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Preview 2025 All Australian - Who makes it?

Who makes the AA squad of 22

  • Jordan Dawson

    Votes: 49 100.0%
  • Riley Thilthorpe

    Votes: 39 79.6%
  • Josh Worrell

    Votes: 47 95.9%
  • Izak Rankine

    Votes: 3 6.1%
  • Mark Keane

    Votes: 9 18.4%

  • Total voters
    49
  • Poll closed .

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I was surprised when Worrall wasn't selected in the team. Cant understand it. Then when the AA captain was announced I was gobsmacked. I could have accepted Noah Anderson or Bont but would have been disappointed. Cameron should not have been the AA captain.

For me its becoming more of a recognition for "good service" to the game and not about the qualities that a captain must have. Dawson should have had this honour bestowed on him. Even the players themself were of the same opinion.

Becoming? There have been some utter shockers as AA captain in recent times, seeing Tom Hawkins (2022), Lance Franklin (2019) have also got the nod.
 
Last edited:
Apologies if this is a double up, haven’t scrolled through the entire thread, but here are the numbers regarding AA selections from the Minor Premiers over the last decade:

Adelaide 2025: 2 players
Swans 2024: 4 players
Collingwood 2023: 3 players
Geelong 2022: 5 players
Melbourne 2021: 5 players
Port 2020: 3 players
Geelong 2019: 4 players
Richmond 2018: 4 players
Adelaide 2017: 3 players
Sydney 2016: 5 players
Fremantle 2015: 2 players

2/11 with 2 players (Adelaide and Fremantle)

3/11 with 3 players (Adelaide, Port, Collingwood)

3/11 with 4 players (Sydney, Geelong, Richmond)

3/11 with 5 players (Sydney, Geelong, Melbourne)
 

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Sam Manure in The Age today (in case not already posted)


Nick Daicos was named on the bench. Of all the mistakes the AFL has made throughout the year (and there have been many), the biggest error of the year was saved for the All-Australian selectors, who put the best player in the competition (by some distance) on the bench.

“Who do you want out of the midfield?” an AA selector said to me after my exasperated rant. “Anyone,” I responded. I mean, it’s not like the midfield was Buckley, Voss, Judd. It was Noah Anderson, Jordan Dawson, Ed Richards.

Yes, Jordan has had a great year, but he’s an overrated kick.


also

Curnow unfollows Carlton. Ouch


In almost all relationship breakdowns, one question is asked: how did it come to this?

And when it comes to Carlton and Charlie Curnow, no query could be more poignant. Everything was going so well, the knee injury problems were in the rearview mirror, we were winning Colemans, playing in finals and a long-term commitment had been agreed to. The ring was on the finger.
 
Sam Manure in The Age today (in case not already posted)


Nick Daicos was named on the bench. Of all the mistakes the AFL has made throughout the year (and there have been many), the biggest error of the year was saved for the All-Australian selectors, who put the best player in the competition (by some distance) on the bench.

“Who do you want out of the midfield?” an AA selector said to me after my exasperated rant. “Anyone,” I responded. I mean, it’s not like the midfield was Buckley, Voss, Judd. It was Noah Anderson, Jordan Dawson, Ed Richards.

Yes, Jordan has had a great year, but he’s an overrated kick.


also

Curnow unfollows Carlton. Ouch


In almost all relationship breakdowns, one question is asked: how did it come to this?

And when it comes to Carlton and Charlie Curnow, no query could be more poignant. Everything was going so well, the knee injury problems were in the rearview mirror, we were winning Colemans, playing in finals and a long-term commitment had been agreed to. The ring was on the finger.
Why read it let alone post it on here?
 
FYI there was a lot of content and I read 30 seconds of it. Calling Dawson an over rated kick seems like a very bad call to me but perhaps others disagree

And the other headline - which I wasnt aware of - with Curnow unfollowing Blues is clearly escalating his desired departure

I read and watch a lot of stuff mate and try to only post snippets where I think it may add value
 
Three gun captains in the team and they’re all ignored. You can’t make this stuff up.
AFL don't rate leadership...

Explains why we have had Dill-on & Kane as the 2 most senior executives... who both just happened to be on the AA panel.

Both are completely out of their depth.
 

