QAFL 2022 team of the season: Ex-AFL stars headline Qld state league’s top talents
A TikTok cult hero and high profile recent AFL retiree headline the QAFL mid-year team of the season. Who was unlucky to miss out?
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A TikTok cult hero and high profile recent AFL retiree headline our QAFL mid-year Team of the Season.
Queensland’s state league Aussie rules competition is the strongest it has ever been, with a host of ex-AFL stars and rising Sunshine State talents plying their trade in the QAFL this season.
The QAFL hit the national footy consciousness in early 2022 when it was revealed ex-Carlton star Liam Jones would continue his career at Palm Beach Currumbin Lions after retiring from the Blues.
Reigning premiers Broadbeach responded by announcing the addition of former Gold Coast Suns 262-game player Jarrod Harbrow, and soon-after title contenders Labrador confirmed the inclusions of Lachie Henderson (Geelong), Cam Ellis-Yolmen (Adelaide/Brisbane) and Andrew Boston (Gold Coast).
See the QAFL 22 under 22 Team here
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The QAFL has become the premiere breeding ground for Queensland’s would-be AFL draftees and a desirable destination for state league-calibre players from the southern states.
As the competition turns for the run into September, we cast an eye over the QAFL’s top performers in the first half of the campaign and select our mid-year Team of the Season.
DEFENCE
LBP: Matt Cecchin (Labrador) (3x TOTW)
Avg: 17 disposals, 66.1% efficiency, 5.2 marks, 3.4 tackles, 2.2 inside 50s
The 22-year-old Oakleigh Chargers product has fit like a glove in Labrador coach Nick Malceski’s system since making the move north in the off-season. Three times he has featured in the Team of the Week this season and more often appears among the Tigers’ best.
FB: Liam Jones (Palm Beach Currumbin) (3x TOTW)
Avg: 20.6 disposals, 72.6% efficiency, 9.9 marks, 1.7 inside 50s, 0.9 goals
Jones has had an injury-interrupted first season in the QAFL but when he’s on the field there is no doubting his impact. One of the competition leaders for intercept marks, Jones also has a license to get high up the ground and become a target inside 50 if the Lions need an attacking spark. His influence on Palm Beach Currumbin’s back six, even just in a coaching capacity, has been obvious.
RBP: Jackson Bury (Maroochydore) (4x TOTW)
Avg: 29.9 disposals, 79.7% efficiency, 5.4 marks, 2.2 tackles, 2.0 inside 50s
Maroochydore’s top disposal getter is also the Roos’ most efficient user of the ball. After a sizeable turnover of players following last season’s grand final loss to Broadbeach, Bury’s consistency has become even more crucial to Maroochydore in its push for a finals return in 2022.
LHB: Jackson Mills (Wilston Grange) (3x TOTW)
Avg: 19.8 disposals, 68.8% efficiency, 6.4 marks, 2.8 tackles, 2.2 inside 50s, 0.4 goals
Often starting opposite Daniel Bowles across the Gorillas’ halfback line, Mills has been just as impressive this season.
CHB: Lachie Henderson (Labrador) (4x TOTW)
Avg: 21.6 disposals, 74.8% efficiency, 8.7 marks, 2.9 hit-outs, 2.8 tackles, 3.3 inside 50s, 0.5 goals
The former Geelong AFL star has been thrown forward and back by Labrador coach Nick Malceski and wherever he plays, he is a dominant threat. Incredibly, Henderson ranks third for disposals at Labrador, behind only fellow ex-AFL players Andrew Boston (Gold Coast) and Cam Ellis-Yolmen (Adelaide/Brisbane).
RHB: Daniel Bowles (Wilston Grange) (4x TOTW)
Avg: 25.4 disposals, 63.7% efficiency, 7.5 marks, 2.0 tackles, 4.5 inside 50s, 0.8 goals
Bowles started the season with a flourish, appearing in three of the first four QAFL Team of the Weeks through rounds 4-7. Bowles is one of the smartest running defenders in the competition and much of the Gorillas’ game goes through his run across halfback.
