Analysis Rolling All-Australian team for 2021

[LeverPuller]

May shouldn't be in the team IMO. Him taking the kick outs inflate his stats. He isn't in the top 5 tall defenders this year for me. Good defender, but just think other players have been better tall defenders.

How do you acknowledge the system defence of Melbourne that is universally recognised as the most stifling in the league though?

 

[00Stinger]

May shouldn't be in the team IMO. Him taking the kick outs inflate his stats. He isn't in the top 5 tall defenders this year for me. Good defender, but just think other players have been better tall defenders.

He is FB, the only stats that matter is the amount of goals he has kicked on him

May should have been in last year and if he isn't in this year they are just taking the piss

 

[ExYarraValley]

How do you acknowledge the system defence of Melbourne that is universally recognised as the most stifling in the league though?

In 2009 StKilda had the best defensive year in history. Not one player from there back 6 made All Australian.

 

[g_TRAIN]

With the game in the balance at 3/4 time and our recent history of last-quarter fadeouts, Steele put the team on his back and had the following in the last quarter:

15 disposals (@93% efficiency)
6 contested possessions
5 marks
4 clearances
2 goals
1 goal assist
65 fantasy points

Beast mode.

What a legend. That was a huge last quarter really won it for us.

 

[g_TRAIN]

In 2009 StKilda had the best defensive year in history. Not one player from there back 6 made All Australian.

Sam Fisher really should have made that team though. But I agree with the point you are making

 

[300Weatherby]

In 2009 StKilda had the best defensive year in history. Not one player from there back 6 made All Australian.

I'm pretty sure Goddard played in defense that year

 

[Scythe]

May shouldn't be in the team IMO. Him taking the kick outs inflate his stats. He isn't in the top 5 tall defenders this year for me. Good defender, but just think other players have been better tall defenders.

You could make legitimate arguments for Salem and Lever missing, maybe even Gawn. Hell, you could even convince some people that Petracca and Oliver aren't locks due to the wealth of high performing mids this year. Not May though, he's been the best tall defender in the league and anchors the best defence in the comp. One of the first picked.

 

[Ducky Tie]

Zach Merrett is having an astonishingly good year. Like, top top shelf. Yes, I know I’m an Essendon fan blowing his trumpet but I can’t separate he and Parish this year. His disposals aren’t just dicky little backwards and sideways passes either. They are generally damaging and to the team’s advantage, thrusting forward.

There is always a midfield logjam but the way he is being overlooked for the 22 here just doesn’t gel with me.

The quality of midfielders is so high, there are going to be stiff players. Merrett is terrific, but I'd have him below that top echelon of midfielders. For a centre square midfielder, he doesn't do the inside work that the regular names here do. I'd have him in the 40 though.

 

[ExYarraValley]

I'm pretty sure Goddard played in defense that year

Nick Maxwell made it that year FFS.

 

[ExYarraValley]

Salem has no place in the AA team. You can't avoid body contact the way he does and get a gig.

 

[Scythe]

Salem has no place in the AA team. You can't avoid body contact the way he does and get a gig.

Even if this was remotely true, Chad Wingard made an All-Australian team and he's the biggest cat you'll ever see.

 

[Toump Ass]

You could make legitimate arguments for Salem and Lever missing, maybe even Gawn. Hell, you could even convince some people that Petracca and Oliver aren't locks due to the wealth of high performing mids this year. Not May though, he's been the best tall defender in the league and anchors the best defence in the comp. One of the first picked.

I haven't watched too many other teams closely this year but I reckon Lever's had a better year than May. More consistent at least.

May's last few weeks have cemented his spot for me though. He's been huge when the midfield has been poor.

 

[ExYarraValley]

Even if this was remotely true, Chad Wingard made an All-Australian team and he's the biggest cat you'll ever see.

Salem is far worse and he's no good defensively. Never takes a dangerous forward.

 

[Scythe]

Salem is far worse and he's no good defensively. Never takes a dangerous forward.

That's the funny thing about rebounding half-back flankers. Let me know how often Rich, Stewart, Dale, Hind, Lloyd, Short, Ridley, Hall, Ziebell etc lock down on dangerous forwards and I'll listen to your argument.

 

[Scythe]

I haven't watched too many other teams closely this year but I reckon Lever's had a better year than May. More consistent at least.

May's last few weeks have cemented his spot for me though. He's been huge when the midfield has been poor.

Lever has been really good, but I don't think he's been more consistent than May. Lever's role makes him more susceptible to down games, as the loose intercepting tall can be planned for by putting a negating forward on them, whereas May takes the best tall every week, doesn't get beaten, and is also able to peel off offensively and generate scoring chains.

 

[ExYarraValley]

That's the funny thing about rebounding half-back flankers. Let me know how often Rich, Stewart, Dale, Hind, Lloyd, Short, Ridley, Hall, Ziebell etc lock down on dangerous forwards and I'll listen to your argument.

Tom Stewart does both as does most of that list. Salem under any one on one pressure is terrible.

 

[blueiris]

He would be the least deserving pick in that team. Struggling for that 3rd small / medium forward spot after Pettracca and Greene. No actual small / medium forward has been deserving and no other deserving midfielder has kicked enough goals to be named there. Bont could but he has been dominant this year and deserves to be named in the middle.

