Mark Robinson picks a few bolters in his mid-year All-Australian team
DUSTY in, Danger in, Betts in. Who else makes the grade as Mark Robinson names his mid-year All-Australian team? HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE TEAM
Mark Robinson
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IT’S a small world after all.
And AFL footy teams are getting smaller by the season.
Look at Geelong. A richness of talls in 2016 but they can’t play them all. Nathan Vardy was traded and Rhys Stanley is good enough but can’t get a game.
Look at North Melbourne. Braydon Preuss was a bomb early in the season, but can’t crack it for a senior spot.They play Jarrad Waite and Ben Brown forward, Scott Thompson and Robbie Tarrant back and Lachlan Hansen is the floater.
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Look at Richmond. It’s Jack Riewoldt forward with Alex Rance and David Astbury at the back and just the one ruckman.
Look at GWS. They buck the trend. Often they stack the forward line with Jeremy Cameron, Rory Lobb and Job Patton.
Look at St Kilda. They are similar to the Giants, but they are juggling Tim Membrey, Nick Riewoldt, Josh Bruce and Paddy McCartin and haven’t yet settled on a line-up because they can’t play them all.
Look at Collingwood. Mason Cox can’t get a game. Jamie Elliott plays full-forward, Darcy Moore is of height, and at the back, Tyson Goldsack, Jeremy Howe and Lynden Dunn have size but aren’t exactly monster key backs.
When selecting an All-Australian team at the halfway mark of the season, there’s no point selecting a team which, on balance and in the majority, goes against the grain of how football in 2017 is played.
SEE MARK ROBINSON’S MID-YEAR ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM BELOW AND HAVE YOUR SAY IN THE COMMENTS SECTION
Teams need to run and move the ball. They need to run and defend. They need to be able apply defensive pressure. They need players who can play tall and small, back pocket and forward pocket.
So, why have three tall forwards and three tall defenders in an All-Australian team when football is definitely geared around the smalls and mid-sized players
It’s why my half-year team is stacked with those type of sized players.
It’s why there’s only two key talls in defensive 50m and forward 50m.
The back two are automatics in Rance and Michael Hurley. The forward duo is Lance Franklin and settled on Jeremy Cameron who ranks second for goals, score involvements, marks and third for marks inside 50 of any key forward. Good stats.
It meant Josh Kennedy and Joe Daniher missed out because we’re only going with two talls, while Jack Riewoldt was unlucky. He’s kicked 27 goals and although his tackling numbers have dropped in recent weeks, he is on track for the most tackles he’s laid in one season.
And Sam Jacobs gets the nod over Patty Ryder and Shane Mumford.
Let’s break the rest of them down.
Zach Tuohy, Elliot Yeo, Rory Laird and Sam Docherty are the back four rebounders, interceptors and stoppers. All of them get huge amounts of ball, as do the others who missed out.
Collingwood’s Jeremy Howe was probably the next best but he’s competing with Rance and Hurley. Dylan Roberton from St Kilda was also unlucky.
Up the other end, gone with Toby Greene, Robbie Gray, Eddie Betts and Jeff Garlett. Greene and Betts are in everyone’s team, while Garlett gets the nod because he’s ranked No.1 for forward half pressure of any small forward and ranks fourth for goals. Good combo that one.
Gray is an interesting debate and this year he’s back to small forward rather than being the ball-winning midfield. He’s No.1 for score assists and is rated elite for goals and score involvements. Not much else you can do as a mid-sized forward.
The midfield is, in no particular order of importance; Patrick Dangerfield, Rory Sloane, Joel Selwood, Josh Kelly and Dustin Martin. All deserved.
The bench is your leanings. Have gone with Robbie Tarrant because he’s had a stellar season and the rest of them are midfielders.
Scott Pendlebury continues to be an elite player, Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver in just his second season has been astonishing and Hawthorn’s Tom Mitchell clearly deserves his spot as the league’s No.1 ball-winning midfielder.
The average size of this mid-season All-Australian is 187.4cm.
Seven seasons ago the official All-Australian team was 189.8cm.
In a period where most teens and young adults are bigger than what they were 20 years ago, the expectation would be the average size would be far bigger.
Not in today’s football. You need to be versatile, be a part of the offensive blitz, put on defensive pressure and rebound with speed.
ROBBO’S MID-SEASON ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM
DEFENDERS
Rory Laird (Adelaide): averaging 32.7 disposals per game (No.1 of any general defender)
Michael Hurley (Essendon): averaging 23.5 disposals and 422m per match (No.1 among key defenders)
Sam Docherty (Carlton): rates elite for disposals, metres gained, intercept possessions and intercept marks
Elliot Yeo (West Coast): averaging 9.4 intercept possessions (second in competition) and 3.3 intercept marks (fifth)
Alex Rance (Richmond): ranks third for intercept possessions and intercept marks, and second for spoils.
Zach Tuohy (Geelong): averaging an elite 26.4 disposals, 17.5 uncontested possessions and 488m gained.
MIDFIELDERS
Sam Jacobs (Adelaide): ranks second among ruckmen for score involvements, and elite for uncontested possessions and intercept marks.
Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong): No.1 midfielder for goals and contested possessions. One of only five players since 1999 to average 25+ disposals and 1.5+ goals per game.
Joel Selwood (Geelong): rates elite for contested possessions, clearances, inside 50s, score assists, and score involvements.
Rory Sloane (Adelaide): only one of two midfielders to rate elite for both pressure and goals.
Dustin Martin (Richmond): has kicked the second-most goals of any midfielder, and ranks third in the league for metres gained.
Josh Kelly (GWS): rates above-average for disposals, metres gained, goals, score involvements and pressure.
FORWARDS
Toby Greene (GWS): averaging 2.9 goals per game (second of any small forward) and 2.6 marks inside 50 (No.1 among small forwards).
Lance Franklin (Sydney): No.1 for score involvements per game (9.5) and third for goals.
Robbie Gray (Port Adel): tops charts for score assists and rates elite for goals and score involvements.
Eddie Betts (Adelaide): averaging the most goals of any small forward and is second among small forwards for score involvements.
Jeremy Cameron (GWS): No.2 for goals, score involvements, and marks, and third for marks inside forward 50 of any key forward.
Jeff Garlett (Melbourne): best forward-half pressure small forward and fourth for goals.
INTERCHANGE
Robbie Tarrant (Nth Melb): averaging 18.1 disposals per game (fifth for key defenders) and gained the third-most metres of any key defender.
Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood): has a kick rating of +13.8 per cent (No.1 in AFL). Best midfielder for score involvements.
Clayton Oliver (Melbourne): tops handball and groundball-gets charts, and ranks sixth for contested possessions and disposals among midfielders.
Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn): Leads competition for disposals (34.9 per game) and is elite for contested possessions (15.2 per game).
Stats from CHAMPION DATA and after Round 10
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