Well, it’s that time of year again. The All Australian team is going to be announced on Tueday night, and scribes everywhere have been busy forming a team.
In anticipation of the unveiling of the team, I’ve decided to put together an All Australian team of my own, which will probably be the 27,458th variation that you have endured.
But who knows, you might even agree with me. Here are my rules for selecting an All Australian team in any given year.
1. No lifetime achievement awards – the team is based solely on form displayed in season 2014.
2. Team success isn’t everything – the fact that a player’s team has had a poor season should not reflect negatively on a player’s individual exploits.
3. Maximum of three key forwards, three key defenders and one ruckman – the composition of this team will be set up as closely as possible to that of the average line-up.
4. Positions are important – there will be no full-time midfielders hiding in the pockets or flanks unless they have spent most of the season playing in those parts of the ground.
So let’s get down to the selections.
BACKS
Cale Hooker (Essendon)
Hooker gets the role of the third tall down back as a result of his ability to not only shut down the top key forwards in the game, but create offence while doing so. Hooker’s newfound intercept prowess ensured that 2014 was by far the best season of his career.
Daniel Talia (Adelaide)
The classic no frills, no fuss key defender, Talia doesn’t get many disposals, but he consistently does the job on the best key forward week-in week-out. Perhaps the greatest indication of Talia’s value is the fact that in Round 19 against the Eagles, Josh Kennedy kicked four of his five goals after Talia was taken off the ground just before halftime.
Nick Smith (Sydney)
It’s amazing to see a small defender that actually defends in the modern game, and that’s what Smith does best. Although he’s starting to become so well known for being underrated that he might soon be on the cusp of being overrated, a 2014 All Australian nod is well deserved.
HALF BACK
Brodie Smith (Adelaide)
Smith’s form tailed off somewhat towards the end of the season, but we must not forget how brilliant his first 11 games were, in which he was the league’s best playmaker off half-back.
In that time, he averaged 22.5 disposals per game at 83.3 per cent efficiency, in addition to being third in the league for rebound 50s and 11th for running bounces. His ability to break the lines and use the ball were crucial in establishing a number of the Crows’ scoring chains.
Eric Mackenzie (West Coast)
Another no fuss key defender, Mackenzie has been one of the better backmen in the AFL for a number of years now. As the driving force behind the Eagles’ seventh-ranked defence for points allowed per game in 2014, and with a victim list boasting names such as Matthew Pavlich (twice), Travis Cloke (twice), the Riewoldts and Lance Franklin, all of whom he held to one goal or less, this is the year in which he gains the recognition he deserves.
Michael Hibberd (Essendon)
It is insane to think that this guy was playing for Frankston in the VFL as recently as 2010. After an outstanding 2013 season wasn’t rewarded with All Australian selection, Hibberd took his game to another level this year, becoming Bomber Thompson’s most trusted distributor off half-back.
CENTRE
Travis Boak (Port Adelaide)
As difficult as it was to improve on his remarkable 2013, Boak has done just that, leading the Power to true premiership contention. He averaged an extra two possessions per game this season, and managed to maintain his fantastic form even as his teammates suffered through a dramatic form slump after their blistering start, perfectly encapsulating Boak’s growth as both a player and leader.
Josh Kennedy (Sydney)
While Sydney’s forward line received the lion’s share of attention, Kennedy’s rugged style of play was once again on full display this season. It’s not always noticeable, and it’s never pretty, but Kennedy’s work inside is what allows the likes of Franklin, Kurt Tippett and Lewis Jetta to steal the spotlight.
Dayne Beams (Collingwood)
Overshadowed by Collingwood’s struggles in the second half of the season was the fact that Beams was back to his best and fairest winning form of 2012 after an injury interrupted 2013. He was able to play 19 games, ranking in the top 15 in the AFL for average disposals, clearances and inside 50s per game. To top it off, he was also the Pies’ third leading goalkicker, with 23.
HALF-FORWARD
Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide)
Gray would be a first-time All Australian if he were to be selected on Tuesday, and it would be very well deserved. We all know Gray does his best work in the forward line, scoring 39 goals and averaging 1.3 goal assists per game, good for equal second in the league. What we didn’t know was that he is just as capable in the middle, as he averaged a career high 25 disposals and 5.7 clearances per game. Impresive for a guy who spent the majority of his time up forward.
Lance Franklin (Sydney)
There was much skepticism when we found out that the Buddy show was relocating to Sydney, even more so after a not-so-smashing (pun 100 per cent intended) start to the season. The malaise was short-lived however, as Franklin returned to his freakish and irresistible best. Another 70 goals to go with another Coleman Medal means that Buddy owns the centre half forward position in 2014.