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Who should have been AA Captain? King and Cornes discuss the All-Australian team​

The 2025 All-Australian team has arrived, with a nine-person committee settling on the best 22 players across the AFL season.
The selection panel, compromised of Andrew Dillon (Chair), Eddie Betts, Jude Bolton, Nathan Buckley, Kane Cornes, Abbey Holmes, Glen Jakovich, Laura Kane and Matthew Pavlich revealed their 22 on Thursday night at the official AFL Awards ceremony.
Featuring three Lions and three Dogs, the team is made up of 11 first-timers, while ruckman Max Gawn managed a record-equalling eighth selection.
Having sat on the selection panel, Kane Cornes faced a range of questions from SEN Fireball co-host David King, debating omissions, the captain and the overall team selection.

“How does it arrive at Jeremy Cameron as captain?”

King: “I love Cameron. I think he’s been the best player in the comp over probably the last two and a half years. I think there was a point halfway through the season of ’22 where he was just amazing. His field kicking was next level.
“It normally goes to a person of stature in their own club. Someone who is in the leadership of their own club if not captain of their own club. We seem to have moved away from that. Is it a conscious decision to make it a marquee player?”

Cornes: “Who would your captain have been?”
King: “I think there was a choice of captains. Jordan Dawson, who was vice-captain – I would have thought he would have been in the running. I would have thought Noah Anderson was a chance.
“Is it a clear decision to go away from club captains to the marquee player?”
Cornes: “In the past, there have been captains of the All-Australian team that aren’t captain of their own club. Buddy Franklin has been the captain; Tom Hawkins has been the captain of the All-Australian team.
“It has been the title of recognition of long and outstanding performance. Is it a conscious decision? I don’t know. Buddy was captain years ago – he’s never been captain of his club, and I don’t think he would have spent a whole heap of time in the leadership group across his 20-year career.
Tom Hawkins, similar to Jeremy Cameron. I think it’s an outstanding honour for a player that has been at the top of his game for such a long period of time and was clearly one of the better performers individually for the year.”
King: “So, you were aware when you left that meeting that he would be captain?”
Cornes: “Yeah. That’s a collective decision as they all are.”

“How does Josh Battle get in the back pocket?”

King:“The criteria that comes back to me every time we have this discussion is, have they had an All-Australian level year, and who would you take out if you’re going to bring one in.
“He’s had a very good year. Has he had an All-Australian level year would be my question.”
Cornes: “Who would you have selected in front of him?”
King: “I think (Josh) Worrell has probably had a better season, I think (Nick) Vlastuin has probably had a better season. They would be the two that I think would consider themselves unlucky for that spot.”
Cornes: “Do you think Vlastuin plays a similar role?”
King: “Yep.”
Cornes: “Well, I don’t. I think Battle takes the best opposition forward, Vlastuin doesn’t do that. I’m not here to defend the team, but if you look at (Battle’s) record on the best this year, it is extraordinary. His performance on the opposition’s most dangerous forward was outstanding.”
King: “Extraordinary? Wow.”
Cornes: “His defensive performance on the best was extraordinary. Once again, I think Worrell doesn’t play the role that Battle plays.”
King: “Does (Callum) Wilkie?”
Cornes: “Yeah.”
King: “So, you’ve rated Battle’s season above Wilkie’s?”
Cornes: “As a nine-person selection committee, yes.”

“Why didn't Aaron Naughton make the 44-man squad?”

King: “The only one I want to ask you specifically is about Aaron Naughton, and how he didn’t make the squad. I find that staggering! I had a few people send me some messages because they thought it was personal.
“When you look at the goalkickers for the year, Cameron, (Jack) Gunston, Ben King, (Mitch) Georgiades, (Riley) Thilthorpe, (Jamie) Elliott and (Sam) Darcy are the other top eight goal kickers for the year, and Naughton, who sits at four, is not even in the squad. Logic? Reasoning?”
Cornes: “Once again, it’s a nine-person selection committee.”
King: “Give me an idea as to why he’s not there. You don’t have to give specifics, but why would the other guys be ahead of him?”
Cornes: “What’s your best guess? If you sat down at the Round 12 point of selecting an All-Australian team, where do you think Aaron Naughton would have been halfway through the year.
“Darcy comes back, and his performance is great and he had a stretch there that was absolutely worthy of All-Australian selection. There are some good forwards.”

“Four mids on the bench doesn’t sit well with me.”

Cornes: “Which one of (Nick) Daicos, (Marcus) Bontempelli, (Caleb) Serong or (Matt) Rowell should have missed out?”
King: “There should have been a seventh defender there, for me.”
Cornes: “Nick Daicos can play in the defence. He’s played it pretty well.”
King: “We’ve already got Nasiah down there as that style of player.”
Cornes: “Well, if you want a seventh defender, Daicos could perform that role very very well.”
King: “I don’t think you picked a seventh defender, which would be my critique.”
Cornes: “So, Nick Daicos can’t play as a seventh defender?”
King: “I don’t think you’ve picked him as a seventh defender.”

