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2025 Rolling ALL-Australian Team

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If Aussie Rules footy was an international sport and a real All Australian team was being picked, you wouldn't be loading up the bench with all midfielders.

Seriously, I reckon the All Australian team has lost some of its prestige over the last few years. But thats my opinion.

As always and as it should be, Finals footy will always be the truest and toughest test for players even though the timespan only lasts for 4 weeks (1 month), but thats when the Premiership is won.

How often do we see All Australian players or Brownlow medallists fall down during Finals footy. The pressure and expectation goes up ten levels.
Serong was named freo finals mvp at 21
Bog in his first final ave over 30 in two finals
I’m expecting a big 2025 finals series from him
 
At the end of the day the AA team means nothing as it's just an opinion and opinions are like aresholes , everyone has one.
Yeah is what it is
Buddy and a couple others off memory named Luke McPharlin one of the hardest to play on , top echelon of defenders
He was AA once
One year pav was lucky and in 2012 he ave
3+ goals 17+ disposals dominated and didn’t get in
 

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I’m okay with the argument that Battle takes the best forward, but does that not mean he is competing with Andrews and Taylor for their spot? If you’re picking three taller defenders surely one of those spots goes to an intercept player.
Best forward doesn’t equal key position. Battle takes the best forwards pretty often even if it’s a medium, small or tall.

His defensive utility is a massive part in it.
 
The AFLPA ?

Plenty of players barely watch other games. Some do joke selections for fun.

The AFLPA are the worst of the lot.

Wait, this is a Dusty thing, right ? Only 4 AA. Got it.

Another worthless take
 
Ben should try getting a disposal further than 50m from goal. Averaged 5 kicks per game and 4.4 shots per game lmao. Good player but definition of the beneficiary of work up the field.
I get what you're saying, but this is also a guy that has performed in bottom 4 seasons - he kicked 47 goals in 2021 when we finished 16th and kicked 40 goals in 2023 when we finished 15th on the way back from an ACL injury that took him out for the entire 2022 season. Had another great season last year with 55 goals, despite us finishing 13th on the ladder. He's a proven goalkicker regardless of how the rest of the team is performing.

So Riley Thilthorpe was named in this year's AA team instead of Ben King. What that tells me is the AA selectors value 5 extra disposals/kicks per game more than 14 extra goals for the season. I would've thought the most important criteria is goals kicked (as evidenced below) but obviously that wasn't the case this year. Must have been a long time since a key forward that finished 5th in the Coleman race ends up getting named in the starting AA team like Thilthorpe did this year.

Top 2 in Coleman Medal
2024: Jesse Hogan + Jeremy Cameron - both named in starting AA team
2023: Charlie Curnow + Taylor Walker - both named in the starting AA team
2022: Charlie Curnow + Tom Lynch - one named in the starting AA team
2021: Harry McKay + Tom Hawkins - both named in the starting AA team
2020: Tom Hawkins + Charlie Dixon - both named in the starting AA team

I think Ben King has good reason to feel a bit cheated by not being named in the AA team this year.
 
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Lachie Ash also missed a spot who I feel would be more deserving.

Captaincy in real life is irrelevant to if you are chosen in the team
It shouldn't be. Do they want to have the AA team as a true indication of the best players that year, or do they want to make it sentimental by giving the captaincy to players who would never be one in real life?

Making him the captain when he has never been one, and the team has two or three guys who are actually captains, is making a mockery of being the AA Captain.
 
It shouldn't be. Do they want to have the AA team as a true indication of the best players that year, or do they want to make it sentimental by giving the captaincy to players who would never be one in real life?

Making him the captain when he has never been one, and the team has two or three guys who are actually captains, is making a mockery of being the AA Captain.

You're making very good points about AA captain (like the many have already), but with a fundamental flaw by saying it's a mockery, when the whole thing is mockery of seriousness.
 
So Riley Thilthorpe was named in this year's AA team instead of Ben King. What that tells me is the AA selectors value 5 extra disposals/kicks per game more than 7 extra goals for the season. I would've thought the most important criteria is goals kicked (as evidenced below) but obviously that wasn't the case this year. Must have been a long time since a key forward that finished 5th in the Coleman race ends up getting named in the starting AA team like Thilthorpe did this year.

King kicked 14 more goals than Thilthorpe, very stiff to miss out. Not that Thilthorpe deserved to miss out either though
 
King kicked 14 more goals than Thilthorpe, very stiff to miss out. Not that Thilthorpe deserved to miss out either though
You're right. I was looking at the pre-round 24 goals.

Yeah, I don't understand how the 2nd placed key forward in the Coleman race, who kicked 14 goals more than the guy who got named as a start key position forward, ends up missing out...