FOLLOWERS
RUCK: Will Wolbers (Aspley) (5x TOTW)
Avg: 13.2 disposals, 74.7% efficiency, 4.3 clearances, 39.5 hit-outs, 2.3 tackles, 2.2 inside 50s, 0.4 goals
Wolbers boasts 80 more hit-outs than the next ruckman and leads all big men in clearances and average disposals also. No other ruckman has earned more than one Team of the Week nomination, while Wolbers has featured five times.
RROV: Caleb Franks (C – Redland-Victoria Point) (6x TOTW)
Avg: 31.8 disposals, 72.5% efficiency, 9.2 clearances, 4.2 marks, 5.3 tackles, 5.8 inside 50s, 0.8 goals
In a midfield that has taken (almost) all before it, Franks has stood out with a staggering six Team of the Week nominations so far this season – the most of any player – earning him the captaincy in this side. Franks is the top disposal-getter in the QAFL and boasts 21 more clearances than the next-best player, who so happens to be teammate Brock Aston.
ROV: Ryan Banks-Smith (Aspley) (5x TOTW)
Avg: 27.3 disposals, 80.2% efficiency, 5.2 clearances, 6.9 marks, 3.0 tackles, 7.0 inside 50s, 0.6 goals
The 21-year-old Tasmanian stuck with the Hornets in the drop from VFL to QAFL and has established himself as one of the premiere midfielders in the competition. He ranks among the top five for disposal efficiency of players that average more than 20 disposals per game and is second behind only Brock Aston for total inside 50s.
MIDFIELD
LWING: William Johnson (Redland-Victoria Point) (4x TOTW)
Avg: 26.5 disposals, 75.4% efficiency, 2.3 clearances, 7 marks, 4.9 tackles, 4.8 inside 50s, 0.3 goals
Johnson is arguably the best outside ball user in the QAFL to this point of the season and a Team of the Week staple on the wing. This exercise can oft lead to selectors placing inside mids on a wing on stats alone but Johnson’s body of work over the first half of the season earns him a place outright.
CENTRE: Brock Aston (Redland-Victoria Point) (5x TOTW)
Avg: 31.0 disposals, 70.4% efficiency, 7.4 clearances, 4.3 marks, 5.8 tackles, 7.0 inside 50s, 0.5 goals
Another key cog in the almost unstoppable Redland-Victoria Point engine room, Aston has established himself as one of the premiere inside ball winners in the QAFL. Aston leads the QAFL for inside 50s with 84 and is one of the most damaging users of the footy when going forward. He’s also equal-second for total tackles.
RWING: Sam McLachlan (Maroochydore) (4x TOTW)
Avg: 27.6 disposals, 69.8% efficiency, 4.8 clearances, 7.8 marks, 4.8 inside 50s, 1.1 goals
McLachlan has earned selection this season as both a midfielder and half-forward. His versatility is a great asset to Maroochydore and he acts as a pivotal transitional piece in the Roos’ preferred outside running game plan.
FORWARD
LFP: Mitchel Scholard (Maroochydore) (3x TOTW)
Avg: 10.8 disposals, 64.0% efficiency, 4.9 marks, 3.7 goals (36 total goals)
Three times this season Scholard has kicked 5+ goals in a game, including a matchwinning 10 against Surfers Paradise in Round 9. He sits third in the QAFL goalkicking and is undoubtedly one of Maroochydore’s most important players in the run into finals.
FF: Matthew Hammelmann (Redland-Victoria Point) (4x TOTW)
Avg: 13.0 disposals, 7.9 marks, 6.2 marks I50, 1.1 inside 50s, 5.5 goals (66 total goals)
Ex-Brisbane Lion Matt Hammelmann has taken a stranglehold on the QAFL goalkicking, shooting out to 66 with back-to-back games of 10+ majors. He’s the best target inside 50 in the competition, helped by the incredible service offered up by the Sharks’ dominant midfield.
RFP: Ethan Johnstone (Noosa) (2x TOTW)
Avg: 12.0 disposals, 65.7% efficiency, 2.7 marks, 2.6 tackles, 1.8 inside 50s, 1.5 goals (19 total goals)
With 19 goals Johnstone has been one of the more consistent small forwards in a season dominated by the big men inside 50. Four times he has kicked 3+ goals this season, which no other small forward can boast.