“Are you happy with the team?”

Cornes: “Very happy. I find the sooking and the whinging about it… I get the passion; everyone wants their player to be selected. It’s not easy, and there are players that had outstanding years that have been unlucky and have missed out.”
King: “Before we leave it, would you personally say that Worrell was the most unlucky?”
Cornes: “No, I think there was a couple of unlucky players. I loved Josh Worrell’s season. As a collective, we’re very happy with the team.”


Well as a collective we think you're a flog Jane Cornes, and FMD you've just gone and done proved it.
 
Last edited:

Who should have been AA Captain? King and Cornes discuss the All-Australian team​

The 2025 All-Australian team has arrived, with a nine-person committee settling on the best 22 players across the AFL season.
The selection panel, compromised of Andrew Dillon (Chair), Eddie Betts, Jude Bolton, Nathan Buckley, Kane Cornes, Abbey Holmes, Glen Jakovich, Laura Kane and Matthew Pavlich revealed their 22 on Thursday night at the official AFL Awards ceremony.
Featuring three Lions and three Dogs, the team is made up of 11 first-timers, while ruckman Max Gawn managed a record-equalling eighth selection.
Having sat on the selection panel, Kane Cornes faced a range of questions from SEN Fireball co-host David King, debating omissions, the captain and the overall team selection.

“How does it arrive at Jeremy Cameron as captain?”

King: “I love Cameron. I think he’s been the best player in the comp over probably the last two and a half years. I think there was a point halfway through the season of ’22 where he was just amazing. His field kicking was next level.
“It normally goes to a person of stature in their own club. Someone who is in the leadership of their own club if not captain of their own club. We seem to have moved away from that. Is it a conscious decision to make it a marquee player?”

Cornes: “Who would your captain have been?”
King: “I think there was a choice of captains. Jordan Dawson, who was vice-captain – I would have thought he would have been in the running. I would have thought Noah Anderson was a chance.
“Is it a clear decision to go away from club captains to the marquee player?”
Cornes: “In the past, there have been captains of the All-Australian team that aren’t captain of their own club. Buddy Franklin has been the captain; Tom Hawkins has been the captain of the All-Australian team.
“It has been the title of recognition of long and outstanding performance. Is it a conscious decision? I don’t know. Buddy was captain years ago – he’s never been captain of his club, and I don’t think he would have spent a whole heap of time in the leadership group across his 20-year career.
“Tom Hawkins, similar to Jeremy Cameron. I think it’s an outstanding honour for a player that has been at the top of his game for such a long period of time and was clearly one of the better performers individually for the year.”
King: “So, you were aware when you left that meeting that he would be captain?”
Cornes: “Yeah. That’s a collective decision as they all are.”

“How does Josh Battle get in the back pocket?”

King:“The criteria that comes back to me every time we have this discussion is, have they had an All-Australian level year, and who would you take out if you’re going to bring one in.
“He’s had a very good year. Has he had an All-Australian level year would be my question.”
Cornes: “Who would you have selected in front of him?”
King: “I think (Josh) Worrell has probably had a better season, I think (Nick) Vlastuin has probably had a better season. They would be the two that I think would consider themselves unlucky for that spot.”
Cornes: “Do you think Vlastuin plays a similar role?”
King: “Yep.”
Cornes: “Well, I don’t. I think Battle takes the best opposition forward, Vlastuin doesn’t do that. I’m not here to defend the team, but if you look at (Battle’s) record on the best this year, it is extraordinary. His performance on the opposition’s most dangerous forward was outstanding.”
King: “Extraordinary? Wow.”
Cornes: “His defensive performance on the best was extraordinary. Once again, I think Worrell doesn’t play the role that Battle plays.”
King: “Does (Callum) Wilkie?”
Cornes: “Yeah.”
King: “So, you’ve rated Battle’s season above Wilkie’s?”
Cornes: “As a nine-person selection committee, yes.”

“Why didn't Aaron Naughton make the 44-man squad?”