Zorko

 

[blueiris]

I am assuming you are either a) a parody account or b) have never watched an AFL game.

Literally about half of this team - Hurn, Riewoldt, Bolton, Cameron, Shuey, Daniel, Ryan, Zorko - has no business being near the squad of 40 let alone the AA team.

Zorko has been one the best performed players this season

 

[Muddiemoose]

Pretty surprised we aren’t seeing much love for Grimes, been a rock for Richmond especially with the injury's in our backline
Ranked 8th in the comp for intercepts more than (Stewart by ave)

Also doesn’t play off his man like some of the other intercept players like Leever

 

[blueiris]

That's the funny thing about rebounding half-back flankers. Let me know how often Rich, Stewart, Dale, Hind, Lloyd, Short, Ridley, Hall, Ziebell etc lock down on dangerous forwards and I'll listen to your argument.

That’s not their job they’re there to add run to a teams structure

 

[danster168]

May shouldn't be in the team IMO. Him taking the kick outs inflate his stats. He isn't in the top 5 tall defenders this year for me. Good defender, but just think other players have been better tall defenders.

So it's May's fault because he's the best kicking key defender in the league and the only key defender that takes the majority of his teams kick ins? Odd.

 

[Scythe]

That’s not their job they’re there to add run to a teams structure

Precisely

 

[schmuttt]

Tom Stewart does both as does most of that list. Salem under any one on one pressure is terrible.

Salem isn’t even soft but I’ll indulge you. This is such an archaic opinion Adam. His job is literally being a seagull because he is a beautiful kick. Not everyone needs to play like Selwood and have a kamikaze attack on the footy, we have enough of those guys in the side already.

 

[andrewb]

Does anyone in the competition have a better contested defence loss percentage than Jordan Ridley

14

Jordan Ridley

Age

27

Ht

195cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.6

4star

K

11.1

4star

HB

4.5

3star

M

6.4

5star

T

1.7

4star

MG

244.8

4star

D

17.0

4star

K

11.9

5star

HB

5.1

3star

M

6.7

5star

T

1.7

3star

MG

265.4

4star

D

13.8

4star

K

9.6

4star

HB

4.2

4star

M

5.2

5star

T

1.4

4star

MG

208.2

4star

? He's running at 9.1% compared to 20%+ for Jake Lever

8

Jake Lever

Age

29

Ht

194cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.6

4star

K

9.7

4star

HB

4.9

4star

M

5.4

5star

T

1.3

3star

MG

242.0

4star

D

9.6

2star

K

6.5

3star

HB

3.1

2star

M

3.9

4star

T

1.3

2star

MG

145.4

3star

D

16.0

4star

K

11.0

4star

HB

5.0

4star

M

6.6

5star

T

1.6

4star

MG

189.8

4star

(https://www.afl.com.au/stats/stats-pro#/Discover/CD_I298281/Lever-Jake), Tom Stewart, Aliir Aliir

21

Aliir Aliir

Age

31

Ht

194cm

Wt

96kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.2

4star

K

9.3

4star

HB

5.9

4star

M

5.2

5star

T

1.9

4star

MG

240.9

4star

D

11.0

3star

K

6.0

2star

HB

5.0

3star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.0

3star

D

13.0

4star

K

6.4

3star

HB

6.6

4star

M

3.8

4star

T

2.0

4star

MG

158.4

3star

, Jacob Weitering

23

Jacob Weitering

Age

28

Ht

195cm

Wt

102kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.8

4star

K

9.1

4star

HB

4.7

3star

M

5.6

5star

T

1.3

3star

MG

189.4

3star

No current season stats available

D

16.8

4star

K

10.8

4star

HB

6.0

4star

M

6.0

5star

T

0.8

3star

MG

263.4

4star

, Steven May

1

Steven May

Age

33

Ht

193cm

Wt

101kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.7

4star

K

10.5

4star

HB

4.2

3star

M

5.1

5star

T

1.5

3star

MG

307.3

4star

D

15.5

4star

K

12.1

5star

HB

3.4

2star

M

3.4

3star

T

0.5

1star

MG

378.4

5star

D

12.4

4star

K

8.8

4star

HB

3.6

3star

M

3.2

4star

T

1.8

4star

and Harris Andrews

31

Harris Andrews

Age

29

Ht

200cm

Wt

98kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.8

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

5.4

4star

M

5.6

5star

T

1.6

4star

MG

151.7

2star

D

17.0

4star

K

9.0

4star

HB

8.0

4star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.0

3star

D

9.8

3star

K

5.0

2star

HB

4.8

4star

M

3.4

4star

T

1.6

4star

MG

94.0

2star

.

He's only lost 3 of the 33 contests he's been involved in.

Absolute freak.

 

[danster168]

Tom Stewart does both as does most of that list. Salem under any one on one pressure is terrible.

Factually incorrect. Salem is hard so no idea what you're talking about. Just because you have elite skills doesn't make you soft. And Salem with ball in hand and pressure coming at him is the most composed player in the league. He doesn't feel pressure. He's the sort of guy that kicks an after the siren goal in a GF and his heart rate wouldn't even go up.