Unsurprisingly, only Max named. AA Squad

Well done, champ!

Can't say anyone else really deserved it.  Oliver maybe but hate to say it plenty of excellent midfielders elsewhere.

The 40-player squad

• Adelaide: Daniel Talia
• Brisbane Lions: Harris Andrews, Charlie Cameron, Hugh McCluggage, Lachie Neale, Dayne Zorko
• Carlton: Patrick Cripps
• Collingwood: Brodie Grundy, Scott Pendlebury, Adam Treloar
• Fremantle: Nat Fyfe, Michael Walters
• Geelong: Gary Ablett, Mark Blicavs, Patrick Dangerfield, Tom Hawkins, Tim Kelly, Tom Stewart
• GWS: Jeremy Cameron, Nick Haynes
• Hawthorn: James Sicily
• Melbourne: Max Gawn
• North Melbourne: Ben Brown, Ben Cunnington
• Port Adelaide: Travis Boak
• Richmond: Bachar Houli, Dylan Grimes, Dustin Martin, Dion Prestia
• Sydney: Dane Rampe
• West Coast: Jack Darling, Andrew Gaff, Shannon Hurn, Jeremy McGovern,  Brad Sheppard, Luke Shuey, Elliot Yeo
• Western Bulldogs: Marcus Bontempelli, Josh Dunkley, Jack Macrae

"...Three Giants are among the major snubs, with Stephen Coniglio (15 games), Lachie Whitfield (16) and Tim Taranto (22) all overlooked.

Richmond's Tom Lynch, Docker Bradley Hill, Geelong's Mitch Duncan and Bomber Zach Merrett also missed out.

Essendon, Gold Coast and St Kilda were the only clubs without a representative."

all-australian-squad

Cogniglio and and Whitfield didn't play every game but played enough to have a body of work to show they are better than some that were selected. 

Interesting that Brad Hill missed out...wonder if it affects his trade value?  Just saw this in another article:  "Ranked among fellow wingers, the three-time premiership Hawk is first for metres gained, first for score assists and first for score involvements. Champion Data also rates him third for uncontested possessions and fourth for inside 50s."

It must be a bit of a lucky dip process by the selectors.

 

Edited August 26, 20195 yr by Lucifer's Hero

2 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Oliver maybe but hate to say it plenty of excellent midfielders elsewhere.

Oliver needs to kick more. Wasted season development wise for him. If we had some depth I would have played him on the hff post bye just to develop his kicking game.

Oliver leads the league in contested possession this year.

Max is a real warrior and our best player and deserves to be in the 40 and i think in the team, but the media seem to have a stiffy for Grundy, and he is really good player, but id still take Max.

Clayton had a great year last year, but has tread water this year, and by that i mean he has had a good year, but hasn't raised the bat, he has a lot to learn about being elite, and i think attitude is a big part of it, i love how competitive he is and thats a great starting point, but he needs to look at Dusty Martina and how much he has matured, he rarely gets sucked in to niggle and theatre with his opponent. 

How can you be LEADING contested Ball winner  in whole competition and NOT be in 40 best???

Rubbish non selection!?

In a way I'm glad Oliver has missed out.  May take the chip off his shoulder and learn his effort needs to have an impact be it metres gained, goals, work rate, defensive work etc.  He doesn't need to excel in all those of course but needs to really improve in some.

He has work to before he is in the same class as those selected.

Edited August 26, 20195 yr by Lucifer's Hero

Clarry should be there. A player who totally deserves their selection is Hugh McCluggage - has had a brilliant year. Probably won't make the 22 but not out of place in this company.

Thanks Demonland that is a great summation of the contested possession winners. To my surprise even though I think Clarrie handballs to much his kick to handball ration isn't that much different to the other gun mids in Neale, Fyfe and Cunnington. I wish he would kick more goals and maybe it is the quality of handballs or their outcome that lets him down. Another thought is that is a setup/organisation thing where rather than handball to an outside mid he dishes off to a ten mate who is also in the contest. Dangerfield is the only mid who kicks more than he handballs. Something the coach and midfield coach ned to work on

Just now, Clintosaurus said:

Clarry should be there. A player who totally deserves their selection is Hugh McCluggage - has had a brilliant year. Probably won't make the 22 but not out of place in this company.

I'm happy he isn't. He's been tagged a lot this year and seems to of developed some sort of PTSD where he has to get rid of the ball before he gets nailed. Sure, he gets a lot of the pill and has had some fantastic quarters throughout the year but I feel he isnt in the top tier. 

Ablett in the squad is a joke

He had been ok had some decent moments and games but nowhere near best 40 performing players in the league

1 minute ago, Bates Mate said:

Ablett in the squad is a joke

He had been ok had some decent moments and games but nowhere near best 40 performing players in the league

There's some real mythology around Gary this year and the standard of his season. All built around the narrative of a Cats flag of course.

48 minutes ago, Demonland said:

Oliver leads the league in contested possession this year.

Inflated stats because he handballs it 2 meters and often gets it back because it has not cleared his area. 

55 minutes ago, Demonland said:

Oliver leads the league in contested possession this year.

and every other player in the top 10 is in the squad.  Oliver has been good but his disposal and defensive side of his game have gone down from last year.  also kicked the fewest goals in that list

Clarry:  Def room for improvement and much to learn going forward but would have been in had he had a few other top liners around him other than Big M.

Harmes the next best but still a fair way off those two.

Statistically Clarry was our No.1 player this year and last.

Surprised pretty boy Rance wasn't selected....

?

Ffs. Ablett ahead of Oliver. Ridiculous. Ablett has had ok year in the top team. 

Gawn is best 22   Probably on the bench alongside mids

4 hours ago, picket fence said:

How can you be LEADING contested Ball winner  in whole competition and NOT be in 40 best???

Rubbish non selection!?

I guess because, despite the impressive stat, he doesn’t do things considered “elite” once he disposes of the possession. Unless you consider constantly putting your teammates under pressure with quick, Bruce Lee-style handball deliveries elite. 

Edited August 26, 20195 yr by Mel Bourne

Ah Still shizen....... Cops a very hard tag each week gets manhandled of the Ball.. Umps turn a Blind Eye!!

AFL STYLE FAVOURITISM at its best

Ablett?? Parrrrrk Me Dead!!!

Oliver is also 4th for clearances, 5th for tackles and 6th for overall disposals. His role is to compete at the coalface, get the ball out and stop his opponent doing so.  He does that better than anyone, even if his outside game and ball use needs work.

He had the highest ever average number of disposals per game by an MFC player this year. Beating his own records from 2018 and 2017 which are now in 2nd and 3rd place. 

On performance, he deserved to be named in the top 40 this year.

Roos left Gawn out of his 22.  Brown said it was justified because the team finished 17th...so uh, yeah, okay.

I’m not liking the rhetoric around Max. It will be outrageous if he misses out on selection. He’s had an All Australian year, comfortably.

 

as for aa 2018, pick both max and grundy for aa 2019.......simple

Luke Darcy is still a selector isn't he?  If he is Gawn is a monty for the bench.  Darcy loves him. A number of times during the year referred to him as "the best ruckman in the game". 

Clarry had far less influence on games this year. Racked up the stats but fairly ineffective. Maybe because not the two operations on his shoulders, but he refused to initiate contact this year and draw players around him.

Whitfield missing out is a mystery! Gun player and first on my list if we were looking to poach someone.

Do they invite every member of the squad to the event, or just the players who make the final 22?