King: “The only one I want to ask you specifically is about Aaron Naughton, and how he didn’t make the squad. I find that staggering! I had a few people send me some messages because they thought it was personal.
“When you look at the goalkickers for the year, Cameron, (Jack) Gunston, Ben King, (Mitch) Georgiades, (Riley) Thilthorpe, (Jamie) Elliott and (Sam) Darcy are the other top eight goal kickers for the year, and Naughton, who sits at four, is not even in the squad. Logic? Reasoning?”
Cornes: “Once again, it’s a nine-person selection committee.”
King: “Give me an idea as to why he’s not there. You don’t have to give specifics, but why would the other guys be ahead of him?”
Cornes: “What’s your best guess? If you sat down at the Round 12 point of selecting an All-Australian team, where do you think Aaron Naughton would have been halfway through the year.
“Darcy comes back, and his performance is great and he had a stretch there that was absolutely worthy of All-Australian selection. There are some good forwards.”

“Four mids on the bench doesn’t sit well with me.”

Cornes: “Which one of (Nick) Daicos, (Marcus) Bontempelli, (Caleb) Serong or (Matt) Rowell should have missed out?”
King: “There should have been a seventh defender there, for me.”
Cornes: “Nick Daicos can play in the defence. He’s played it pretty well.”
King: “We’ve already got Nasiah down there as that style of player.”
Cornes: “Well, if you want a seventh defender, Daicos could perform that role very very well.”
King: “I don’t think you picked a seventh defender, which would be my critique.”
Cornes: “So, Nick Daicos can’t play as a seventh defender?”
King: “I don’t think you’ve picked him as a seventh defender.”

“Are you happy with the team?”

Cornes: “Very happy. I find the sooking and the whinging about it… I get the passion; everyone wants their player to be selected. It’s not easy, and there are players that had outstanding years that have been unlucky and have missed out.”
King: “Before we leave it, would you personally say that Worrell was the most unlucky?”
Cornes: “No, I think there was a couple of unlucky players. I loved Josh Worrell’s season. As a collective, we’re very happy with the team.”


Well as a collective we think you're a flog Jane Cornes, and FMD you've just gone and done proved it.
Come on surely you knew it before now
 
Feel like they made this choice for media clickbait and the memes.

Five actual club captains in the team (Dawson, Noah Anderson, Harris Andrews, Max Gawn, Bont) and they pick the one guy who by his own admission has never been a captain of anything.
That's absolutely why they do it. Not a single minute of AFL football being played this week but we're all still dialed in.

Kane makes a handful of appalling AA calls every year for this reason. If they picked Dawson as captain or put Worrell at HBF, he wouldn't have a thousand people calling up his show the next morning and Kingy wouldn't have anything to argue about. And then Kane can say "you're all just whingers, I don't want to hear about it" - he loves hearing about it!

It's a pantomime and Kane is the best in the business. SEN, AFL Media and Channel 7 pay him millions for it and he's worth every cent.
 

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Who should have been AA Captain? King and Cornes discuss the All-Australian team​

The 2025 All-Australian team has arrived, with a nine-person committee settling on the best 22 players across the AFL season.
The selection panel, compromised of Andrew Dillon (Chair), Eddie Betts, Jude Bolton, Nathan Buckley, Kane Cornes, Abbey Holmes, Glen Jakovich, Laura Kane and Matthew Pavlich revealed their 22 on Thursday night at the official AFL Awards ceremony.
Featuring three Lions and three Dogs, the team is made up of 11 first-timers, while ruckman Max Gawn managed a record-equalling eighth selection.
Having sat on the selection panel, Kane Cornes faced a range of questions from SEN Fireball co-host David King, debating omissions, the captain and the overall team selection.

“How does it arrive at Jeremy Cameron as captain?”

King: “I love Cameron. I think he’s been the best player in the comp over probably the last two and a half years. I think there was a point halfway through the season of ’22 where he was just amazing. His field kicking was next level.
“It normally goes to a person of stature in their own club. Someone who is in the leadership of their own club if not captain of their own club. We seem to have moved away from that. Is it a conscious decision to make it a marquee player?”

Cornes: “Who would your captain have been?”
King: “I think there was a choice of captains. Jordan Dawson, who was vice-captain – I would have thought he would have been in the running. I would have thought Noah Anderson was a chance.
“Is it a clear decision to go away from club captains to the marquee player?”
Cornes: “In the past, there have been captains of the All-Australian team that aren’t captain of their own club. Buddy Franklin has been the captain; Tom Hawkins has been the captain of the All-Australian team.
“It has been the title of recognition of long and outstanding performance. Is it a conscious decision? I don’t know. Buddy was captain years ago – he’s never been captain of his club, and I don’t think he would have spent a whole heap of time in the leadership group across his 20-year career.
“Tom Hawkins, similar to Jeremy Cameron. I think it’s an outstanding honour for a player that has been at the top of his game for such a long period of time and was clearly one of the better performers individually for the year.”
King: “So, you were aware when you left that meeting that he would be captain?”
Cornes: “Yeah. That’s a collective decision as they all are.”