King should've been an AA this year. It's wrong that he missed out and trying to claim a few extra disposals is worth more than 14 extra goals isn't pretty silly IMO. Goals kicked should absolutely be the most important criteria when it comes to key forward AA selections. If it's only a goal or two difference then you can possibly make an argument for other areas, but not an extra 14 goals.
 
I get what you're saying, but this is also a guy that has performed in bottom 4 seasons - he kicked 47 goals in 2021 when we finished 16th and kicked 40 goals in 2023 when we finished 15th on the way back from an ACL injury that took him out for the entire 2022 season. Had another great season last year with 55 goals, despite us finishing 13th on the ladder. He's a proven goalkicker regardless of how the rest of the team is performing.

So Riley Thilthorpe was named in this year's AA team instead of Ben King. What that tells me is the AA selectors value 5 extra disposals/kicks per game more than 14 extra goals for the season. I would've thought the most important criteria is goals kicked (as evidenced below) but obviously that wasn't the case this year. Must have been a long time since a key forward that finished 5th in the Coleman race ends up getting named in the starting AA team like Thilthorpe did this year.

Top 2 in Coleman Medal
2024: Jesse Hogan + Jeremy Cameron - both named in starting AA team
2023: Charlie Curnow + Taylor Walker - both named in the starting AA team
2022: Charlie Curnow + Tom Lynch - one named in the starting AA team
2021: Harry McKay + Tom Hawkins - both named in the starting AA team
2020: Tom Hawkins + Charlie Dixon - both named in the starting AA team

I think Ben King has good reason to feel a bit cheated by not being named in the AA team this year.
Its not just how many goals you kick. How many goals did you give off? What else did you do around the ground?
Did you take the game by throat when it was up for grabs?
Thilthorpe was a better player the entire season, and got more coaches votes than any other forward.

If you asked every teams list manager to pick between King or Thilthorpe, and every single one of them, including Gold Coast, is picking Thilthorpe.
 

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I get what you're saying, but this is also a guy that has performed in bottom 4 seasons - he kicked 47 goals in 2021 when we finished 16th and kicked 40 goals in 2023 when we finished 15th on the way back from an ACL injury that took him out for the entire 2022 season. Had another great season last year with 55 goals, despite us finishing 13th on the ladder. He's a proven goalkicker regardless of how the rest of the team is performing.

So Riley Thilthorpe was named in this year's AA team instead of Ben King. What that tells me is the AA selectors value 5 extra disposals/kicks per game more than 14 extra goals for the season. I would've thought the most important criteria is goals kicked (as evidenced below) but obviously that wasn't the case this year. Must have been a long time since a key forward that finished 5th in the Coleman race ends up getting named in the starting AA team like Thilthorpe did this year.

Top 2 in Coleman Medal
2024: Jesse Hogan + Jeremy Cameron - both named in starting AA team
2023: Charlie Curnow + Taylor Walker - both named in the starting AA team
2022: Charlie Curnow + Tom Lynch - one named in the starting AA team
2021: Harry McKay + Tom Hawkins - both named in the starting AA team
2020: Tom Hawkins + Charlie Dixon - both named in the starting AA team

I think Ben King has good reason to feel a bit cheated by not being named in the AA team this year.
An average of goals + goal assists, then score involvements, is a much better guide over the past 15 years.
 
Its not just how many goals you kick. How many goals did you give off? What else did you do around the ground?
Did you take the game by throat when it was up for grabs?
Thilthorpe was a better player the entire season, and got more coaches votes than any other forward.

If you asked every teams list manager to pick between King or Thilthorpe, and every single one of them, including Gold Coast, is picking Thilthorpe.
An average of goals + goal assists, then score involvements, is a much better guide over the past 15 years.
Fair enough. I'm sure finishing top of the ladder helped as well. They tend to reward the minor premiers in these situations, particularly if you've come from a long way back like the Crows did this year.
 
Top 2 in Coleman Medal
2024: Jesse Hogan + Jeremy Cameron - both named in starting AA team
2023: Charlie Curnow + Taylor Walker - both named in the starting AA team
2022: Charlie Curnow + Tom Lynch - one named in the starting AA team
2021: Harry McKay + Tom Hawkins - both named in the starting AA team
2020: Tom Hawkins + Charlie Dixon - both named in the starting AA team
Gee I wonder who missed in 2022 :rolleyes:
 
I get what you're saying, but this is also a guy that has performed in bottom 4 seasons - he kicked 47 goals in 2021 when we finished 16th and kicked 40 goals in 2023 when we finished 15th on the way back from an ACL injury that took him out for the entire 2022 season. Had another great season last year with 55 goals, despite us finishing 13th on the ladder. He's a proven goalkicker regardless of how the rest of the team is performing.

