On Monday, the AFL released its 40-man preliminary All-Australian squad.
As in any year, there are bolters and shock omissions, a glut of midfielders (19 in this squad to be precise), and cries of disbelief from fans when their team is not represented, countered with shouts from generally same-said fans of how certain teams were over-nominated.
On the theme of non-selection, I am going to focus on key position types, who have a hard-enough time as it is to get recognised during footy award season.
When I read the short-list of players on Monday evening, I was very surprised with the omission of St Kilda’s Nick Riewoldt and the Sydney Swans’ Heath Grundy.
Riewoldt is a recurrent fixture in these considerations and needs no introduction.
Grundy? The fumbling, uncertain, heart-in-your-mouth failed key forward turned defender? Hear me out on this one.
Grundy’s role this season in the most miserly defence of the competition cannot be underestimated. His growth as a player from the nightmare of the 2014 grand final shellacking against Hawthorn has been an integral element to the Swans bouncing back so quickly.
The Swans lost defensive general Ted Richards and third tall Jeremy Laidler early in the season to injury and have built a new fortress around one of the league’s most improved players in Dane Rampe, first year players Callum Mills and Aliir Aliir, and the ever-dependable Nick Smith in the back pocket.
But the glue to this unit this entire season is Grundy.
In a league obsessed (unfortunately so in the instance of key position players) with having to justify prowess with statistics, Grundy will never feature.
His highlights for this year? He is ranked second in total time on the ground in the AFL this year (2100 minutes), and 19th overall for one-percenters in the league.
He had one very poor match against Richmond earlier in the season, when Ben Griffiths towelled him up in a ‘once-in-a-career’ (pardon the pun Tigers’ fans) five-goal performance.
But he has quietly gone about his way in consistently nullifying the monster forwards from opposition clubs, and provides wonderful off-ball selfless support that goes unrecognised in the stats.
According to Champion Data, in 22 matches he has conceded 23 goals one-on-one in 2016. So you take the Richmond match away, and we are effectively looking at 18 goals from 21 games.
Not bad for a player who takes the best power forward, and has clocked the second most minutes on the field in season 2016.
In leading the minor premiers’ defensive unit in conceding just over 66 points per game throughout the course of a season, Grundy is in many ways the epitome of the Swans’ consistency. He just goes about getting the job done well.
While Alex Rance and Daniel Talia were always going to be names in consideration, surely Reg deserves a ‘commendation’ in considering the best ‘All-Australian’ team for the season?
Onto the Big Roo.
In 2015, Riewoldt played 17 games, averaged 17 disposals at an efficiency of 70 per cent and returned 29.15 on the score sheet.
This season? 21 games, an average of 21 disposals (75 per cent efficiency) and 41.24. In addition, across almost all other key statistical categories this year he increased his output.
But, as the mark of a true champion, he completely redefined his game playing in a new role predominantly off a wing.
This was no riding off into the twilight of his career – Riewoldt was a significant force in a Saints team that doubled their output from six to 12 wins from 2015 to 2016.
His role has allowed Alan Richardson to obtain so much out of a champion player, yet at the same time re-tool a young and very exciting forward line that does not have to rely on Saint Nick as the lynchpin week in week out.
All of this as he nears 34 years of age.
So, while much of the focus will be on the midfielders who missed out (Zach Merrett from Essendon and Patrick Cripps from the Blues come to mind), spare a thought for the blokes who don’t necessarily get the kudos they deserve.
In this respect Riewoldt certainly deserved even more on top of what he has already achieved in the game, and Grundy was very unlucky to not make the first cut as an All-Australian ‘rookie’.
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