“How does Josh Battle get in the back pocket?”

King:“The criteria that comes back to me every time we have this discussion is, have they had an All-Australian level year, and who would you take out if you’re going to bring one in.
“He’s had a very good year. Has he had an All-Australian level year would be my question.”
Cornes: “Who would you have selected in front of him?”
King: “I think (Josh) Worrell has probably had a better season, I think (Nick) Vlastuin has probably had a better season. They would be the two that I think would consider themselves unlucky for that spot.”
Cornes: “Do you think Vlastuin plays a similar role?”
King: “Yep.”
Cornes: “Well, I don’t. I think Battle takes the best opposition forward, Vlastuin doesn’t do that. I’m not here to defend the team, but if you look at (Battle’s) record on the best this year, it is extraordinary. His performance on the opposition’s most dangerous forward was outstanding.”
King: “Extraordinary? Wow.”
Cornes: “His defensive performance on the best was extraordinary. Once again, I think Worrell doesn’t play the role that Battle plays.”
King: “Does (Callum) Wilkie?”
Cornes: “Yeah.”
King: “So, you’ve rated Battle’s season above Wilkie’s?”
Cornes: “As a nine-person selection committee, yes.”

“Why didn't Aaron Naughton make the 44-man squad?”

King: “The only one I want to ask you specifically is about Aaron Naughton, and how he didn’t make the squad. I find that staggering! I had a few people send me some messages because they thought it was personal.
“When you look at the goalkickers for the year, Cameron, (Jack) Gunston, Ben King, (Mitch) Georgiades, (Riley) Thilthorpe, (Jamie) Elliott and (Sam) Darcy are the other top eight goal kickers for the year, and Naughton, who sits at four, is not even in the squad. Logic? Reasoning?”
Cornes: “Once again, it’s a nine-person selection committee.”
King: “Give me an idea as to why he’s not there. You don’t have to give specifics, but why would the other guys be ahead of him?”
Cornes: “What’s your best guess? If you sat down at the Round 12 point of selecting an All-Australian team, where do you think Aaron Naughton would have been halfway through the year.
“Darcy comes back, and his performance is great and he had a stretch there that was absolutely worthy of All-Australian selection. There are some good forwards.”

“Four mids on the bench doesn’t sit well with me.”

Cornes: “Which one of (Nick) Daicos, (Marcus) Bontempelli, (Caleb) Serong or (Matt) Rowell should have missed out?”
King: “There should have been a seventh defender there, for me.”
Cornes: “Nick Daicos can play in the defence. He’s played it pretty well.”
King: “We’ve already got Nasiah down there as that style of player.”
Cornes: “Well, if you want a seventh defender, Daicos could perform that role very very well.”
King: “I don’t think you picked a seventh defender, which would be my critique.”
Cornes: “So, Nick Daicos can’t play as a seventh defender?”
King: “I don’t think you’ve picked him as a seventh defender.”

“Are you happy with the team?”

Cornes: “Very happy. I find the sooking and the whinging about it… I get the passion; everyone wants their player to be selected. It’s not easy, and there are players that had outstanding years that have been unlucky and have missed out.”
King: “Before we leave it, would you personally say that Worrell was the most unlucky?”
Cornes: “No, I think there was a couple of unlucky players. I loved Josh Worrell’s season. As a collective, we’re very happy with the team.”


Well as a collective we think you're a flog Jane Cornes, and FMD you've just gone and done proved it.
"It's a nine-person panel" is clearly Kane's code for "I didn't agree with that one".
 
The only defence of Dawson not being captain is that the AA captain role has always been stupid and doesn't go to the player who would obviously be the best captain out of the selected players. Guys like Bont, Gawn and Ricciuto have been AA tons of times and only been captain once or twice, and players who have never been captain like Franklin, Hawkins and McLeod have been selected as captain before, including above those players and other well-established captains.

It's basically just picking a good player from the team who hasn't been captain previously. Like a lifetime achievement award.

Worrell being left out is much dumber.
 
The AFL would have hated Cameron's interview where he completely took the piss

Was hilarious but completely embarrassed the AFL and the selectors.

Guaranteed that this is the last selection of this type and the captaincy from now on will go to a standout leader.
 

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