THE OFFICIAL MONGREL PUNT ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM
We’ve made it. Lots of footy has been played and the home and away season came to a dramatic halt. Nine games remain, with eight teams in contention. We have been privileged to witness some incredible football this year. We here at The Mongrel Punt do things little bit differently when it comes to selecting this side. How is it different? I’m glad you’ve asked.
The AFL Team and their so-called expert panel who pick a team of midfielders, at The Mongrel Punt, we value players who are the role players, who excel at what they are picked to do, and celebrate those who dominate their position. So, I am endeavouring to pick players in the position they spend most of their time. Unlike the Australian T20 side where they picked on reputation over performance, this side is about who is shining in their position, and bringing balance to the force … well, the team as a whole.
*cue drum roll* here’s the Mongrel Punt’s All-Australian Team for 2024!
FB: Sam Collins Jacob Weitering Jack Scrimshaw
HB: Lachie Whitfield Harris Andrews Dayne Zorko
C: Errol Gulden Marcus Bontempelli Massimo D’Ambrosio
HF: Gryan Miers Jeremy Cameron Dylan Moore
FF: Tyson Stengle Jesse Hogan Jake Waterman
Foll: Tristan Xerri Isaac Heeney Lachie Neale
Int: Dan Houston Caleb Serong Patrick Cripps Charlie Curnow Nick Daicos
In the mad dash to the end (the final two rounds) Dayne Zorko, Nick Daicos, and Jeremy Cameron all come into the 23. Ben King, Jordan Clark, and Tom Stewart are the unlucky players that lose their spot – especially King, who has been in the team for most of the year.
In essence, it came down to the body of work of Zorko to pass Clark, Cameron closing out his season well to finish second in the Coleman to usurp King, and while I love Tom Stewart as a footballer, it would make me look like an idiot to not have Nick Daicos in the side.
There are some names that didn’t even feature in the 44-man squad the so-called AFL experts put up. But I feel as if every one of these players has earned the right to be in this side. Some players who have had great seasons miss out, and I’m okay with that. It’s namely midfielders. We here at The Mongrel Punt don’t share the fixation of others to name midfielders in every position. We feel it’s important to name players in the role that they play – meaning that those who have played in a few roles throughout the season lose out a little bit because of the overall body of work.
And before anyone jumps in about #VicBias there are 11 players from non-Vic teams in this side. So, it’s very well balanced.
The Unlucky Few
There’s always some players who are unlucky to miss out.
Max Gawn
Brent Daniels
Zach Merrett
Tom Stewart
Max Holmes
Jordan Clark
Luke Ryan
Chad Warner
The Unappreci8’d Eight. That’s what I’m calling them, at least. All have had terrific seasons and have probably done enough to warrant a level of recognition. So, that’s what this is. There are others as well, but these guys have all either featured for large parts of the year or have been talked about regularly. All of them would be in my 33-man squad, with the other two being Saints players – Rowan Marshall and Cal Wilkie. Both have been there or thereabouts, and just get held out by incumbents or players that demand to be picked.
Let us know your team, or who you’d replace and why – don’t just blindly change it because someone in your team wasn’t picked.
Stay tuned for more from The Mongrel Punt, and for additional reasons to tell me I must not watch footy because you don’t like the team I’ve selected.
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Or, you could join The Mongrel as a member and leave the mainstream echo chamber behind
