A host of first-time players have been named in a new-look AFL All-Australian team, with 12 stars of the game named in the 22-man side for the first time.
Collingwood’s Brayden Maynard, Carlton’s Adam Saad, GWS’ Sam Taylor, St Kilda’s Jack Sinclair, Richmond’s Shai Bolton, Carlton’s Charlie Curnow, Geelong’s Tyson Stengle and Mark Blicavs, Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw, Sydney’s Isaac Heeney and Callum Mills and Port Adelaide’s Connor Rozee made the team for the first time.
However, plenty of regulars were also named to the 22, with Melbourne captain Max Gawn (sixth selection) and Cats Tom Hawkins (fifth) Tom Stewart (fourth) the most-capped in the team.
Hawkins was also named captain of the team, despite not holding the same position at the Cats, with Blues skipper Patrick Cripps named vice-captain.
Stengle’s selection adds another layer to one of the season’s most enduring stories, with the goalsneak thrown a lifeline by the Cats in pre-season after unsuccessful stints at Richmond and Adelaide.
The 23-year old, who was delisted by the Crows at the start of 2021 following a number of off-field incidents, grasped the second chance with both hands, kicking 46 goals for the home-and-away season.
Stengle was one of an AFL-high five Cats named in the team, alongside Blicavs, Hawkins, Cameron and Stewart, with 12 of the 18 teams earning at least one nomination.
Earlier, Collingwood’s Nick Daicos was unsurprisingly confirmed as the winner of the 2022 AFL Rising Star Award, also claiming the gong of the AFLPA’s Best First Year Player.
Daicos, the son of Magpies legend Peter, was a unanimous choice for the gong, polling a maximum five votes from all 12 judges after what has been described as one of the best debut seasons in recent memory.
Geelong key defender Sam De Koning received four votes from all judges to finish second with 48 votes, ahead of Hawthorn midfielder Jai Newcombe (35) and Magpies teammate Jack Ginnivan (21).
Playing all 22 games, Daicos’ sharp ball use and football smarts have been a major driver in Collingwood’s shock top-four berth, averaging nearly 26 disposals per game across half-back.
He was just the fourth player in the award’s 30-year history to poll maximum votes, joining former Demon Jared Rivers (2004), Brisbane star Daniel Rich (2009) and then-Swan Dan Hannebery (2010).
However, Newcombe denied Daicos a sweep of the rookie awards, winning the AFL Coaches Association’s Best Young Player award, judged on which first- or second-year player polled the most coaches votes throughout the season.
I’m a bit speechless. I wasn’t expecting it myself,” Daicos said after accepting the award.
“My main aim was to have a good off-season and hopefully break into the team as early as I could and fortunately for me that was Round 1.
“We had a great win and luckily I was able to stay in the side from there.”
Daicos was quick to praise his father’s influence on his career to date, saying it ‘means a lot’ to have him in the crowd on the night.
He’s told me he’s very proud… it means a lot to have him in the room,” Daicos the younger said.
“I owe basically all this to him.”
Melbourne and Gold Coast stars Clayton Oliver and Touk Miller became just the second ever joint winners of the AFL Coaches Association’s Champion Player of the Year award, finishing in a dead heat on 98 votes.
The votes for the final two rounds of the season were only publicly revealed on Wednesday night, hinting at a thrilling count; with Oliver’s 10-vote performance in the Demons’ Round 23 win over Brisbane drawing him level with Miller.
Oliver also claimed the award in 2021, joining Gary Ablett Jr as the only players to claim multiple Coaches Association MVP awards, but he will need to win it again in 2023 to match Ablett’s record of three consecutive gongs from 2007-9.
In addition to his All-Australian selection, Curnow also claimed the Coleman Medal, having booted a competition-high 64 goals in the home-and-away season, becoming the second consecutive Blue to win the award following Harry McKay in 2021.
Richmond’s Liam Baker was named the AFL Players Association’s Most Courageous Player, named in honour of former footballer Robert Rose, who was left a quadriplegic in a car accident in 1974.
In a night dominated by black and white, Magpies captain Scott Pendlebury joined Daicos among the award winners, named the AFL Players Association’s Best Captain.
Despite being consigned to the All-Australian bench, Dockers gun Brayshaw, who finished eighth in Coaches Association MVP voting, was a surprise winner of the Leigh Matthews Award for the AFLPA MVP, following an outstanding season to help surge the Freo into the finals for the first time since 2015.
Brayshaw is just the second Docker to claim the prestigious award, with Fyfe winning in both 2014 and 2015.
One of the favourites for the Brownlow Medal, the 22-year old is the youngest winner of the award since St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt in 2004.
