AFL 2023: Jon Ralph on the eight big conundrums facing All Australian selectors

No club has been able to solve the Nick Daicos issue this season, yet could the same be said for this year’s All-Australian team selectors? Jon Ralph looks at the All Australian conundrums.

Will Luke Jackson be All Australian this year? Picture: Will Russell/AFL Photos

Can Taylor Walker storm home to become the oldest Coleman Medallist since Gary Ablett Sr – and a first-time All Australian?

Does Luke Jackson have enough rounds to capitalise on his white-hot form as an All Australian in his fourth season?

While at the same time raising the proverbial middle finger to all those early-season critics?

With nine home-and-away rounds remaining, injuries to All Australian regulars Clayton Oliver and Patrick Dangerfield have thrown the team wide open.

As usual, there is a collection of brilliant goalkicking midfielders who will try to deny Jordan De Goey his maiden All Australian berth given he will have missed a minimum of four games by the time he returns from suspension next month.

Here are the All Australian conundrums for the selectors as the contenders attempt to hit the finish line with enough momentum to get them a berth this year.

Is Josh Daicos an All Australian wingman? Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Is Nic Martin even the second-best wingman in the competition?

Martin has been an All Australian spruik since early in the year, but the contenders are coming thick and fast.

Sydney’s Errol Gulden has gone past Martin, with Josh Daicos making a strong case he should be on the other wing ahead of the Essendon breakout star.

Gulden has kicked 13 goals, averages 107 ranking points, 25.1 possessions and is elite for disposals, contested possessions, clearances, metres gained, scoreboard impact and pressure.

Lock him in now.

Josh Daicos actually averages below average for kicking and is average for pressure but does average more possessions — 25.7 — and has kicked 10 goals to go with an average of 3.6 clearances and 79 total score involvements.

Charlie Ballard is on track to break the intercept marks in a season record. Picture: Matt Roberts/AFL Photos

Can anyone displace Charlie Ballard from the full back position?

Darcy Moore has been all the rage this season, but the Gold Coast fullback is on track to break the intercept marks record, albeit in a 23-game season.

He has a perfect blend of miserly defence and intercept marking.

For context, the reverse Coleman Medal (goals directly conceded) goes like this of the leading contenders: Noah Balta 18 goals conceded, James Sicily 19, Jack Payne 21, Ballard 22, Darcy Moore 26.

Sam Frost has conceded the most of the fullbacks – 35 – with Tom Barrass conceding 33.

Ballard averages 4.5 intercept marks and 8.7 intercept possessions to Moore’s four intercept marks and 8.6 intercepts.

So they would be the clubhouse leaders in the back six, with room to slot in James Sicily and perennial All Australian Tom Stewart, second in the comp for intercept marks and possessions.

But playing four talls – Moore, Ballard, Sicily, Stewart – pushes Port Adelaide’s Dan Houston out of the side or onto the bench.

Payne has his admirers in a breakout year and Harris Andrews has nine weeks to stack up more games like last week’s nine intercept-mark performance.

Nick Daicos is a All Australian lock. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Are the All Australian selectors going to stack the half-back line with centre square mids again?

It would be a travesty this year given Jack Sinclair and Nick Daicos are such automatic selections, with daylight behind them.

This year, there isn’t a legitimate stopping-defender, given Adam Saad has been good but not great and Andy McGrath has conceded 19 goals in an otherwise excellent year.

So if they aren’t the All Australian half-backs, their club’s supporter bases should riot.

Tim English has added significant value to his next contract. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Can anyone topple Tim English as the All Australian ruckman?

Not on your life, with English adding another $100,000 per year to his next contract and averaging 124 ranking points and 20 possessions and has regularly hit the scoreboard (eight goals).

Jarrod Witts (111 ranking points) and Rowan Marshall (109 ranking points, ave 18.7 possessions) have been excellent.

GWS ruckman Kieren Briggs has been off the charts in his five games but even 14 games would be too small a sample size.

So it’s up to Luke Jackson (16.13 from 14 games) to attempt to post a 30-goal, 350-hitout home-and-away season that might sneak him onto the All Oz bench.

Taylor Walker did it against one of the game’s best defenders last week. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Is Taylor Walker turning into the ultimate big game forward?

It would be some kind of story if a 33-year-old playing his 16th season of AFL football won his inaugural All Australian nod as the oldest Coleman Medallist since Gary Ablett Sr in 1995, and second-oldest of all-time

Walker has 43.14 for the season, 16 direct score assists and 92 score involvements.

In his last three games against top-eight opponents, he has kicked five goals against St Kilda, three against Brisbane and five against Collingwood.

There is room in the side for Charlie Curnow – 42.30, 13 direct score assists, 110 score involvements – and Jeremy Cameron if he can turn around a quieter six weeks after 39.19, 15 score assists and 106 score involvements

Brody Mihocek has faded from contention (32 goals) but Nick Larkey (39.14) and Oscar Allen (35.12) surely aren’t out of the race.

Right now Walker, Curnow and Cameron should be the clubhouse leaders in a front six that plays two genuine small-medium crumbing forwards and a mid-forward.

Is Toby Greene the All Australian captain?

It’s a compelling case given the GWS skipper (36.17) and Charlie Cameron (35.11) have daylight behind them as the medium forwards in the All Australian side.

Greene has won games off his own boot, came up big in wins against Sydney and Geelong and couldn’t be a more inspiring on-field leader, let alone an AFL redemption story.

Has Christian Petracca kicked himself out of the All Australian half forward role?

Petracca has had an exceptional year _ averaging 29 possessions and 6.4 clearances _ but in his 14 games he has kicked 12.15 with 15 total misses.

A dozen goals from 42 shots at goal is just not up to AFL standard.

Shai Bolton is coming with a run _ 19.13 (with five total misses) averaging 22 possessions and over a goal a game.

Petracca has time to turn around that statistic (or be selected in the midfield) but it’s hard to make a case that he is the All Australian half forward when he’s so inaccurate in front of goal.

The easiest solution for the All Australian selectors would be to push Jordan De Goey to half forward, but while his form is compelling he wouldn’t want to miss too many more games given suspension and sickness has already ruled him out for four.

Tom Liberatore sits in rare air for midfielders this year. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Can Libba win his first All Australian jumper?

This year’s All Australian team might have room for three pure mids in the starting side plus three on the bench, a De Goey type at half forward and Gulden and Josh Daicos on the wing.

The queue is plenty long with Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore, Connor Rozee, Zac Butters, Petracca, Tim Taranto, Zach Merrett, Jordan Dawson, Caleb Serong and Lachie Neale.

Liberatore is the only midfielder who ranks elite for clearances, tackles and ground ball gets and he averages half a goal per match.

It’s the perfect blend for the modern game, so we are cheering for a player averaging 7.2 clearances, 6.8 tackles and 118 ranking points.

But right now Bontempelli, Butters, Petracca and Taranto probably lead the charge with plenty of time for movement in the final nine rounds.

Originally published as AFL 2023: Jon Ralph on the eight big conundrums facing All Australian selectors