The introduction in 2007 of an initial 40-man All-Australian squad took a lot of heat off the selectors. Each season they had copped widespread flak for the dozen or more worthy players they overlooked for the 22-man side.
Now you would think they could cast their net wide enough to include almost every player who could reasonably be expected to challenge strongly for the main side.
Yet, even still, there will always be some surprising omissions from the 40-man squad, as we saw when the 2014 version was announced yesterday.
So, Roarers, who do you think was unfairly overlooked for the squad? Alternatively, who was lucky to be included?
Were I to select an All-Australian 22, I would have Essendon big man Paddy Ryder as my backup ruckman to Adelaide’s Sam Jacobs.
My Roar colleague Cam Rose also had Ryder in his All-Australian line-up.
Yet prolific on-baller Dyson Heppell and key defender Cale Hooker were the only Bombers picked in yesterday’s squad.
Nathan Jones, from Melbourne, would not have been in my All-Australian 22. Given I would have West Coast’s Matt Priddis in my line-up there isn’t room for a similar gruntwork on-baller. But Jones has been extraordinarily courageous and consistent during yet another frightfully inept season by the Demons. Returning 28 touches, 6 clearances, 5 tackles and 4 inside 50s per game in a woeful line-up is surely sufficient to make the 40-man squad.
Jones is a sentimental choice, having toiled manfully season after season in spite of his club’s insipid efforts.
I may also be slightly biased towards Pearce Hanley, given he is a fellow Irishman and grew up just a few kilometres from where my family live in County Mayo.
While I don’t consider him an automatic inclusion in my All-Australian 22, he would definitely be a lineball player. Hanley is an elite rebounding defender and has embellished his footballing resumé this season by moving into the midfield and proving to be not just a prolific ball winner but also a damaging ball user.
He, too, was fiercely unlucky not to make yesterday’s squad, as he was in 2013 when he had a breakout AFL season.
Adelaide dynamo Patrick Dangerfield is another who was widely expected to be named in the squad, but missed out. Dangerfield’s midfield offsider Rory Sloane could also consider himself unfortunate not to have been included.
Steve Johnson was overlooked for the preliminary squad for the second year running. I have no idea why. His raw numbers – 26 touches per match, 5 tackles, 5 inside 50s, 4 clearances, 16 goals and 12 goal assists – suggest he should have been strongly considered.
But what convinces me he was hard done by is the way in which he sets up play with his disposals – he has brilliant vision, makes good decisions and hits targets. Alas, he’ll have to try again next season.
Anyway, it’s over to you Roarers, who were the biggest omissions from the squad?
All-Australian squad selection by team:
Adelaide: Eddie Betts, Sam Jacobs, Brodie Smith, Daniel Talia
Brisbane: Tom Rockliff
Carlton: Bryce Gibbs
Collingwood: Dayne Beams, Scott Pendlebury
Essendon: Dyson Heppell, Cale Hooker
Fremantle: Hayden Ballantyne, Nat Fyfe, Aaron Sandilands
Geelong: Tom Hawkins, Tom Lonergan, Joel Selwood, Harry Taylor
Gold Coast: Gary Ablett
GWS Giants: Callan Ward
Hawthorn: Luke Breust, Shaun Burgoyne, Jack Gunston, Jordan Lewis, Jarryd Roughead
Nth Melbourne: Brent Harvey
Port Adelaide: Travis Boak, Robbie Gray, Jay Schulz
Richmond: Brandon Ellis, Dustin Martin, Alex Rance
St Kilda: Nick Riewoldt
Sydney: Lance Franklin, Josh Kennedy, Nick Malceski, Luke Parker, Nick Smith
West Coast: Eric Mackenzie, Matt Priddis
Western Bulldogs: Tom Liberatore
Post hoc
Guest
Slane, and excellent point, and I fully agree, why bother nominating a FIFA World XI, again it seems like a pointless exercise. Don Freo, real mature, I suppose you have a Love it or Leave it sticker on your car as well? going by your comments you must be a massive supporter of pairs figure skating if you place such a high value of "integrating more than 1 skill at a time"
Deep Thinker
Guest
Johnson and Dangerfield are clearly in the top 40 players this year. I think Matthew Stokes was unlucky - probably deserved to be nominated but missed a few too many games.
Cat
Roar Guru
But a lower effective disposal percentage.
clayts
Guest
I support Melbourne but have been saying this the last 3 years. Yes, when he started accumulating more and more possies, his disposal was average, but now it's up there with the best. He had more effect disposals that plenty of players in the squad. In pretty much any other team he not only is 100% in the AA team (let alone the 40-man squad ffs) but polls brownlows (he will anyway). Steve Johnson has had an ordinary year though. Yes he CAN influence games but he didn't do it enough this year I don't think. I can't understand the Libba selection. Yeah he's a good player but not AA worthy going off this season. Particularly when Jones doesn't make it. If i was to guess, it could be the AFL not giving anything to Melbourne to soften everyone else's 'blow' when we get given a priority pick. Why they would have to i don't know, given how bad we've been. Saints should get one too.
clayts
Guest
He had more effective disposals than Joel Selwood.
Bosk
Roar Rookie
....or it could be West Coast's very ordinary midfield struggled to get Kennedy enough quality supply against top 8 teams. For this reason I'm kind of mystified by the recent Priddis hype. Gets a lot of the ball, excels at throwing it on the boot in blind hope.
Don Freo
Guest
Exactly...he can't kick bags against us.
Jim
Guest
Ted has not been at the level of 2012, but he has had a fine year. Not All Australian form though, but I have no doubt he will underline his class with a big finals series.
johno
Guest
His show boating last weekend obviously played against him.
johno
Guest
Surely Ballantyne is a lock for captain?
conchie
Roar Rookie
Who does the dally M team play, really you guys are just a joke.
micka
Guest
Slane... .don't be ridiculous! Unless we live in some kind of spiral multiverse system or we start breaking into alternate dimensions, how the heck could we have a FIFA Universe XI. Unless... we create the FIFA Existential Plane XI... Sure there will be travel and temporal sliding issues but Messi has to play someone...
langou
Roar Guru
I was just curious as I only got to see a handful of WB games this year
Andrew
Roar Rookie
definitely don, what did buddy kick against freo, 4 or 5 ;)
Mik
Guest
prat by name prat by nature
the 13th Man
Roar Rookie
Where is the Golden Fist of Zac Dawson (just the fist)?
Don Freo
Guest
Most of them. There's not many AFL games I miss. Why do ask? Do you really want to suggest Libba is better than Mundy?
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
You obviously don't follow much sport. Just about every league in this country has awards for the team of the season. Not really sure why you'd be on the Roar if you didn't follow sport. You here by accident?
slane
Guest
Post Hoc, what is the point of the FIFA World XI? Why bother naming one untill we finally have another planet to play against? No doubt by then we will have the Galaxy XI, but then there is no point naming that team unless we find another galaxy to play against. The FIFA Universe XI has a nice ring...
Axle an the guru
Guest
I havent seen many Iangou so i can only comment on what I've seen. I have seen more of Freo than Richmond or Footsgray. I put Mundy ahead of the other three, Mzungu marginally ahead of Ellis,and them Libba. Its only my opinion on what i have watched this year.