AFL Rising Star: Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
Coleman Medal: Charlie Curnow (Carlton)
AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year: Clayton Oliver (Melbourne) and Touk Miller (Gold Coast)
AFL Coaches Association Best Young Player: Jai Newcombe (Hawthorn)
AFL Players Association Best First Year Player: Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
Robert Rose Most Courageous Player: Liam Baker (Richmond)
AFL Players Association Best Captain: Scott Pendlebury
Leigh Matthews Trophy: Andrew Brayshaw
Backs: Tom Stewart (Geelong), Steven May (Melbourne), Brayden Maynard (Collingwood)
Half-Backs: Jack Sinclair (St Kilda), Sam Taylor (GWS), Adam Saad (Carlton)
Centres: Touk Miller (Gold Coast), Clayton Oliver (Melbourne), Callum Mills (Sydney)
Half-forwards: Christian Petracca (Melbourne), Jeremy Cameron (Geelong), Shai Bolton (Richmond)
Forwards: Charlie Curnow (Carlton), Tom Hawkins (Geelong, captain), Tyson Stengle (Geelong)
Followers: Max Gawn (Melbourne), Patrick Cripps (Carlton, vice-captain), Lachie Neale (Brisbane)
Interchange: Mark Blicavs (Geelong), Andrew Brayshaw (Fremantle), Isaac Heeney (Sydney), Connor Rozee (Port Adelaide)
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
That was way too low.
Scott
Guest
2 years ago, as in 2020, the player ratings had Fyfe as the number 2 player in the competition behind Petracca. Are you sure you just didn’t read the list starting from the 2nd page????????????
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
It doesn't ever evaluate "every single thing". Where is the stat for running hard into a space? What is the weighting that determines an intercept is better than a defender reading the play, marking a man so the ball is never sent in that direction? Too much is never acknowledged for "ratings" to be valid. Two years ago, ratings had Nat Fyfe outside the top 100 players.
Scott
Guest
What’s funny is that people still think there opinions are more precise then a system that evaluates every single thing a player does on the field and if it positively or negatively affected a game. There isn’t a human being alive that has had the ability to evaluate every possession of every player in the comp, not even close. It is highly unlikely any player in the comp has even watched every minute of every game in a season. I’d say there are only a handful of people in the entire afl organisation that have watched every minute of every game, and they are likely analysts who work at a club in the extended coaching group. Sure there are things stats miss, that’s obvious and logical. What is not logical, is every person complaining how the ratings are the one getting things wrong, when it doesn’t match their personal opinion, which comes from watching about 10 percent of football during a season, and almost entirely their own team.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Berrlins raised Lynch as a topic. I simply said he doesn't do enough against the good sides. No throwing shade. It's the rest of you foaming at the mouth. You seem obsessed with this " what about your side?" stuff. There is no power in that argument. Strange that you say a team that finished comfortably above Richmond is not as good. You can live with the ridicule.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Curnow, Cameron, Hawkins. Lynch doesn't do well enough against the good sides...as I pointed out. If the AA side played Hawthorn, Lynch would be good.
Macca
Roar Rookie
Frits h is competing against Cameron and Curnow not Stengle
berrlins
Roar Pro
I would argue that, Bont is on 20 touchs and a goal a game all year, his influence has gone up over the last 8 rounds and he's probably the sole reason the Dogs are playing finals. I rate Rozzee but I don't see him as being better this year (although that's just me)
berrlins
Roar Pro
What you just said didn't help your argument at all so let's do it this way. Who in your opinion would you have in the AA squad instead of Lynch?
.kraM
Roar Rookie
Can’t wait for the next Kangaroos blockbuster against Lebanon
Ace
Roar Rookie
But you undersell him Don. The perfect utility including the ruck. What most teams would love to have So, as Pistol said he was probably picked for that utility role and not necessarily as a ruck or ruck rover as I said earlier
Ace
Roar Rookie
I'd forgotten about Langdon. I believe he always plays one side of the ground each match. Never changes over. And he covers more territory than most players in the game As much as 15 klicks a match A great link man
Macca
Roar Rookie
Yep - the biggest reason he is an AA player now is that he significantly improved his defensive side this year but those who only "watch the game" somehow didn't notice, they only saw what they wanted to see. Looking at the stats after the game is a good way to challenge these sorts of bias.
1DER
Guest
AFL Statistics /Player comparison/ Key Stats/ Season/ Defensive. Saad's losing contested 1 on 1 percentage was 14% for season 2022. Maynard is considered elite as he averaged in excess of 2 contests per game with a similar losing percentage. Stewart's % was 20%, Luke Ryan and Docherty were in the 30s.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Ratings are always a long way off how things are. Never, in any season, have ratings been accurate.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
I'd have had Brayshaw ahead of Neale and probably Bontempelli on the back of this season.
RT
Roar Rookie
That must be what Stevic did judging by the comments here over the past 9 years.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Can you imagine the emergency ump calling a free from the bench, only to cop abuse and award a further 50 metre penalty for dissent.
RT
Roar Rookie
It's not like the emergency umpire couldn't get involved, but it seems unfair to blame him for the loss.
Macca
Roar Rookie
"Collingwood have proven they will" it is just as much that others have proven they won't. :stoked: The season is one where everyting has gone perfectly for the Pies, no injuries to speak of, a lot of career best football, played their bad game agaisnt poor opposition and of course won 10 of 11 games under 2 goals so they might just ride that luck all the way to a premisership - but it seems a very flawed game style that asks an awful lot of the team.