The Wooden Finger AFL All-Australian Team 2014

The squad for the 2014 AFL All-Australian Team was named this week, which has prompted me to undertake my annual exercise of picking who I think will make the final team. I tend to move between picking it before the squad is announced, meaning that I end up picking some players that do not even make the squad of 40, and picking it after the squad is announced. This year though all the players I was thinking of including made the squad.

I have not watched as much AFL this year as recent years, as I almost essentially swore off football in the middle of the season when Richmond had fallen back towards the bottom of the ladder (though I still watched their matches). Hence I am relying a bit more this year on those damn lying statistics, and as always the ‘general consensus’.

Given the ‘general consensus’, while I would not go so far to say that these players are locks I would be very surprised if any of them did not make the final cut, even if not necessarily in the positions I have assigned to them here.

B:
HB:	Nick Malceski
C:	Tom Rockliff	Joel Selwood	Nat Fyfe
HF:	Robbie Gray	Lance Franklin	Luke Breust
F:
R:		Josh Kennedy	Gary Ablett
I:	Scott Pendlebury

So which players do I think fill out the remaining positions?

Defenders: Cale Hooker has been considered an All-Australian backman from early in the season. Harry Taylor is possibly now the league’s premier defender. Alex Rance just pips Eric Mackenzie through the momentum of his final round season-saving performance, and because I am a Tigers supporter. Daniel Talia looks a slight step below those guys to me. Nick Smith is essentially the only ‘back pocket’ in the squad. Brodie Smith has been racking up the numbers at half-back, particularly the rebounds from the back 50 metres.

Forwards:  How do you split Jarryd Roughead, Tom Hawkins, and Jay Schulz, who all kicked 62 goals?  Roughead is versatile (see below) and gets a bit more of the ball, so I think he is in. Hawkins has more SuperCoach points per game than Schulz (damn lying statistics), so that suggests to me he may have been more effective. Brent Harvey gets the other ‘small forward’ spot, as a sentimental favourite at age 36, and because at least one Roo should probably be in there. I am shifting Luke Breust to the forward pocket to put Harvey in a midfielder/forward position.

Ruck: The only thing that Aaron Sandilands did better this year than Sam Jacobs is get a few more hitouts per game, so Jacobs gets this spot. Roughead is back-up ruckman.

Interchange: Matt Priddis and Jordan Lewis get the ‘Brett Ratten Circa 2000 It’s About Time’ spots for this year. They are also the midfielders that are next in line in the Brownlow Medal betting. The other player who is next in line in the betting, Dyson Heppell, gets the other spot.

B:	Nick Smith	Cale Hooker	Alex Rance
HB:	Nick Malceski	Harry Taylor	Brodie Smith
C:	Tom Rockliff	Joel Selwood	Nat Fyfe
HF:	Robbie Gray	Lance Franklin	Brent Harvey
F:	Luke Breust	Jarryd Roughead	Tom Hawkins
R:	Sam Jacobs	Josh Kennedy	Gary Ablett
I:	Scott Pendlebury	Matt Priddis	Jordan Lewis
	Dyson Heppell