So Riley Thilthorpe was named in this year's AA team instead of Ben King. What that tells me is the AA selectors value 5 extra disposals/kicks per game more than 14 extra goals for the season. I would've thought the most important criteria is goals kicked (as evidenced below) but obviously that wasn't the case this year. Must have been a long time since a key forward that finished 5th in the Coleman race ends up getting named in the starting AA team like Thilthorpe did this year.

Top 2 in Coleman Medal
2024: Jesse Hogan + Jeremy Cameron - both named in starting AA team
2023: Charlie Curnow + Taylor Walker - both named in the starting AA team
2022: Charlie Curnow + Tom Lynch - one named in the starting AA team
2021: Harry McKay + Tom Hawkins - both named in the starting AA team
2020: Tom Hawkins + Charlie Dixon - both named in the starting AA team

I think Ben King has good reason to feel a bit cheated by not being named in the AA team this year.

Nah, this is the danger of overvaluing one stat because if you take goals+goal assists, Thilthorpe and King are tied at 76 apiece (as TT is top 10 for goal assists).

Effectively, our clubs got the same goal production out of our best forwards, except we also got more disposals/a 2nd ruck/more general impact.
 
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I get what you're saying, but this is also a guy that has performed in bottom 4 seasons - he kicked 47 goals in 2021 when we finished 16th and kicked 40 goals in 2023 when we finished 15th on the way back from an ACL injury that took him out for the entire 2022 season. Had another great season last year with 55 goals, despite us finishing 13th on the ladder. He's a proven goalkicker regardless of how the rest of the team is performing.

So Riley Thilthorpe was named in this year's AA team instead of Ben King. What that tells me is the AA selectors value 5 extra disposals/kicks per game more than 14 extra goals for the season. I would've thought the most important criteria is goals kicked (as evidenced below) but obviously that wasn't the case this year. Must have been a long time since a key forward that finished 5th in the Coleman race ends up getting named in the starting AA team like Thilthorpe did this year.

Top 2 in Coleman Medal
2024: Jesse Hogan + Jeremy Cameron - both named in starting AA team
2023: Charlie Curnow + Taylor Walker - both named in the starting AA team
2022: Charlie Curnow + Tom Lynch - one named in the starting AA team
2021: Harry McKay + Tom Hawkins - both named in the starting AA team
2020: Tom Hawkins + Charlie Dixon - both named in the starting AA team

I think Ben King has good reason to feel a bit cheated by not being named in the AA team this year.

It’s not just the five extra disposals though, you’re dismissing that as if it’s nothing.

King kicked 14 more goals, but Thilthorpe had 14 more assists, 34 more score involvements and 16 more score launches. So even in the goals contributed to category, Thilthorpe still comes out ahead. Then you factor in all the other components of the game and it’s really a no brainer.
 
I get what you're saying, but this is also a guy that has performed in bottom 4 seasons - he kicked 47 goals in 2021 when we finished 16th and kicked 40 goals in 2023 when we finished 15th on the way back from an ACL injury that took him out for the entire 2022 season. Had another great season last year with 55 goals, despite us finishing 13th on the ladder. He's a proven goalkicker regardless of how the rest of the team is performing.

So Riley Thilthorpe was named in this year's AA team instead of Ben King. What that tells me is the AA selectors value 5 extra disposals/kicks per game more than 14 extra goals for the season. I would've thought the most important criteria is goals kicked (as evidenced below) but obviously that wasn't the case this year. Must have been a long time since a key forward that finished 5th in the Coleman race ends up getting named in the starting AA team like Thilthorpe did this year.

Top 2 in Coleman Medal
2024: Jesse Hogan + Jeremy Cameron - both named in starting AA team
2023: Charlie Curnow + Taylor Walker - both named in the starting AA team
2022: Charlie Curnow + Tom Lynch - one named in the starting AA team
2021: Harry McKay + Tom Hawkins - both named in the starting AA team
2020: Tom Hawkins + Charlie Dixon - both named in the starting AA team

I think Ben King has good reason to feel a bit cheated by not being named in the AA team this year.

King doesn't do anything except kick goals. That doesn't mean he's a bad player, he's obviously a very a good player.

But on the weekend he had 8 touches and kicked 7.1. that's an awesome day out, but guys like Cameron, darcy thilthorpe are up the ground creating goals, in the latter case doing ruckwork and taking big contested marks.

Its not really a comparison. Mitch Georgiadis is similar to king a bit. Great year, but he's not really dishing the ball off he's marking on the lead and taking a set shot.
 

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2025 Rolling ALL-Australian Team

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