Dustin Martin (Richmond)
At long last, Martin blossomed into the player that we all knew he was gifted enough to be. Used predominantly forward of centre, he took control for the Tigers with his game-breaking ability. Late in close games, it was often he, not Jack Riewoldt, that would be isolated one-on-one inside 50, and as a result he was able to kick game-winning goals against Adelaide, Carlton and Sydney.
FORWARD
Luke Breust (Hawthorn)
We don’t often see small forwards kick more than 50 goals in a season, but that is exactly what Breust did in the high octane Hawthorn attack. What we also don’t see too often is an unselfish small forward, but Breust was able to assist on 1.2 goals per game, good for equal fifth in the league. He is easily the most accurate player in the game for someone who takes so many shots at goal, even equalling Tony Lockett’s record for most consecutive goals kicked without a blemish earlier this season.
Tom Hawkins (Geelong)
After an injury riddled 2013 season, the Tomahawk was back to his physically imposing best in 2014. Until Buddy decided to take over, Hawkins was well and truly the number one key forward in the game, with his combination of size, strength and ability to convert his opportunities meaning that key defenders were powerless to stop him each and every week.
Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda)
Riewoldt has a strong claim to being the most valuable player in the AFL. In the four games that the Saints won this season – when his teammates weren’t playing kick to kick with his direct opponent – Riewoldt averaged 23.5 disposals, 13 marks and over four goals per game. His form at age 31 was the only bright spot for Saints fans in 2014. One shudders to think how St Kilda would have fared without their skipper.
RUCKMEN/ROVERS
Sam Jacobs (Adelaide)
This was by far the most difficult call to make. You could switch Jacobs with Aaron Sandilands and I would not argue. Todd Goldstein would also be a worthy All Australian ruckman this year. Jacobs was given the nod over Sandilands due to his more multidimensional impact on games and greater presence around the ground, as he averaged an extra 3.5 disposals and 0.5 clearances per game, while averaging only four fewer hitouts.
Nat Fyfe (Fremantle)
Do I even need to explain? If he was voted by his peers to be the most valuable player in the AFL for season 2014, then he is a certainty in any All Australian team.
Gary Ablett (Gold Coast)
The little master just keeps finding ways to amaze us. He was well and truly on his way to a third Brownlow until shoulder surgery cut short his season. Despite missing a third of the season, Ablett can be found in his customary All Australian spot and still with a decent chance of taking Charlie home again.
BENCH
Tom Rockliff (Brisbane)
First in average possessions per game, first in average tackles per game and equal 12th in average clearances per game. No matter how you look at it, Rockliff is an absolute star, and with Jonathan Brown retired, he is the undoubted leader of the Brisbane Lions.
His 2014 season made everyone take notice, and he must be close to a certainty to make his first All Australian team. Averaging 41.4 disposals per game in his last five games is as good a closing argument as anyone could hope for.
Bryce Gibbs (Carlton)
It feels like Gibbs has been around forever, but finally at the age of 25, he was able to produce the type of season that his talent would dictate he is capable of. Gibbs was used primarily on the ball this season, and it paid dividends for the Blues, as he averaged 25 disposals, five tackles and four inside 50s per game.
Beyond the numbers, Gibbs looked as if he had at last settled into a role that suited him, and turned in several eye-catching performances, including when he almost singlehandedly dragged the Blues to victory against Geelong in Round 12, with 29 disposals and four goals.
Joel Selwood (Geelong)
Another typically combative season for the Cats’ inspirational leader. Selwood once again had a stellar year, with his standard 25.6 disposals per game to go along with his 1,637 courageous acts per game (numbers are estimates).
Selwood’s greatness allows ageing veterans such as Jimmy Bartel and James Kelly to prolong their careers by letting them pick and choose when they wish to be a part of the physically taxing stoppages, and also allows younger guys like Cam Guthrie and Josh Caddy to develop at their own pace. Selwood makes all of his teammates better, and that is a special and rare commodity among athletes.
Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn)
Lewis has long been a vital cog in the Hawks’ perpetually dominant midfield, but 2014 saw him take ownership of the Hawks’ onball brigade. With Sam Mitchell and Brad Sewell missing games through injury, Lewis stepped up to average 27.7 disposals per game, well above his 2013 average of 22 disposals per game, all while taking on additional leadership responsibilities due to the aforementioned injuries.
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