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Opinion

AFL combined team (Part 1)

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Roar Guru
20th June, 2021
3

This combined team comprises the first six teams in the competition in alphabetical order.

The teams are the Adelaide Crows, Brisbane Lions, Carlton Blues, Collingwood Magpies, Essendon Bombers and Fremantle Dockers. It’s an entertaining exercise to formulate the team as changing one player can have a domino effect. Of course, it’s a hypothetical exercise, but an entertaining one nonetheless.

Adelaide Crows: Tom Doedee, Reilly O’Brien, Taylor Walker
Brisbane Lions: Harris Andrews, Charlie Cameron, Hugh McCluggage
Carlton Blues: Harry McKay, Sam Walsh, Jacob Weitering
Collingwood Magpies: Jack Crisp, Brayden Maynard, Scott Pendlebury (captain)
Essendon Bombers: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Zach Merrett, Darcy Parish
Fremantle Dockers: James Aish, Andrew Brayshaw, David Mundy

B: Brayden Maynard (Collingwood), Harris Andrews (Brisbane), James Aish (Fremantle)
HB: Tom Doedee (Adelaide), Jacob Weitering (Carlton), Jack Crisp (Collingwood)
C: Zach Merrett (Essendon), Andrew Brayshaw (Fremantle), Sam Walsh (Carlton)
HF: Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood- captain), Taylor Walker (Adelaide), Hugh McCluggage (Brisbane)
FF: Anthony McDonald Tipungwuti (Essendon), Harry McKay (Carlton), Charlie Cameron (Brisbane)
Foll: Reilly O’Brien (Adelaide), Darcy Parish (Essendon), David Mundy (Fremantle)

Backs
Brayden Maynard has shown that he has the capability to curtail the influence of small and tall forwards. The Magpies defender should be in All-Australian calculations based on the first 13 games of season 2021.

Harris Andrews averages the second-most intercepts with an average of 9.15 intercepts per game. He is a player that’s been an important part of the Lions team after 13 games in season 2021. He has the highest disposal efficiency percentage on average of any Lions player with an average of 86.55 per cent disposal efficiency.

Harris Andrews of the Lions in action

(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

James Aish has been a pivotal part of the Dockers team. He has averaged nearly 20 disposals per game in the opening 13 games of the season. Aish has moved into the back six in recent times and it has been a masterstroke.

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Halfbacks
Tom Doedee has been invaluable for the Crows. He has been exceptionally good given they have been without Daniel Talia. Doedee has averaged the most intercepts of any Crows player with an average of 8.92 intercepts per game.

Jacob Weitering averages the eighth-most intercepts of all the players in the AFL. He has had an average of 7.85 intercepts per game. There’s no doubt that Weitering has been a pivotal part of the Blues team thus far in season 2021.

Jack Crisp has played predominantly midfield, but for the purpose of this exercise he has been selected on a halfback flank.

Centres
Zach Merrett has relished the opportunity to get better by being in All_Australian calculations based on the opening 13 games. He has been arguably the Bombers’ most consistent player.

Zach Merrett celebrates with Essendon teammates Nick Hind and David Zaharakis.

(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Andrew Brayshaw has been a revelation in the midfield for the Dockers in season 2021. He has averaged exactly 28 disposals per game in 12 games.

Sam Walsh has been exceptional for Blues apart from his Round 14 display against the Giants, which will probably prove to be an aberration. He averages the 11th-most disposals of any player in the competition with an average of 29.46 disposals per game.

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Half-forwards
Scott Pendlebury is arguably the best captain in the competition along with Marcus Bontempelli. The Magpies have benefited from Pendlebury’s leadership in a tough season for the club, as they have won their last two games against good teams in the Demons and the Crows. He has averaged exactly 24 disposals, which is the third-most of any Magpies player in season 2021 thus far.

Taylor Walker has been a pivotal part of the Crows team. In season 2021, he has had a resurgence as a footballer playing some of his best footy and being an important part of the Crows team, that have played some decent football partly due to Walker’s influence.

Hugh McCluggage has arguably been the Lions’ best player. He is an important part of the team who can play on a half-forward flank and on the wing. There’s no doubt he is a quality player.

Hugh McCluggage

(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/AFL Photos via Getty Images )

Forwards
Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti has had a superb season. He is almost guaranteed on having an impact on the game when Essendon claim a win; he reads the game so well.

Harry McKay is the leading goal scorer in the AFL with 41 goals in effectively 12 games as he was ruled out of the Blues’ Round 12 game against the Eagles early in the piece.

Charlie Cameron is the equal highest-scoring Lions player with Eric Hipwood, as both players have kicked 24 goals and featured all 13 games. The difference is Charlie Cameron is a player with x-factor.

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Followers
Reilly O’Brien is a pivotal part of the Crows structure. He has such a presence when he is in the ruck. He has averaged the eighth-most hitouts of any ruckman in the competition with an average of 27.77 hitouts per game. It’s a respectable average, but it’s his importance to the Crows’ structure that’s the most pivotal part of the traits he possesses.

Darcy Parish may have a chance of winning the Brownlow Medal in season 2021 based on his performances after Round 5 for the Bombers.

David Mundy has been a revelation for the Dockers in season 2021. He is one of the Dockers’ most important players. He plays with belief, but not arrogance and has leadership qualities.

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