‘Is this a gag?’: Bewilderment over snub in 40-man All-Australian squad
The AFL has named its 40-man All-Australian squad and just like ever year, there are plenty of talking points to come out of it.
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The AFL has revealed the 40-man All-Australian squad for the 2021 season.
Each season, 40 of the most outstanding players of the season are nominated for inclusion in the 22-man All-Australian squad, which will be announced on August 26 this year.
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Since 2007, the extended squad has not segregated players into specific positions, but rather features just the 40 players deemed to have performed most strongly across the home-and-away season.
A total of 21 players included in this year’s 40-man squad have not been picked in the All-Australian team before, while seven players from last year’s best 22 were included in the squad for 2021.
Lance Franklin is among those picked, putting him in contention to earn a record ninth All-Australian blazer.
Seven of the 40 players selected are on the books at the Melbourne Demons, while five play for the Brisbane Lions. All but three clubs have at least one player in the squad, with only North Melbourne, Collingwood and, incredibly, last year’s premiers the Richmond Tigers, missing out.
The omission means 2021 will be the first year since 2013 that the Tigers have no players in the All-Australian team.
There are a handful of players from around the league who can consider themselves unlucky for missing out on selection in the extended squad. Travis Boak, Josh Kelly, Cam Guthrie and Bailey Smith have all enjoyed strong seasons but were overlooked by the panel.
Boak’s exlusion in particular ruffled some feathers. The Port Adelaide star played a key role in driving his side to second on the ladder and there were plenty who couldn’t believe he’d missed out on the squad.
Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury tweeted: “I couldn’t find Travis Boak on the All Oz list, surely that’s a gag?”
Radio presenter Adam White wrote: “Do we really have to introduce the All-Australian selectors to Travis Boak again? He has played over 300 games now, they should really know who he is.”
Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd told 3AW Radio: “That really surprised us he’s not in there. He’s been dominant this year.”
The All-Australian selection panel is comprised of Gillon McLachlan (non-voting Chairman), Andrew Dillon, Chris Johnson, Glen Jakovich, Warren Tredrea, Cameron Ling, Jude Bolton, Matthew Richardson, Nick Riewoldt and Kevin Bartlett, who, along with Kevin Sheehan, also choose the winner of the NAB AFL Rising Star Award.
The 2021 40-man All-Australian squad (in alphabetical order) is:
Aliir Aliir, Port Adelaide*
Karl Amon, Port Adelaide*
Marcus Bontempelli, Western Bulldogs
Charlie Cameron, Brisbane Lions
Bailey Dale, Western Bulldogs*
Sean Darcy, Fremantle*
Lance Franklin, Sydney Swans
Bayley Fritsch, Melbourne*
Max Gawn, Melbourne
Toby Greene, GWS Giants
Tom Hawkins, Geelong Cats
Jacob Hopper, GWS Giants*
Rory Laird, Adelaide Crows
Jake Lever, Melbourne*
Jarryd Lyons, Brisbane Lions*
Jack Macrae, Western Bulldogs
Hugh McCluggage, Brisbane Lions*
Harry McKay, Carlton*
Steven May, Melbourne*
Zach Merrett, Essendon
Touk Miller, Gold Coast Suns*
Callum Mills, Sydney Swans*
Tom Mitchell, Hawthorn
David Mundy, Fremantle
Nic Naitanui, West Coast Eagles
Clayton Oliver, Melbourne
Tom Papley, Sydney Swans*
Darcy Parish, Essendon*
Luke Parker, Sydney Swans
Christian Petracca, Melbourne
Daniel Rich, Brisbane Lions*
Christian Salem, Melbourne*
Paul Seedsman, Adelaide Crows*
Jack Steele, St Kilda
Tom Stewart, Geelong Cats
Jake Stringer, Essendon
Sam Walsh, Carlton*
Jacob Weitering, Carlton*
Ollie Wines, Port Adelaide*
Dayne Zorko, Brisbane Lions
*indicates player has never been named in the All-Australian team before
Originally published as ‘Is this a gag?’: Bewilderment over snub in 40-man All-Australian squad
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