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Making the hard calls: My 2014 AFL All-Australians

Expert
15th September, 2014
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Expert
15th September, 2014
16

With the AFL releasing the official 2014 All-Australian team later tonight, now seems the ideal time to update my half-year team from Round 12 this year, and name the 22 players who would be my first-picked AFL side, based on their efforts this season.

I’ve made a concerted effort to avoid picking players out of position, as much as is possible. Nothing bugs me more than when the AA selectors do something dodgy like name Dane Swan as half-forward when he’s the competition’s leading possession-getter.

All things considered, I’d like to think it’s a pretty balanced team that would be able to play a real AFL match, and not just a list of midfielders crammed into awkward positions.

Without any further ado, here’s my 2014 All-Australian team:

B: Daniel Talia, Cale Hooker, Nick Smith
HB: Michael Hibberd, Eric Mackenzie, Nick Malceski
C: Tom Rockliff, Josh P. Kennedy, Dayne Beams
HF: Brent Harvey, Lance Franklin, Robbie Gray
F: Eddie Betts, Tom Hawkins, Jay Schulz
Fol: Sam Jacobs, Nathan Fyfe, Matt Priddis
Int: Scott Pendlebury (C), Joel Selwood (VC), Pearce Hanley, Dustin Martin

Daniel Talia (Adelaide Crows) – Back Pocket
Talia is one of the swiftly-rising young guns of the competition. He won the Rising Star award two years ago and this year has already taken out the Adelaide best and fairest to go with a likely All-Australian guernsey. Easily among the best key position defenders of the year, he reliably keeps opposition forwards quiet.

Cale Hooker (Essendon Bombers) – Full Back
Hooker this year evolved from being one of the Bombers’ whipping boys to being just about an automatic selection in the All-Australian team. His intercept marking ability is unrivalled among key defenders this year, there is no better choice for full back.

Nick Smith (Sydney Swans) – Back Pocket
Smith’s name regularly comes up when you have the ‘who is the most underrated player in the AFL?’ conversation. He really should looking at his third or fourth All-Australian guernsey this week – not his first. Nothing about him is flashy, but he has been reliably keeping small forwards quiet for years now as the competition’s best lock-down small defender.

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Michael Hibberd (Essendon Bombers) – Half Back Flank
After a breakout year in 2013, Hibberd has stepped up again in 2014 as one of the competition’s most dangerous distributors across half-back. One thing I love about him is his consistency, he rarely if ever has a quiet game.

Eric Mackenzie (West Coast Eagles) – Centre Half Back
With Darren Glass winding down over the last two years someone has needed to step up for the Eagles, and Mackenzie has been that man. No doubt he’s one of the most reliable tall defenders of the league.

Nick Malceski (Sydney Swans) – Half Back Flank
Deserved All-Australian last year and was snubbed, surely he gets it this year. Malceski has been the best rebounding defender in the AFL two years running. His ability to drive the ball long out of defence with incredible precision is unmatched in the competition.

Tom Rockliff (Brisbane Lions) – Wing
Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you I’m a big fan of Tom Rockliff. He’s been this year’s most prolific midfielder, leading the AFL for average disposals. My favourite thing though, is his tackling. He laid more than nine tackles per game this year. A must-have in the side on that alone.

Josh P. Kennedy (Sydney Swans) – Centre
Kennedy has had a phenomenal year as one of the best contested ball winners in the competition, and was a fair shot at the Brownlow until a hamstring injury cost him the last two games, and ended a phenomenal streak of 127 consecutive games. Reliable, consistent, and at his best, unstoppable.

Dayne Beams (Collingwood Magpies) – Centre
Beams bounced back from a quad injury that ruined much of his 2013 season and did it in style. His second half of the year wasn’t quite as strong as his first half but he still gets in the team comfortably for me. I like his scoreboard impact, he had at least one scoring shot in all but one game in 2014.

Sam Jacobs (Adelaide Crows) – Ruck
Difficult to split between Jacobs and Aaron Sandilands for the ruck position this year, but Jacobs has recorded the most hit-outs to advantage of the year which generally gets you the nod. On top of that he has become much more athletic in 2014, vastly improving his versatility as a ruckman, which is a trait Sandilands sometimes lacks.

