AFL All-Australia Team 2025: Our best side after Round 12

Four players fought it out for one spot in our mid-season AFL All-Australia team – and the battle saw some big names miss out. See the full side and have your say.

Izak Rankine, Christian Petracca, Chad Warner or Patrick Dangerfield?

One of the toughest calls in the mid-season team of the year came down to the vital role of the mid-forward.

With Dees star Kysaiah Pickett on one half-forward flank, a four-way battle erupted on the other side.

And much of it came down to perception.

Christian Petracca built into an impressive season. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Dangerfield has been dinged for missing the last two weeks, but does that cause unfair recency bias?

Is Warner’s battling Swans team bringing him down or is he not helping enough?

Rankine has been that good or is he being boosted by being the newer player in this quartet?

And has Petracca been looked upon unfairly, given the expectations for him are so high, hardly anybody in the league can match that level?

In the end, Petracca won that fight for the flank, one of 11 changes from the rolling All-Australian team last put together in round 6.

As expected, contentious calls came across the lines selected, with only 12 of the selected players genuine locks in the team.

The rest could have been thrown up between a bunch of well performing stars.

Don’t worry when you don’t see Marcus Bontempelli’s name, the Bulldog didn’t qualify as players needed to play at least eight games (or seven for Essendon and Gold Coast) to be in contention.

‘The Bont’ is one of several players who will make a run at this side when selection is next reconvened.

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INTERCHANGE

Nick Daicos, Noah Anderson, Caleb Serong, Zach Merrett, Steele Sidebottom

All midfielders on the bench, in a nod to the importance of the role and the quality of these players. Steele Sidebottom has made the team once, in 2018, and he has had as much impact on Collingwood’s fortunes this year as Nick Daicos has.

CHANGES FROM ROUND 6

IN: Dayne Zorko, Ollie Dempsey, Jordan Dawson, Kysaiah Pickett, Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Jamie Elliott, Jeremy Cameron, Max Gawn, Noah Anderson, Steele Sidebottom

OUT: Darcy Moore, Jack Sinclair, Max Holmes, Patrick Dangerfield, Toby Greene, Josh Treacy, Ben King, Sam Darcy, Tom De Koning, Matt Rowell, Andrew Brayshaw

ON THE BUBBLE (JUST MISSED)

DEF BUBBLE: Callum Wilkie, Darcy Moore, Harris Andrews, Karl Amon, Jack Sinclair, Bailey Dale, Josh Worrell, Sam Collins

Stiff for Wilkie, while Darcy Moore’s recent injury troubles have held him back. Dale, Karl Amon and Jack Sinclair are all within touching distance for a running back spot.

MID BUBBLE: Lachie Neale, Max Holmes, Connor Rozee, Tom Liberatore, Matt Rowell, Andrew Brayshaw

All you can do here is apologise to these midfielders for not making the cut, they have all had excellent seasons.

FWD BUBBLE: Izak Rankine, Patrick Dangerfield, Chad Warner, Matt Kennedy, Ben Long, Ben King

Rankine has made plenty of mid-year AA teams, but his impact just hasn’t quite been at the level of Petracca, or even Warner. Patrick Dangerfield was extremely close to making the cut as well for that mid-forward spot and will return from injury to stake his claim. Ben King missed out to Hogan, mainly because of his lack of impact outside of goalkicking. Remarkably, King has had 55 kicks this season, 50 of which have been shots at goal. That’s Tony Lockett areas.

RUCK BUBBLE: Tristan Xerri

Unlucky for Xerri. Couldn’t pick him on the bench because realistically, no team would include two pure rucks like Xerri and Gawn. Unfortunately for the big Roo, if he wants to make this team, he has to get past Gawn.

Originally published as AFL All-Australia Team 2025: Our best side after Round 12