Over the journey, I have had quite a few people remark to me that All-Australian selections should not be used as a way to assess how successful a player is at the highest level. They’re subjective, and at times, provide a warped view of the league given the way the selectors plonk players in positions they don’t play.
It’s something I take on board, but how often do you hear a player have his AA selections thrown in to give credibility to their opinions.
Mark Ricciuto – Eight-time All-Australian
Paul Roos – Seven-time All-Australian
You get the gist…
But it is only when we look at the calibre of some of the players still in the league that have never been fitted for an All-Australian blazer that we come to understand just why we should be looking at other factors when we start assessing careers and what they’ve meant to both the league and their respective clubs.
Below, I have had a crack at assembling a team consisting of current players never to have made the final team. Some have been featured in the squad – others have never even got that far, but you’d be hard-pressed to argue that these blokes are not fantastic players and would not be out of place in any All-Australian team.
Also, I have tried to steer away from blokes who are in their early 20s – their time will come.
Let’s jump in.
THE BACKLINE (SIX SPOTS)
NICK VLASTUIN – This bloke is the reason you don’t use AA selections to assess the value of a player. Courageous, unassuming, and all about the team, Vlastuin is the consummate team man and plays the game with nothing but 100% commitment to each and every contest. He is basically Tom Stewart in yellow and black, when fit.
JEREMY HOWE – One of the more successful transitions from male to fem… err, I mean from attack to defence. Took his high-flying show from the Dees to the Pies and just got better. Great intercept mark and though he zones off a little too much at times, has great closing speed. At 34, his AA dreams appear to be over, though.
SAM COLLINS – His last two seasons have been fantastic, and he was rewarded with our Mongrel Punt Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2024. Still, it did nothing to help him. He made the squad – that’s it. I reckon if the Suns made the finals, he would have made the team.
JACK CRISP – Has won back-to-back Copeland Trophies, yet has been unable to crack the best team of the year. Painfully unlucky to have no blazer at this stage.
LIAM JONES – Watch the way he controls things early in a game. It’s quite amazing. He makes the opposition make adjustments and it always seems to be lost on people.
BLAKE HARDWICK – Just a gun who can do everything. Lock down, rebound, go forward and snag a goal – he is captaincy material.
THE ONBALLERS (SIX SPOTS PLUS ONE RUCK)
HUGH MCCLUGGAGE – I agonised over this one a bit. Had the runs on the board on the wing, and if they genuinely picked wingmen while he played there, he probably would have at least one selection. Of course, as soon as he moved into a permanent midfield role, the AA selectors started selecting wingmen!
JOSH DUNKLEY – Played behind Bont at the Whitten Oval, then headed to Brisbane and played in the shadow of Lachie Neale. Those two command the attention of AA selectors, and too often, the work of Josh Dunkley is not given the attention it deserves.
He is, however, the only player in the history of the game to record the elusive Quadruple Double (double figures in kicks, handballs, marks, and tackles in a single game) twice. Beast.
STEPHEN CONIGLIO – Whenever I think of Coniglio, I find myself going back and checking that he hasn’t been selected… almost like I expect that someone has made an error by leaving him out.
Be that as it may, he has had some big seasons, but never big enough to capture the imagination of selectors.
JACK VINEY – Both he and the next guy just crack in, never take a backwards step, and win the footy. Jack has had to contend with Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver taking the limelight in the middle.
TOM LIBERATORE – The second Bont victim, Libba is to the Dogs what Viney is to the Dees. A clearance monster, this second generation star is the type you just assume has a couple of AA selections under his belt. Nup… not one.
MITCH DUNCAN – How many times have you heard the word “underrated” applied to Duncan? Perhaps the fact that he has been unable to sway AA selectors to his cause is the reason for that. Always in control, his composure and hard run has been a constant for the Cats.
JARROD WITTS – Never, ever dominated in the ruck, and works his arse off for the Suns. Probably not as spectacular as he needs to be, but in terms of the tough stuff, no one does it better
FORWARDS (SIX SPOTS)
BAYLEY FRITSCH – Back-to-back 50-goal seasons, and 193 goals over the last four years from a player who is not a number one forward… that’s impressive. Not impressive enough, it seems?
TIM MEMBREY – I’ve used this analogy before – strikes me as an actor who is just happy to be nominated, but one who will never take home the award. Great hands, weird, two-legged jump that is both a win and a loss depending on how an opponent plays him, and was always the one chosen to duck behind the footy to stabilise the Saints, his chance at AA is gone, but he could provide a great option at the Pies.
JORDAN DE GOEY – Speaking of the Pies, it might be about time he starts earning that big contract with a consistent season and an AA selection, huh? Jordan de Go-verrated?
BRODY MIHOCEK – The Pies’ leading goal kicker on five different occasions, Mihocek just does the heavy lifting. No speckies, no snaps from the boundary – teams need meat and potatoes players, and Brody is exactly that.
IZAK RANKINE – Has not yet put together the full season that *could* see him regarded as one of the best in the game. Will it be this year? I have a feeling this might be the last time we see him on a team like this.
AARON NAUGHTON – I feel for Naughton, as he seemingly took a backseat to ensure Jamarra Ugle-Hagan got to play as the deepest forward last year… but I thought he would be a bigger influence on games by now
INTERCHANGE (FIVE SPOTS)
JAKE LLOYD – Underrated as… a very underrated thing. Sometimes underrated by even his own supporters! Two Bob Skilton Medals demonstrate just how valued he is to those within the Sydney Footy Club. They don’t just hand out B&F awards.
CALLAN WARD – Hard as nails and a leader you cannot help but follow. Walks where angels fear to tread… or so I’ve heard. I know a few devils, but angels seem hard to find.
JACK BUCKLEY – Plays a support role to Sam Taylor, but when he has been asked to lift, and step into the number one role, he has done it with ease.
HARRY HIMMELBERG – Was good as a forward, but made a leap when he was moved to half-back a couple of years back.
ROWAN MARSHALL – Has been threatening for a few years, now, but with Max Gawn taking a break for a year (Tim English slotting into the AA slot a couple of years ago), and then re-asserting himself in 2024, it is going to take something special to knock the Dees champ off his throne.
And there we go. Anyone you think has been a little hard-done-by when it comes to AA selections? Feel free to add them.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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