LHF: Thomas Baulch (Noosa) (4x TOTW)
Avg: 21.9 disposals, 67.9% efficiency, 4.8 marks, 4.8 tackles, 3.0 inside 50s, 1.8 goals (17 total goals)
Thomas ‘Prime’ Baulch has built himself a sizeable following on TikTok which has led to plenty of flak from rivals – though his game has backed it up. Baulch left Aspley after the Hornets dropped from the VFL and returned to Noosa, where he has starred as one of the best high half-forward/wingers in the competition. Twice he has won games off of his own boot.
CHF: Connor Stackelberg (Aspley) (4x TOTW)
Avg: 13.1 disposals, 4.9 marks, 1.8 tackles, 1.3 inside 50s, 3.2 goals (43 total goals)
Stackelberg had an early season purple patch, featuring in three Team of the Weeks in a month-long span, establishing himself as Matt Hammelmann’s key rival in the goalkicking race. Hammelmann has since kicked away in recent weeks but Stackelberg remains a dominant presence inside 50 for the Hornets. He has kicked 5+ goals four times this season.
RHF: Sam Jasper (Broadbeach) (3x TOTW)
Avg: 14.7 disposals, 65.9% efficiency, 4.1 marks, 2.8 tackles, 2.5 inside 50s, 2.3 goals (26 total goals)
With no Jordan Moncrieff for large stretches of the season, Jasper has had to step up as the reigning premiers’ key inside 50 target and not put a foot wrong. The Cats love to share the ball around so he doesn’t get as many looks as other teams’ number one targets but Jasper has still found ways to take control of games. His six goals against Sherwood in Round 9 helped the Cats avoid what could have been a shock upset loss.
INTERCHANGE
RUCK/FWD: Jonathan Freeman (Noosa) (2x TOTW)
Avg: 12.5 disposals, 63.1% efficiency, 4.3 marks, 5.8 hit-outs, 1.9 inside 50s, 2.1 goals
Freeman has hit a purple patch of form through the midpoint of the season, booting 12 goals in the past month. Deployed all over the ground by the Tigers, he is a more than capable pinch-hitting ruck who is damaging when inside 50. An important player to Noosa’s structure and a big reason they are in finals contention this season after a disastrous 2021 campaign.
MID: Andrew Boston (Labrador) (4x TOTW)
Avg: 29.9 disposals, 66.0% efficiency, 6.9 clearances, 5.9 marks, 3.7 tackles, 4.8 inside 50s, 0.5 goals
The former Gold Coast Sun and ex-Southport Sharks NEAFL-winning skipper has thrived in his first season in the QAFL. Joining a midfield that was already considered one of the best in the competition, Boston has partnered perfectly with fellow recruit Cam Ellis-Yolmen. He’s one of the top disposal winners and ranks in the top five for clearances and contested possessions.
MID: Matthew Payne (Wilston Grange) (3x TOTW)
Avg: 32.5 disposals, 66.1% efficiency, 6.1 clearances, 5.8 marks, 3.4 tackles, 3.5 inside 50s, 0.7 goals
The three-time Grogan Medal winner (QAFL best and fairest) began his maiden season with the Gorillas at a canter, earning Team of the Week selection three times through rounds 4-7. The Gorillas’ struggles since then have impacted his place in the weekly honours but Payne remains one of the dominant midfielders in the QAFL. Payne averages the most disposals per game of any player and sits third overall behind Franks and Aston at Redland-Victoria Point.
MID: Jack Rolls (Redland-Victoria Point) (4x TOTW)
Avg: 29.0 disposals, 69.9% efficiency, 4.7 clearances, 4.4 marks, 3.8 tackles, 6.7 inside 50s, 0.7 goals
Rolls could be a clear number one midfielder at most rival clubs, yet he finds himself pushed to the bench for this exercise in favour of two of his teammates. Nevertheless, Rolls has compiled an impressive resume over the first half of the season and creates just as many headaches for rival coaches as Franks and Aston.
Originally published as QAFL 2022 team of the season: Ex-AFL stars headline Qld state league’s top talents
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