time at the start of the year not playing in the full forward position
September 18th 2012 @ 7:54pm
Jason Cave said | September 18th 2012 @ 7:54pm | Report comment
Nic Naitanui does play a lot like one of the all-time greats in the WAFL-Sth Fremantle’s Stephen Michael.
September 18th 2012 @ 1:24pm
Winston said | September 18th 2012 @ 1:24pm | Report comment
I think this is an example of choosing a team NOT based on “Moneyball” concepts. How can you not choose your Coleman medallist at full forward – if a forward can kick goals, I don’t care if he only has one arm, one leg, 2 heads! And it can’t be a case of them having chosen 3 other talls and therefore can’t choose him, they need to choose him first and see how many other talls they can fit into the team!
September 18th 2012 @ 1:30pm
TomC said | September 18th 2012 @ 1:30pm | Report comment
Franklin kicked more goals per game thatn Riewoldt, so on ‘Moneyball’ concepts he would be the logical choice.
September 18th 2012 @ 2:37pm
Nicko said | September 18th 2012 @ 2:37pm | Report comment
Wow. Taken to school.
September 18th 2012 @ 5:32pm
Winston said | September 18th 2012 @ 5:32pm | Report comment
If Franklin didn’t get injured then he would may well have kicked more goals than Riewoldt, but fact is he did get injured so Riewoldt ended up kicking more.
September 18th 2012 @ 4:44pm
justafan said | September 18th 2012 @ 4:44pm | Report comment
I have never seen what the big deal is of All Australian selection, it is not like this team is gonna play any game anytime soon. It is just someone’s else opinion that will never be tested when it matters most, on the field, then we would find out who is right or wrong. What is the purpose of All Australian selection? Does anyone remember who was selected last year? I just do not get it.
September 18th 2012 @ 5:02pm
kick to kick said | September 18th 2012 @ 5:02pm | Report comment
Quite enjoy picking a team of players who didn’t make All Australian but might give the AAs a run for their money in a real game. Not necessarily based on all of year form, but a team that could rise to the occassion for one game now- All Australian versus the rejects. My team of competitive rejects:
B: Gibson Scarlet Goddard
CB: Hurn B Reid H Shaw
C: Murphy Judd( Capt) Jack
R: Sandilands S Mitchell J Selwood
HF:Goodes Pavlich Jetta
FF: T Walker J Riewoldt Betts
Int: Jacobs O’Keefe Scotland Sewell
September 19th 2012 @ 9:26pm
Fantapants said | September 19th 2012 @ 9:26pm | Report comment
I would LOVE to see this match up. What a team!?