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It’s All-Australian time, and this year seems particularly tough to round out the best 22, even if there are probably more locks than usual.
As is traditional, I’ll start with the backline.
Daniel Talia and Cale Hooker will marshal the defence from the key posts, both having consistently dominated key forwards all year.
Talia stifles his opponents ability to even breathe unrestricted, Hooker by out-marking them and leaving them dispirited as he runs off to launch another counter-attack.
Eric Mackenzie gets the third tall back position, having taken his rebound to another level, along with his ability to rarely get beaten. Alex Rance was knocking down the door for his position, and will be an All-Australian before his career is out.
Nick Malceski and Brodie Smith have been the outstanding rebounders across the season, and can take a back pocket and flank respectively. Malceski’s laser left foot cuts opposition presses open, and no-one carries the ball further and moves his team forward more than Smith.
In true All-Australian selector tradition, I’m going to engage in a little underhandedness here, and throw Tom Rockliff on a half-back flank. If he’d played every game, his rebound 50 stats would have him ranked a more-than-respectable sixteenth, and in a year of unprecedented midfield and forward quality depth, he’s my little cheat.
Sam Jacobs is the ruckman beyond compare, finally getting enough of the ball around the ground and in the contest to warrant inclusion, averaging almost double his career best for clearances, and hitting personal bests in almost all other categories.
Gary Ablett is Gary Ablett, and no more needs to be said, except he’s the only player who could get selected off fourteen and a half matches. Joel Selwood is another who needs no introduction, and Josh Kennedy is the premier clearance midfielder in the premier team.
Nat Fyfe has launched himself off an already high base to be under genuine consideration as the second best player in the competition. He could win a Brownlow as a permanent midfielder and a Coleman as a permanent forward if his career took those paths.
Scott Pendlebury gets judged by a very high standard, and has probably had a quieter year based on them, but all that means is that he becomes the fourth or fifth best midfielder in the competition.
Lance Franklin takes the centre-half-forward position as the stand-out forward in the game. He’s done it all this season, kicking goals, taking contested marks, and roaming far and wide to win the ball and send it Sydney’s way.
Tom Hawkins is the full-forward in my team as the marking powerhouse, and probably provides the most consistent output of any key forward.
Robbie Gray and Luke Parker are the strongest candidates for the half-forward positions and are surely in everyone’s team.
Gray has always had inordinate talent and, now with full confidence in his body, is showing it week after week. He has elite skill, awareness, cleverness and movement in traffic.
Parker does his best work in the clinches and forward of centre, hitting the scoreboard regularly, and it won’t surprise at all to see him win a best and fairest in a premiership year at only 21 years of age.
Luke Bruest trails only Gray for goal assists this season, and as one of only seven players with 50-plus majors is the most effective small forward around. While he doesn’t possess the obvious tricks of some others, his football brain is second to none.
The toughest selection was between Hayden Ballantyne and Eddie Betts for the other forward pocket. Goals are a given. Do you want in-your-face attitude or tackle pressure? Attacking flair or dazzling moments? The numbers say Betts, but I’m going with Ballantyne… just.
The bench spots are among the toughest to fill.
Matt Priddis deserves reward for years of consistent service at an extremely high level. Dyson Heppell basically carried Essendon on his shoulders during Jobe Watson’s absence. Brent Harvey has almost had a career-best season in a career that’s contained a great many.
Paddy Ryder gets the final berth in my side as second ruck and third tall forward, his maturity as a footballer perhaps finally marrying up with his talent.
As ever, there are a host of unlucky players, but we all have to make the hard calls.
Who have I left out that should leave me embarrassed? Is there anyone named that should have me shed my ‘expert’ label? What has been my biggest misjudgement?
Let rip, Roarers!