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Nathan Fyfe (Fremantle Dockers) – Ruck-Rover
Stunningly overlooked last year, Fyfe is my first-selected midfielder this year by a healthy margin. He wins the hard ball, he takes big marks, he drives it forward, and he knows how to find the goals. The complete package.

Matt Priddis (West Coast) – Rover
Versatility was one the key words in my head when picking this team, but I threw it out the window here. Priddis is good at one thing, and one thing only, winning the contested ball. Boy, he is bloody good at it. Hairstyle aside there was just no chance of me leaving him out. Sometimes a specialist is exactly what you need.

Brent Harvey (North Melbourne) – Half Forward Flank
I don’t know how many thirty-six year olds have won All-Australian guernseys before, but Harvey is a lock to pick up his fifth after what has arguably been a career-best year. His ability to set up play combined with his know-how around the goals has made him a match-winner on many occasions for the Kangaroos this year. Every chance to break Michael Tuck’s VFL/AFL record of 426 games in a few years’ time.

Lance Franklin (Sydney Swans) – Centre Half Forward
If you asked me to name one player who I’m dead certain will be in the squad, ‘Buddy’ would be my go-to guy. The Coleman Medallist and one of the most freakishly talented players in the game – he is without peer in the key forward department this year.

Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide Power) – Half Forward Flank
This kind of form must have seemed a long way away for Gray a few years ago, when he was so plagued with injury that we began to wonder if we’d ever see his full potential. Well we are seeing it now, and it is mind-blowing. The damaging half-forward was voted the Most Valuable Player of 2014 by the AFL Coaches, and is a serious chance to win the Brownlow.

Eddie Betts (Adelaide Crows) – Forward Pocket
There were mixed reactions when the Crows picked up Betts as a free agent in the off-season but one year in it’s fair to say it’s been a huge success. Fashion sense aside, Betts is arguably the best small forward in the league. He booted a career-best 51 goals this year, and was second in the competition for goal assists. His pass-off to Ben Rutten so that the big defender could kick a goal with his last kick was one of my top moments of the year.

Tom Hawkins (Geelong Cats) – Full Forward
Franklin aside, the key forwards were the trickiest position to pick this year. I ultimately went with Hawkins because he’s the best suited to full forward in my opinion, offering more as a power forward than any of the others at the top end. Arguably the best contested mark in the game this year.

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Jay Schulz (Port Adelaide Power) – Forward Pocket
Again, really difficult to separate the key forwards, Schulz only narrowly makes it in over the likes of Jarryd Roughead and Nick Riewoldt. The thing that ultimately got Schulz in was his much-vaunted accuracy in front of goal, he’s the most reliable kick amongst the tall forwards this year.

Scott Pendlebury, Captain (Collingwood Magpies) – Interchange
Although I wouldn’t call this the best year of Pendlebury’s career, the classy midfielder is still one I would lock in for All-Australian selection. There were a few nipping at his heels for the last few midfield spots but I just think, ‘whose hands would I rather have the ball in, in the dying seconds of a tight game?’ and come up Pendlebury every time.

Joel Selwood, Vice-Captain (Geelong Cats) – Interchange
All cracks about high-contact frees aside, Selwood is comfortably among the elite midfielders of the competition. He is the kind of midfielder a team is built around, winning the hardball and driving it forward with great precision. The real feather is Selwood’s cap is that he always stands up in the big games – he’s handy around the goals, too.

Pearce Hanley (Brisbane Lions) – Interchange
One of two players, along with Michael Hibberd, to make my team despite not being nominated by the AFL. He had a slowish start to the year but in the latter half of 2014 he was immense, with his precision kicking time and time again creating opportunities for his team to score. The Irish Lion thoroughly deserves his spot as far as I’m concerned.

Dustin Martin (Richmond Tigers) – Interchange
Neck tattoo notwithstanding, Dustin is one of the elite players of the AFL. He has drastically increased his professionalism over the last year or so which has driven him to new heights on-field. One of few players in the AFL capable of winning a game off his own efforts, he can dominate in the midfield and is also a great finisher on the scoreboard. Breathtaking at his best, which he has shown more of this year than any other.

