Tough season for Crows and Power reflected in All-Australian nominations with Rory Laird, Tom Jonas and Robbie Gray
ONLY three SA-based players are in the 40-man All-Australian nominations for the AFL Team of Year this season. See the full list and tell us who was lucky or unlucky.
ADELAIDE has just one All-Australian contender — Rory Laird; Port Adelaide has two — Tom Jonas and Robbie Gray.
And the case for any of this trio to remain in the All-Australian line-up named on Wednesday is tough, leaving the prospect of no SA-based player in the AFL Team of the Year for the first time since 2011.
This also was the season both SA-based AFL teams failed to play finals — as they will not this year.
Laird has earned his fourth consecutive All-Australian nomination and achieved All-Australian honours last year. But he will face competition to hold All-Australian status from two first-time nominees, Jake Lloyd at Sydney and Tom Stewart at Geelong. They tellingly rank second and third respectively for rebound-50s this season. Laird ranks at No. 10.
Jonas is an All-Australian nominee for the second consecutive season. In question is whether his absence by injury — hamstring and kneecap surgery — from four games this year, his best in eight years at the Port Adelaide, will hinder his selection.
Gray is nominated for the fourth time — and he has made the Team of the Year with his previous three nominations in 2014, 2015 and last season. His place as a “small forward” in the All-Australian line-up appears claimed by Hawthorn goalsneak Luke Breust who has kicked 53 goals this season to rank fifth in the Coleman Medal race.
Gray kicked 36 goals this year.
The fall of the SA-based AFL teams — Adelaide from minor premier last season to 12th this year and Port Adelaide from fifth to 10th — has significantly changed the standing of the Crows and Power players in the eyes of the All-Australian selectors.
Adelaide had eight nominees last season — and finished with three All-Australians, Laird, small forward Eddie Betts and midfielder Matt Crouch.
Port Adelaide had three nominees last season with Gray and lead ruckman Patrick Ryder making the final 22.
The 40-man nomination squad is predictably dominated by eight players from defending AFL premier and this year’s top-ranked team, Richmond: Brownlow Medallist Dustin Martin, Coleman Medallist Jack Riewoldt, captain Trent Cotchin, 2017 All-Australian captain Alex Rance, Josh Caddy, Dylan Grimes, Shane Edwards and Kane Lambert.
Gold Coast and St Kilda are the only clubs among the 18 league teams without All-Australian nominees.
The All-Australian selectors have set up the prospect of two ruckmen being named in the final line-up or a tough final choice from the nominations of Max Gawn (Melbourne) and Brodie Grundy (Collingwood).
There are 22 players seeking All-Australian honour for the first time.
2018 ALL-AUSTRALIAN NOMINEES
Rory Laird (Adelaide)
Harris Andrews, Dayne Beams (Brisbane)
Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
Jordan de Goey, Brodie Grundy, Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom (Collingwood)
Devon Smith (Essendon)
Lachie Neale (Fremantle)
Mark Blicavs, Patrick Dangerfield, Tom Hawkins, Tom Stewart (Geelong)
Callan Ward, Lachie Whitfield (Greater Western Sydney)
Luke Breust, Jack Gunston, Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn)
Max Gawn, Clayton Oliver (Melbourne)
Ben Brown, Shaun Higgins (North Melbourne)
Robbie Gray, Tom Jonas (Port Adelaide)
Josh Caddy, Trent Cotchin, Shane Edwards, Dylan Grimes, Kane Lambert, Dustin Martin, Alex Rance, Jack Riewoldt (Richmond)
Lance Franklin, Jake Lloyd (Sydney)
Andrew Gaff, Shannon Hurn, Jeremy McGovern, Elliot Yeo (West Coast)
Jack Macrae (Western Bulldogs).
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