Toast All-Australian squad 2016

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Anyone else have a feeling the AA selectors have yet again almost punished us for our own quality? In 2014, we had four blokes make the final team and Parker was left out, and the only explanation is that they couldn't put five Swans in there. Again, last year, JPK was amazing, but we had Hanners and they probably didn't want the midfield to be too Swans-centric. Now this year, the five Swans they've named should all be locks for the AA, so it would be a bad look if they put in six Swans even though it's deserved. So ******* dodgy that every year theres a Swan who gets penalised for being surrounded by such elite players.
 

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B: Rampe - Rance - Shaw
HB: Docherty - Talia - Laird
C: Hannebery - Sloane - Steven
HF: Rioli - Franklin - Johnson
F: Lynch (GC) - Kennedy (WCE) - Betts
R: Gawn - Kennedy (SYD)- Dangerfield
INT: Parker - Bontempelli - Martin - Mitchell
 
The AA selection panel = Gillon McLachlan, Kevin Bartlett, Luke Darcy, Mark Evans, Danny Frawley, Glen Jakovich, Cameron Ling, Matthew Richardson and Warren Tredrea.

A more farcical panel of morons you could not assemble, yet these men pick the AA team (an honour which should be among the highest in the game, to be named in the best 22 players of the year). Barlett is as out of touch as out could possibly be while Ling, Richo and that absolute plonker Darcy show us every Saturday night how little they know about any team outside Victoria and you can tell a lot of commentators favourites have been chosen and a few more deserving players have been missed.


One of our 6 deserved and likely nominees were always going to miss the final team, Grundy was probably always going to be the unlucky one if the commentary he received from the channel 7 selectors compared to his peers was always something to go b, but for him not to even get a nomination is an absolute joke.
Rampe should be a lock in defence.
Franklin as a forward should be a lock.
The three mids have all easily been amongst the top 10 mids this year (and there's always about 10 mids chosen), and all are in the coaches top 10 in the entire comp. Which means all should be in the team but watch one or two miss for a couple of the selectors good mates as Kennedy was last year (which was absolutely farcical and better not happen again).
 
Would I have heath grundy over the following

D Talia- no fair enough he is in
Tarrant yes
Rance Yes
Rampe- yeah actually tho rampe should be in too
Docherty Yes
Enright is he not allowed to miss? Yes

I'd have Rance, Talia, and Rampe over Grundy, but he's head and shoulders above the rest.
 
Gundy deserved to be in the squad. I wouldn't swap him for any of the other defenders.

Has not lowered his colours this year.
 
We get one defender. Rampe or Grundy. They went with Rampe. But again Rampe - while deserving - has benefitted from a sustained media profile. Grundy has no such media cheer squad. He just gets it done.

If Reg played in Vic his profile would be Scarlett-like.
 
Tarrant lol.

Congrats to the other 5 though. When I saw we had 5 in I guessed that it was them, even though Grundy equally as deserving as our mids.
 
Gundy deserved to be in the squad. I wouldn't swap him for any of the other defenders.

Has not lowered his colours this year.

You mustn't have seen the Richmond game at MCG. Lucky you.

Disclaimer: I also view Grundy as unlucky, although Rance and Talia have undoubted claims...
 

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Surely the final 22 has gotta look like this:

FB: Heath Shaw, Alex Rance, Jeremy McGovern
HB: Corey Enright, Daniel Talia, Dane Rampe
C: Dan Hannebery, Rory Sloane, Dustin Martin
R: Max Gawn, Patrick Dangerfield, Josh Kennedy
HF: Luke Parker, Buddy Franklin, Marcus Bontempelli
FF: Eddie Betts, Josh Kennedy, Cyril Rioli
I/C: Sam Mitchell, Joel Selwood, Stephen Coniglio, Luke Shuey

So many locks this year it should actually be easier than past seasons. Rance, Talia, Rampe, Hanners, Sloane, Martin, Gawn, Dangerfield, Parker, Franklin, Betts, Kennedy, Rioli are all locks.
 
It was a pretty big year for KPD's to be fair. I would have had Grundy in but I understand why the others were picked

I personally have Rance, Tarrant then Rampe ahead with Laird/Shaw/Enright the other defenders. McGovern would be close to the bench for mine.

I would have had reg in the 40 though ahead of talia/pittard/Simpson....
 
I personally have Rance, Tarrant then Rampe ahead with Laird/Shaw/Enright the other defenders. McGovern would be close to the bench for mine.

I would have had reg in the 40 though ahead of talia/pittard/Simpson....

Disagree on Talia, should make the side almost. One poor game where Kennedy tore him a new one shouldn't matter (would have him over Tarrant personally). Simpson is a Half back flanker. How many FB/CHB's do you want? I love Grundy but they have already picked 4 players in these positions. The team SHOULD resemble a normal side, and you don't have Full backs being on the HBF.
 
Disagree on Talia, should make the side almost. One poor game where Kennedy tore him a new one shouldn't matter (would have him over Tarrant personally). Simpson is a Half back flanker. How many FB/CHB's do you want? I love Grundy but they have already picked 4 players in these positions. The team SHOULD resemble a normal side, and you don't have Full backs being on the HBF.

Just because you are in the 40 doesnt mean you have to be named in the final 22. Reg deserved getting in the top 40, just like Roo.
 
Just because you are in the 40 doesnt mean you have to be named in the final 22. Reg deserved getting in the top 40, just like Roo.

Too many KPD's. Which KPD (and I mean actual KPD) are you excluding? All the KPD's named did have good seasons. There is no point saying 'lets take this HBF player out'. They are not competing for the same position, and I commend the selectors for not picking every single KPD. I might have picked Grundy over Tarrant but it isn't as if Tarrant hasn't had a very good year. Talia should be the full back anyway (he is in my 22). Reiwoldt is a really hard one, he wouldn't make it as a forward, take out his 9 goals against Brisbane and it reads 38 goals, not enough I would feel. Is he really making it as a midfielder? As it is Zach Merrett, Travis Boak, etc didn't make it as mids. There are a LOT of midfielders.

The only selection I don't agree with too much is Scully but I understand the reasoning.
 

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