Team by Team

Adelaide
Selected: Eddie Betts, Sam Jacobs, Daniel Talia

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Brisbane
Selected: Tom Rockliff, Pearce Hanley

Carlton
Nominated: Bryce Gibbs

Collingwood
Selected: Dayne Beams, Scott Pendlebury

Essendon
Selected: Michael Hibberd, Cale Hooker
Nominated: Dyson Heppell

Fremantle
Selected: Nathan Fyfe
Nominated: Aaron Sandilands, Hayden Ballantyne

Geelong
Selected: Joel Selwood, Tom Hawkins

Gold Coast
Nominated: Gary Ablett

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GWS
Nominated: Callan Ward, Devon Smith, Adam Treloar

Hawthorn
Nominated: Luke Breust, Jack Gunston, Jordan Lewis, Jarryd Roughead

Melbourne
Nominated: Nathan Jones

North Melbourne
Selected: Brent Harvey

Port Adelaide
Selected: Robbie Gray, Jay Schulz
Nominated: Travis Boak, Justin Westhoff

Richmond
Selected: Dustin Martin

St Kilda
Nominated: Nick Riewoldt

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Sydney Swans
Selected: Lance Franklin, Josh P. Kennedy, Nick Malceski, Nick Smith
Nominated: Luke Parker

West Coast
Selected: Eric Mackenzie, Matt Priddis

Western Bulldogs
Nominated: Tom Liberatore

I made six changes to the AFL’s squad of forty nominees for my own version. I dropped Alex Rance and Brandon Ellis from Richmond, feeling they were really only getting in due to the AFL’s late-season Richmond love-fest.

I dropped Harry Taylor and Tom Lonergan on a similar basis, both had average seasons and I don’t think they would make it if they played for, say, Melbourne.

Lastly, I took out Shaun Burgoyne and Brodie Smith, who were both in my halfway team but fell away in the second half of the year.

Michael Hibberd and Pearce Hanley headlined my inclusions into my squad of forty as the two players who I have in my final team despite them missing out on nomination from the AFL.

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I’ve also brought in a few of the ‘unsung’ players, Nathan Jones, Adam Treloar, and Devon Smith, all of whom were strongly considered for the final side.

Lastly, I brought in one of my personal favourites, Justin Westhoff, who I see as the most versatile player in the league, and in that sense very valuable. I couldn’t find a spot for him in the final side, though.

Shaun Burgoyne, Scott D. Thompson, Brodie Smith, Michael Johnson, Kade Simpson, Aaron Sandilands, Luke Parker, Chad Wingard, Gary Ablett, Patrick Dangerfield, Daniel Hannebery and Luke Breust all made my halfway side but didn’t make the cut at the end of the year.

In the case of Johnson, Hannebery and especially Ablett it was a case of injury costing them their chance. With the others, it was generally a lack of consistency in the second half of the year, or the improved form of other players narrowly edging them out.

Leaving Ablett out of the side was easily the hardest decision of the lot – there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s the best in the game, but given he missed a third of the year I felt it was unfair to give him a spot with so many quality midfielders who put in full seasons there to choose from.

Sydney have the most entrants in my 2014 team with four, Adelaide the next best with three, and no one else has more than two.

Carlton, Gold Coast, GWS, Melbourne, St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs and most surprisingly Hawthorn are all missing from the final side.

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I’m sure I’ll cop a bit of flack for not naming a single Hawthorn player, and that’s probably fair.

I put this down largely to the club’s mid-season injury crisis, with players like Josh Gibson being an almost certain inclusion in my opinion had they played a full year.

The likes of Jordan Lewis, Jarryd Roughead and Luke Breust were only narrowly beaten to the last spots at their position. I was tempted to try and sneak one of them in when I realised I’d neglected Hawthorn entirely, but felt this wasn’t fair to the players who, on their merits, I had picked first.

As far as the captaincy selections go, I only had two club captains in my final side this year so this required little thought.

If I were to break with the tradition of naming club captains to the All-Australian captaincy posts – and I was sorely tempted – I would name Nathan Fyfe as Captain and Tom Rockliff as Vice-Captain.

As always there’s a large number of deserving players this year, and bound to be an unlucky few who miss out. Here’s looking forward to official announcement later tonight – and hoping for no ‘Kevin-Bartlett-special’ dodgy selections.

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