By Andrew Wu
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Western Bulldogs champion Marcus Bontempelli has begun a potentially career-defining four weeks by being named captain of a midfielder-laden All-Australian team, as Melbourne skipper Max Gawn was cemented as one of the game’s modern greats.
The vice-captain last year, Bontempelli edged out Carlton superstar Patrick Cripps to lead the AFL’s team of the year, while the Blues’ defensive general Jacob Weitering finally broke through for his maiden green blazer – one of seven first-timers named on Thursday night.
All-Australians: Isaac Heeney, Nick Daicos, Marcus Bontempelli, Jesse Hogan and Patrick Cripps.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
Collingwood ruck Darcy Cameron, Essendon midfielder Zach Merrett and Carlton spearhead Charlie Curnow were the most notable exclusions from a side that prioritised excellence, particularly inside the centre square, over positional specialists.
Minor premiers Sydney can boast the most players in the final 22 with all four of their players named in the squad – Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey and Errol Gulden – making the final cut while the other seven finalists all had at least one player in the team. Cellar-dwellers West Coast had two, including surprise packet Jake Waterman.
Only six players retained their place in the side from 12 months ago – Magpies gun Nick Daicos, Fremantle’s midfield ace Caleb Serong, Port Adelaide pair Zak Butters and Dan Houston, Bontempelli and Gulden.
Bontempelli’s sixth All-Australian selection came on a night when he was also voted by his peers as the AFL players’ MVP, ahead of Cripps and Heeney, for the third time in the past four years.
It could be a portent of things to come for one of the finest to wear the red, white and blue – who will be the sentimental favourite on Brownlow Medal night and could also finish the season holding the premiership cup aloft while wearing the Norm Smith Medal.
All-Australian selection panels have occasionally handed the captaincy to players not renowned for their leadership, but this could not be said of Bontempelli, who was also voted by rival players as the league’s best captain.
Pipped for the honour of captain, Cripps suited up for his fourth blazer, this time as the ruck-rover, in a season in which many believe he can win a second Brownlow.
All-Australian skipper Marcus Bontempelli.Credit: AFL Photos
Gawn, preferred ahead of Cameron and North Melbourne’s Tristan Xerri in the ruck, became the 10th player to be a seven-time All Australian, joining greats such as Gary Ablett snr, Gary Ablett jnr, Lance Franklin and Patrick Dangerfield.
None of the six forwards from last year kept their place, the most controversial omission being Curnow, who had led or been second in the Coleman Medal race for much of the season but managed only one goal in the final four rounds due in part to missing games through injury.
Coleman medallist Jesse Hogan and runner-up Jeremy Cameron claimed the two key-forward posts while the 10-person selection panel opted for Waterman ahead of Curnow, Brisbane’s Joe Daniher and Blue Harry McKay.
Hawthorn forward Dylan Moore’s higher tallies for possessions, goal assists and score involvements won him a berth in the forward pocket over Geelong’s Tyson Stengle, who kicked more goals.
Hawthorn’s Dylan Moore was named in the All-Australian side.Credit: Getty Images
Goalkicking midfielders Heeney and Warner were named on the half-forward flanks despite playing primarily on the ball. Daicos’ selection on the wing was notable in that he hardly played there, while a specialist in that position, Hawthorn’s Massimo D’Ambrosio, was overlooked, essentially to fit in a better-performed midfielder.
Midfield trio Lachie Neale, Adam Treloar and Butters were picked on the bench, meaning the side features nine players, excluding ruckman Gawn, who regularly start in the centre square for their clubs.
Selectors acknowledged Brisbane veteran Dayne Zorko’s resurgence, plugging him in on a half-back flank – a position he would likely not have played if not for Keidean Coleman’s season-ending injury in the opening round. Curiously, the midfielder’s two All-Australian gongs have come as a half-back and a half-forward.
Jeremy McGovern and Luke Ryan joined Weitering as the tall defenders, while the dashing Blakey and Port’s Houston were the other rebounding backs.
Meanwhile, last year’s No.1 draft pick Harley Reid was judged the best first-year player by his peers, in front of St Kilda’s Darcy Wilson and Melbourne’s Caleb Windsor, while Butters was adjudged the most courageous.
With Reid and young Bulldog Sam Darcy out of contention due to suspension, Geelong’s Ollie Dempsey claimed the Rising Star award, polling maximum votes from nine of the 11 judges. He beat North Melbourne young gun George Wardlaw, while Lions forward Kai Lohmann was third.
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