The All-Australian candidates no-one is talking about

One of the best honours that can be given to a player is to be selected in the All-Australian squad come season’s end.

Is it perfect? No. Of course it’s completely subjective and voted on by personalities who don’t watch every game or have strong analytical backgrounds to assess the influence of players on games.

Rarely is the squad perfect, and often we lament quality players missing out on the 22 or even 40, but the exercise in recognising the season’s best performers is one that knows very few bounds.

Mid-season is generally the time we see many AFL fans and those in the media put together their teams – it’s a way to show progressive recognition for players in the midst of excellent form.

Again, it’s subjective and not always agreeable – Jacob Weitering being in so many teams is a classic clanger, for instance – but that’s what makes it enjoyable and a worthwhile exercise.

So in the spirit of mid-season recognition, it’s time to explore the names of players that should be in the All-Australian squad at this point in the season, seeking even higher honours that can help build their legacy.

Jack Crisp (Collingwood)

13 games, 26.5 disposals, 4.6 marks, 5.5 tackles, 4.5 clearances

Here’s one for you: at the halfway point of the season Jack Crisp is in the top five of my Brownlow count.

Simply put, the 28-year-old is just very good at everything. He’s in the league’s top 20 for inside 50s, tackles, disposals, goal assists, metres gained, stoppage clearances and, yes, even turnovers, which is somehow regarded highly in a happy coincidence for the Charlie.

Add in the fact that he is second in the league for pressure acts and top 10 for defensive-half pressure acts and you’re looking at a well-rounded player in his prime.

We know that Crisp’s longevity is otherworldly, but his influence on a team has never been bigger. He is benefitting enormously from this new, kamikaze style of play that Collingwood are playing, which has left their veteran midfielder launching the ball forward and constantly finding himself in the right areas.

(Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Brennan Cox (Fremantle)

12 games, 16.2 disposals, 6.3 marks, 6.3 spoils

Cox has been simply superb for Fremantle this season. Peeling off as the main intercepting option in one of the league’s very best defences, the 23-year-old has been remarkably consistent and extremely influential in the defence of aerial contests.

Since Round 9, Cox has shifted across to take more ownership as the team’s centre halfback, where his defensive exploits have really taken a leap in the right direction. On top of his averaging six marks and six spoils a game, he has lost just three of 18 one-on-ones over the last month, which included a dominant showing against Brisbane.

Cox is ranked 10th in the league for one-percenters and 16th for contested marks while rating above average for intercept marks, rebounds and disposals.

(Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Sam Taylor (GWS)

12 games, 15.4 disposals, 6 marks, 8.8 spoils, 10 per cent loss rate

If we’re exploring the key defensive stocks that should be in the All-Australian team come the end of the season, then Taylor should be an absolute lock.

Playing for the lowly rated GWS has meant that the 23-year-old has flown under the radar, but consider the fact that he is the second most successful key defender in the league defending one-on-ones (minimum 20 contests), and then consider where the Giants may be without him.

It’s not just the elite-level defending that Taylor provides. We continue to become more and more infatuated with the well-rounded key defender who is able to lock down, intercept and provide counterattacking play to their team.

Averaging more disposals at a higher kicking efficiency while rating elite for score launches for a key defender, the former second-round pick is becoming an all-round threat who should gain more plaudits as GWS improves.

(Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Blake Acres (Fremantle)

12 games, 21.1 disposals, 5.8 marks, 4.2 inside 50s, 2.3 rebound 50s

It feels like the biggest gripe many have with the All-Australian team is players selected out of position and almost no wingmen being rewarded for the specialist roles.

As a result, there are some players often spoken about. Ed Langdon is fully deserving of an opportunity, for instance, while Sam Walsh is playing that far outside the contest half the time that his work rate indicates he’s a wingman.

But the breakout season Acres has had should have him in the conversation. He has taken complete ownership of the wing position and completely transformed his fitness base to the point where he is a league leader in his position for intercept possessions, while his inside 50s per game and kicking efficiency have never been higher.

There’s a slight caveat that needs to be applied here as Acres has unfortunately injured his hamstring and appears set to miss some time.

Dan Houston (Port Adelaide)

12 games, 24.1 disposals, 6.9 marks, 402.1 metres gained

Houston is having a massive breakout season and no-one has seemed to notice. Perhaps he is a statistical beneficiary of Port Adelaide’s dull, retentive style of play, but there aren’t too many halfbacks in the league that have been as proficient at ground level as they have aerially compared to Houston.

He’s averaging significant career highs in disposals, marks, intercepts, score involvements and metres gained. His work rate has continued to improve to a significant level, where he can line up on a wing and push back to assist his undersized defenders, while his courage can’t be questioned.

Houston isn’t someone who catches the eye of the masses, but consistently being in his team’s best five players should garner more attention.

Lachie Schultz (Fremantle)

12 games, 13.3 disposals, 3.1 tackles, 18 goals, 12 goal assists

It’s another Fremantle player, but for a team that has captured so many hearts, it appears all anyone wants to talk about is Andrew Brayshaw.

Schultz separates himself from his teammate Sam Switkowski here due to games played and the fact the latter will miss more time through injury, but it has been refreshing to see what genuine half-forward flankers can offer a team.

The 24-year-old is fourth in the league for tackles inside 50, seventh for goal assists and above average for his ground-level work.

If Schultz can finish the season with 30 goals and 20 goal assists, he would have to be a shoo-in despite being largely unheralded.

Mitchell Lewis (Hawthorn)

Nine games, 11.9 disposals, 5.6 marks, 27 goals

Wishful thinking at play perhaps, but it cannot be doubted how efficient and effective Lewis has been at a Hawthorn team that is competitive yet ultimately of bottom-six quality.

To put it in comparison, Lewis is averaging more disposals, marks, goals, score involvements and inside 50s than Max King. Yes, they play different roles, with the big Saint much closer to goal and a more towering, contested marking figure who has been inaccurate this season, but these numbers only go to show Lewis’s standing in the competition as a young key forward.

Making the All-Australian squad is likely too big a step for the 23-year-old former pick 76, but if he stays on the park and kicked 45 or 50 goals in this Hawthorn team, he deserves a lot more respect.

(Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

Jayden Short (Richmond)

12 games, 26.8 disposals, 5.9 marks, 641.8 metres gained

Sure, we’re talking about the player ranked first in the AFL for kicks and metres gained, third for turnovers and 13th for uncontested possessions, but coach Damien Hardwick flipped the script when he started Short in the midfield against West Coast.

In the six games since that point to the time of writing he has averaged 25.5 disposals, 5.8 inside 50s, 4.3 clearances, 5.7 score involvements and has been a leading midfielder for metres gained – all impressive numbers that stand up among the better midfielders in the league.

While his efficiency may have dropped off given the contested nature of playing as a centre-bounce midfielder, his directness has transformed Richmond from a team barely holding on to a team that at least looks as dangerous as they were at their peak.

This was is no experiment that Richmond is trialling. Jayden Short is a midfielder, and if he continues to be prolific, he’ll be one of the Tigers’ most likely players to be rewarded.