Roarers, the AFL will name their All-Australian team tomorrow night, but before that happens, we want to beat them to the punch by naming The Roar’s DIY 2016 AFL All-Australian team – and we need your help.
Below is a form where you can pick your best 22 from the 2016 AFL season. You must pick exactly 22 players – no more, no less. So choose wisely, then hit that button! We’ll total up the results and publish them tomorrow morning.
The players listed are the All-Australian squad of 40 as named by the AFL, along with a write-in option should you wish to nominate a player who was not named in the squad.
You’re free to make your selections by whatever criteria you deem most appropriate. It is, after all, a DIY team!
Voting has closed. Thanks for voting!
Just while I’ve got you here, I might as well drop in with my own hand-picked 22 for this year. It is objectively correct and cannot possibly be argued with… *wink*.
Josh Elliott’s 2016 All-Australian Team
B: Dane Rampe, Daniel Talia, Alex Rance
HB: Heath Shaw, Jeremy McGovern, Sam Docherty
C: Nick Riewoldt, Josh P Kennedy, Tom Scully
HF: Cyril Rioli, Lance Franklin, Toby Greene
F: Eddie Betts, Josh J Kennedy, Tom J Lynch
Fol: Max Gawn, Patrick Dangerfield, Dustin Martin
Int: Rory Sloane, Luke Parker, Marcus Bontempelli, Dan HanneberyCaptain: Nick Riewoldt
Vice-captain: Tom J Lynch
Some tough choices to be made but I reckon these are the best 22 players of the season. Commiserations to Robbie Tarrant and Jack Steven who were the hardest to leave out of the lot.
Balthazar
Guest
Why prefer Danger, Martin or JPK? I think you're underestimating how difficult it would have been for Neale to have such an amazing season, given the changes the team had to make on the run to its centre lineup (no Fyfe, Bennell or Sandi), he had no notable support to carry any of the load which also meant he attracted constant opposition attention and finally given the performance of Freo's rucks all year was woeful. Imagine how good he would have been if he had Hannebery, Heeney, Mitchell, Jack and Parker to help out or even solely a Selwood....
Liam
Guest
No Patrick Cripps? Despite having the best clearance stats by a fair margin?
Josh
Expert
Yeah, it's unusual for them not to name at least two or three rucks but it's a pretty clear choice this year.
Ironmonger
Guest
I was thinking there should be an alternative to Gawn but he looks the goods in terms of stats...over Mummy, Nic Nat and Goldstein
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
There seems to be an unusually high number of defenders named in the AA squad of 40 this year. I know Laird has had an exceptional year, but so have a lot of other half-back flanker types. It's hard to separate Laird, Docherty, Matty Boyd, Enright and Dane Rampe. Heath Shaw is a 'lock' and the AA squad of 40 also includes Kade Simpson and Jasper Pittard. That's 8 blokes into 4 half-back / back-pocket positions (excluding Rance, Tarrant, Talia and McGovern).
Josh
Expert
The team badly needs some Liam Picken. Full season and I would definitely have given JJ a run.
Josh
Expert
It was very a tight call between him and Docherty, he was pretty unlucky. He was in my team last year.
Josh
Expert
Mm, if I was going align it with the AFL's 40 I'd probably replace Riewoldt with Steven - probably move Hannebery to the wing and put Steven on the bench.
me too
Guest
give the kid a couple of years - no way would you take out any of the elite players ahead of him.
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
Good point Fitz. You're on to something there. Very hard to fit Caleb into the 22 ahead of the likes of Marcus Adams, Lin Jong, Lukas Webb and Josh Dunkley. Especially when none of them are in the AA squad of 40. ?
dan ced
Guest
Yep, almost first picked! I think out of the Crows only Laird, Sloane and Betts will make it. Talia always good but you'd think there are too many ahead of him, same with Jenkins. Tom Lynch an odd selection, maybe because his role is someone unique and would work well in an AA team, but I don't think he'll make the cut. B McGovern Rance Shaw HB Laird Rampe Docherty C Sloane Neale Coniglio HF Bont Buddy [anybody but Cyril] F Betts, Kennedy, Greene Foll: Gawn, Danger, Martin Bench: Gaff Parker Lynch(GC) Seb Ross ;)
D Fitz
Roar Rookie
PD. Why no Caleb Daniel ?
Andrew
Roar Rookie
I'll have a crack at mine, using just the players in the 40. As an aside, I did a mid season one which included Merrett, Zorko and Frawley as the only ones that didn't get put into the nebulous squad of 40. B: Tarrant - Rance – Rampe HB: Shaw - Talia – Docherty C: Scully – Mitchell - Gaff HF: Martin – Franklin – Gunston F: Betts – Lynch – Rioli Foll: Gawn – Dangerfield - Selwood Int: Sloane – Pittard – Hannebery – Simpson
Bill
Guest
Well said Josh.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Yeah, I understand your points If you take Riewoldt out of your hypothetical team, you could put Neale in, perhaps? (not taking anything away from Riewoldt, just aligning the team with the actual AA selections, haha)
sammy
Guest
where is Rory Laird - an absolute lock at half back on the season he has had
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
B: McGovern, Talia, Shaw HB: Enright, Rance, Docherty C: Gaff, Neale, Coniglio HF: Bont, Buddy, Cyril FP: Betts, Lynch (GC), Greene Foll: Gawn, Dangerfield (captain), Martin Bench: Sloane, Paker, Hannebery, Tarrant
Josh
Expert
There are only eight Victorian-based players in the whole 22 compared to 14 interstate-based players, so nope. Neale was probably the next inside mid picked but I preferred Danger, Martin and JPK to him. Generally speaking those who are on the bench are there because I thought they could serve more of a versatile, utility purpose than a specific position. It's not at all meant to suggest that they're less deserving than those picked on field.
Brian
Guest
Where Neale? Why are Parker and Sloane on the bench? Vic bias perhaps
Josh
Expert
Neale was a tough call to leave out, but felt the team was better served with a hard-running, goal-kicking Scully type rather than another contested ball player in Neale. He'd be more likely to replace JPK than anyone else.