Mark Robinson names his 2018 mid-season All-Australian team

CHOOSING the best midfielders up until this point of the season is no easy task. MARK ROBINSON says Tiger Dustin Martin hasn’t been his usual self through the first 11 rounds - but is that good enough to make his team? VOTE: WHO IS STIFFEST TO MISS?

Ben Brown Tom Phillips Tom Stewart Josh Caddy

THE spread of elite talent in the AFL has rarely been more evident than in the first 11 matches of this season.

This All-Australian team at the halfway mark has just six players in it from last season’s official All-Australian team.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE ROBBO’S ALL-AUSTRALIAN LINE-UP

Three of those players are in the back half — Alex Rance, Jeremy McGovern and Rory Laird — there’s strong Brownlow Medal fancy Tom Mitchell, last year’s Brownlow winner Dustin Martin and, of course, Lance Franklin.

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Richmond’s Martin hasn’t been the consistent breathtaking midfielder he was 2017, but when you’re No. 1 for score involvements, No. 2 for score assists and average the most goals of any midfielder, you’ve earned your spot at the halfway mark. He’s 75-25 midfield-forward split and that’s good enough for a half-forward flank.

New faces are dominating the AFL landscape and perhaps none more than Collingwood’s Tom Phillips.

He has revitalised the wing position and beat out Hawthorn’s Isaac Smith and Adelaide’s Paul Seedsman — two other legitimate wingmen — for one of those positions. On the other wing is West Coast’s Andrew Gaff, who is a combination of an inside/outside midfielder.

Phillips has had five games of 30-plus disposals and a goal, one more than Nathan Fyfe and Gary Ablett, and has been a revelation.

Tom Phillips has been a revelation this season.

Dustin Martin has had more score assists than any other player. Picture: Michael Klein

Clearly, the most difficult position to select is the ruckman. The choice is between Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy and Melbourne’s Max Gawn.

I opted for Grundy because I like his aggression. Their numbers are similar, their influence equally so, but there’s a lot to like about a ruckman like Grundy throwing his body around and powering away from stoppages. I might be wrong and Gawn might be the better ruckman. We’ll go someway to finding out on Monday.

Most of the team pick themselves. Macrae, Mitchell, Fyfe — tick, tick, tick.

Jack Darling (28 goals), Josh Caddy (27) and Luke Breust (24) are in the forward 50m, so is Ben Brown who is the Coleman Medal leader and Franklin, who has kicked 25 goals from eight games. Melbourne’s Jesse Hogan was the other option at centre half-forward, but in this side he has to fill a position on the interchange. Whatever, he was a must in the mid-year team.

Max Gawn missed out on a spot in Robbo’s team. Picture: Michael Klein

The bench spots are contested by about 20 players.

Few teams play two ruckmen in the same team so it was Grundy or Gawn, not both.

The unlucky midfielders were Collingwood pair Steele Sidebottom and Adam Treloar and Geelong champs Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood. There’s also Shaun Higgins, Ben Cunnington, Dayne Beams and Bryce Gibbs.

The final three positions on the bench went to Richmond’s Trent Cotchin, who vies for the captaincy of the team with West Coast’s Shannon Hurn, Carlton’s Patrick Cripps and Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver.

Fresh faces also need hard edges and few come tougher than Cripps, Clayton and Oliver.

ROBBO’S MID-YEAR ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM

BACKS: Rory Laird (Adel), Alex Rance (Rich), Tom Stewart (Geel)

HALF-BACKS: Shannon Hurn (WC), Jeremy McGovern (WC), James Sicily (Haw)

CENTRES: Tom Phillips (Coll), Jack Macrae (WB), Andrew Gaff (WC)

HALF-FORWARDS: Jack Darling (WC), Lance Franklin (Syd), Dustin Martin (Rich)

FORWARDS: Josh Caddy (Rich), Ben Brown (NM), Luke Breust (Haw)

RUCKS: Brodie Grundy (Coll), Nat Fyfe (Frem), Tom Mitchell (Haw)

INTERCHANGE: Clayton Oliver (Melb), Trent Cotchin (Rich), Patrick Cripps (Carl), Jesse Hogan (Melb)

ALL-AUSTRALIAN STATS

BACKS

Rory Laird — 3rd for disposals, 2nd for intercept possessions

Alex Rance — No. 1 for intercept possessions, 2nd for intercept marks

Tom Stewart — Elite for intercept possessions and marks

HALF-BACKS

Shannon Hurn — Elite for metres gained and intercept marks

Jeremy McGovern — No. 1 for intercept marks, 5th for intercept possessions

James Sicily — 3rd for intercept possessions and 7th for metres gained

CENTRES

Tom Phillips — 3rd wingman for disposals, 3rd for metres gained

Jack Macrae — 2nd for disposals, 7th for contested possessions

Andrew Gaff — No. 1 wingman for disposals and No. 1 for score involvements

HALF-FORWARDS

Jack Darling — No. 1 for contested marks and 3rd for goals

Lance Franklin — 4th for goals a game, 2nd for score involvements

Dustin Martin — No. 1 for score involvements and 2nd for score assists

FORWARDS

Josh Caddy- No. 1 mid-forward for goals and 2nd for score involvements

Ben Brown — No. 1 for goals and above average for marks inside 50

Luke Breust — No. 1 for ground ball gets inside 50 and 6th for score involvements

RUCKS

Brodie Grundy — No. 1 ruckman for disposals, clearances and 2nd for score involvements

Nat Fyfe — 2nd for contested possessions and sixth for disposals

Tom Mitchell — No. 1 for disposals and clearances, 3rd for ground ball gets

INTERCHANGE

Clayton Oliver — No. 1 for ground ball gets, 5th for pressure points and clearances

Trent Cotchin — Fifth for ground ball gets, 2nd midfielder for score assists

Patrick Cripps — No. 1 for contested possessions, 2nd for ground ball-gets

Jesse Hogan — No. 1 key forward for disposals, 4th for score involvements

Source: Champion Data

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