AFL crystal ball: Who will take out the major awards in 2022?
The AFL’s next generation of stars are ready to take the league by storm in 2022. We look at the young guns and find a host who can push for All-Australian honours.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Melbourne to go back-to-back but the Demons captain to not make the All-Australian team.
It’s hard to look past the Demons as the raging favourites for the 2022 flag given the brilliant collection of talent at Simon Goodwin’s disposal.
While Collingwood son-of-a-gun Nick Daicos seems primed to win the Rising Star award, although if North Melbourne give No. 1 pick Jason Horne-Francis significant midfield minutes then it might get interesting.
Kayo is your ticket to the best sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
But as for the other awards in 2022, well that is a lot more difficult to call.
The 2022 season is looming to be one of the most competitive in years with it hard to forecast any potential whipping boy of the competition next year.
The Demons are well placed to take out the prize everyone in the competition wants, after their drought-breaking win over the Western Bulldogs in Perth.
But which players will take out the individual honours in 2022?
Premiers: Melbourne
Almost immediately after the champagne had been popped and the beers cracked, Melbourne powerbrokers were quickly talking about their plans for Dee-Dynasty.
And when you look at the Demons list you can see why they are so bullish.
Every member from the flag-winning side will go around again, young players such as Kysaiah Pickett, Luke Jackson and Trent Rivers will continue to improve and the Demons have operated shrewdly in the off-season with Luke Dunstan adding to the midfield depth and Jacob Van Rooyen (pick 19) and Blake Howes (pick 39) coming with significant upside.
Add that to Christian Petracca (turning 26 next month), Clayton Oliver (24), Christian Salem (26), Jake Lever (25), Jack Viney (27), Bayley Fritsch (24) and Max Gawn (30 this month) the Demons are right in that sweet spot.
Runner up: Western Bulldogs
Port Adelaide, Brisbane and maybe even Geelong — if Jeremy Cameron can stay fit the entire season — will all have good shouts to make the grand final.
But the Bulldogs have the talent to again have a crack at a flag.
A key defender to support Alex Keath and a gun ruckman seem to be the only thing holding Luke Beveridge’s side back, but with Sam Darcy and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan now in the wings and a core of players like Marcus Bontempelli, Jack Macrae, Josh Dunkley, Bailey Smith, Tom Liberatore, Caleb Daniel, Bailey Dale, Aaron Naughton and now Cody Weightman the Bulldogs are right in the premiership window.
In fact, with the young talent at Whitten Oval the Bulldogs might just have the biggest window.
Norm Smith: Clayton Oliver
Petracca in 2021, Oliver in 2022.
While he has two Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Medal’s, and finished third in the Brownlow this year, Oliver can get the external recognition he deserves in 2022 as the Demons go back-to-back.
Brownlow Medal: Sam Walsh
Sorry, Marcus.
After gaining 33 votes and still going down to Port’s Ollie Wines (36) in the 2021 edition, Bontempelli’s Brownlow drought is likely to continue.
The Western Bulldogs captain might just be the best player in the competition but players like Macrae, Dunkley, Liberatore and Smith will win too many votes themselves.
Same for Oliver, with Melbourne’s stacked midfield.
Wines should go close again but after receiving 30 votes in just his third season in the AFL, Walsh is an excellent chance of claiming the award in 2022.
Coleman Medal: Jeremy Cameron
Reigning Coleman Medal winner Harry McKay will go close, as will a reborn Tom Lynch at Richmond, while watch out for the Ben and Max King as they become elite forwards of the competition at Gold Coast and St Kilda respectively.
But if Cameron can avoid the injury issues that plagued his 2021 campaign then he can add to his 2019 crown.
The Cats’ big money recruit did show what he was capable of in 2021 despite the injury troubles.
He kicked six against Richmond, five against Port Adelaide and four against the Saints on route to 34 goals from just the 12 home and away season games.
If he can play 18, even 20 plus in 2022 then watch out.
Rising Star: Nick Daicos
North Melbourne’s No 1 pick Horne-Francis will put up a fight but Daicos should win this.
All of a sudden the Kangaroos have quite the stacked midfield with Horne-Francis adding to options such as Jye Simpkin, Hugh Greenwood, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Tarryn Thomas, Will Phillips and Tom Powell.
At the Pies, Daicos should get more time around the ball and if he does then he will be hard to beat.
All-Australian squad
First a disclaimer.
The All-Australian wing positions are going to be used to select midfielders who rarely spend time there.
Yes it’s wrong, yes the wingmen should be rewarded, but every year this criticism gets levelled at the selectors and they just continue to do it.
So apologies to the gun wingmen of the competition.
Now that is out of the way, let’s get into it.
Before we get into the team, here are some players that will get into the All-Australian squad for the first time: Bailey Smith, Jack Henry, Luke Jackson, Noah Balta, Max King, Ben King, Zac Bailey and Jordan Dawson.
Out of those players, Bailey will go extremely close to getting one of the small forward positions.
The 2021 All-Australian squad was as follows:
B: Jake Lever, Steven May, Tom Stewart
HB: Bailey Dale, Aliir Aliir, Daniel Rich
C: Zach Merrett, Ollie Wines, Sam Walsh
HF: Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Hawkins, Christian Petracca
F: Toby Greene, Harry McKay, Tom Papley
Foll: Max Gawn, Jack Macrae, Clayton Oliver
Int: Darcy Parish, Nic Naitanui, Touk Miller, Jack Steele
In 2022 there will be 10 changes to the final team.
The headline one is that Gawn will not only be usurped as the starting ruckman by Fremantle’s Sean Darcy but he and Naitanui won’t make the final team as Brodie Grundy bounces back in a serious way.
Fellow Demon May is replaced by GWS’ Sam Taylor after he becomes one of the best key defenders in the competition, but Christian Salem wins a spot in the 22 as he takes Rich’s spot as a small defender.
Richmond’s Jayden Short wins a spot as the second small defender at the expense of Dale as Caleb Daniel becomes the Bulldogs’ main playmaker again.
The centre-half and full forward combo of Hawkins and McKay are replaced by Naughton and Cameron, while on the back of more midfield time Zak Butters takes advantage of Greene’s suspension to start the season and claims a spot.
On the bench, Essendon’s midfield depth hurts Parish with Hugh McCluggage’s breakout earning him a spot on the interchange, while Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw takes the spot of Gold Coast’s Miller.
With those changes the All-Australian team in 2022 becomes:
B: Jake Lever, Sam Taylor, Tom Stewart
HB: Jayden Short, Aliir Aliir, Christian Salem
C: Zach Merrett, Ollie Wines, Sam Walsh
HF: Marcus Bontempelli, Aaron Naughton, Christian Petracca
F: Zak Butters, Jeremy Cameron, Tom Papley
Foll: Sean Darcy, Jack Macrae, Clayton Oliver
Int: Hugh McCluggage, Brodie Grundy, Andrew Brayshaw, Jack Steele
Originally published as AFL crystal ball: Who will take out the major awards in 2022?
Trade live: Dons take strong stance as Giants circle Stringer
Essendon has told GWS it will expect an “adequate” return for Jake Stringer, who is yet to formally ask to be traded after meeting with the Giants. FOLLOW LIVE
‘Players deserve better’: AFLW needs big ‘reset’
The AFLW needs a significant “reset” ahead of its 10th season, with league headquarters urged to put players back at the top of the priority list and develop a bold 10-year plan for the competition.