We’ve successfully made it to the midpoint of the 2024 season! As the Sydney Swans aim to leave everyone in their dust and North Melbourne continue to seek out their first win of the year, there are a bunch of footballing stars emerging as strong candidates for an All-Australian blazer at season’s end. Of course, a lot will change between now and September, but let’s reward some of the AFL’s best for their production in the first half of the season.

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DEFENDERS

Most of the players who annually fill out the back-6 are known for their lockdown prowess, although the attacking defenders deserve some shine as well. I passed on selecting the likes of Nic Martin and Harry Sheezel for the defensive unit, with their versatility seeing their magnets thrown around all over the place so far this season. However, I did reward rebounding specialists like Nick Blakey and Lachie Whitfield across the halfback line – both of whom are tied for the 4th most rebound 50’s so far this season. No. 1 on that list is Dockers defender Luke Ryan, who beat out stiff competition for a place next to Freo skipper Alex Pearce in my mid-season All-Aus team.

Fremantle would be lost without those two so far in 2024 and their defensive dominance see them rewarded alongside budding Cats star Zac Guthrie. I contemplated giving the other back pocket spot to Nick Valustin although, I’m rewarding Guthrie for his contribution on a winning side compared to Vlaustin’s efforts for the woeful Tigers. It is no surprise to see the competition leader for spoils at centre halfback, with Harris Andrews (this team’s vice-captain) poised to earn his first blazer since 2020. Steven May and Jeremy McGovern were hard done by to miss selection as well after their stellar seasons to date, but there are only so many spots up for grabs.

FB: Luke Ryan, Alex Pearce, Zac Guthrie
HB: Nick Blakey, Harris Andrews (VC), Lachie Whitfield

MIDFIELD

You could legitimately make a case for about 20-30 players to be picked in the All-Australian midfield – with on-ballers often sent to the half-back/half-forward line in the AFL’s final iteration of the team. I tried to balance out the roster with the most deserving players/teams which meant a lot of genuine stars were left on the outside looking in. Half of the on-field spots in the MID were taken up by dominant Sydney players as Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner and Errol Gulden continue to steer Sydney to success while stealing Brownlow votes from one another. You could even put forth an argument for their ruckman, Brodie Grundy who has hardly missed a beat since joining the club in the offseason.

Image from afl.com.au

I sided with Brodie’s longtime rival and former teammate Max Gawn as the starting RUC for this team, with Dogs hitout specialist Tim English and North Melbourne tall Tristian Xerri also in the mix after their impressive campaigns thus far. Josh Kelly was poised to claim one wing spot after his strong form through his first nine games of the season, but a calf injury in Round 9 has seen him lose his spot to an All-Aus pick from last year, Josh Daicos. Choosing the final on-baller was a tough process and there are multiple players such as Caleb Serong, Matt Rowell, Nick Daicos and Zak Butters in contention for that role.

Instead, I overlooked them and gave Essendon’s superstar Zach Merrett the edge as he puts forth another incredible individual season with the Bombers soaring at the same time. A lot of the midfielders who missed the cut will take up residence on the interchange and players who have had their season affected by injury could stake a claim for a spot in the MID rotation. Elliot Yeo and Sam Walsh are the first two who spring to mind with Connor Rozee, Tom Green and Tim Taranto also bound to vie for consideration once healthy.

C: Errol Gulden, Chad Warner, Josh Daicos
FOLL: Max Gawn, Isaac Heeney, Zach Merrett (C)

FORWARD

A lot of the competition’s premier forwards can be found in this mid-season hypothetical team, with four key position guys taking up residency on the field. It was hard to overlook Jesse Hogan and reigning back-to-back Coleman Medalist Charlie Curnow at centre half-forward and full forward respectively, as the pair have combined to bag 64 goals so far this season. Curnow’s teammate Harry McKay has kicked just three majors in his last three games which saw him fall out of favour and instead, I rewarded developing Eagle Jake Waterman with a spot next to the Blues’ spearhead.

Image from westcoasteagles.com.au

Waterman has over-achieved for West Coast in a time of need, performing beyond everyone’s expectations so far in season 2024 – tying Curnow for the highest goal average this season at three a game and shattering his previous PB for goals in a single season with 12 games still remaining. Jeremy Cameron was the other tall who found his way into the starting lineup, narrowly pipping the likes of Kyle Langford and Ben King as he aims to make consecutive All-Australian teams for the first time in his stellar career.

If Geelong refinds their winning ways, there’s no way that Jezza will be excluded from the team at season’s end. There are a bunch of small/hybrid forwards in contention to fill out the rest of the places in the team. Langford has been the most successful goalkicker, benefitting greatly from Essendon’s recent form but I left him out over Geelong’s goalsneak, Gryan Miers. His teammate Tyson Stengle has had a greater return in front of goal, but Miers has been much more impactful averaging a career-best 22 disposals a game.

It usually feels dirty putting someone like Christian Petracca on the half-forward line but this is the one season he deserves to be classified as a forward. Melbourne’s premier talent leads the league in goal assists (19) and score involvements (98) while spending time much closer to goal in 2024. Another blazer this year would be the fifth straight for Petracca and it feels like he’s destined to make the cut regardless of position.

HF: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Jeremy Cameron
FF: Gryan Miers, Charlie Curnow, Jake Waterman

INTERCHANGE

Trying to stick with how a typical footy team would be selected, there won’t be four on-ballers who make the interchange in the mid-season outfit. Given the height on offer around the ground, I haven’t rewarded another ruckman and instead, I’ve tried to find a player from each position. Nick Vlaustin was the hardest omission from defence which helped him earn a gig, while Caleb Serong was also unlucky to not be named on the field. I have overlooked Nick Daicos for most of this article, but there’s no way he can be left out of the team and it’s highly likely he’ll take up residency on the field when it’s all said and done. Despite a recent hamstring injury, Izak Rankine’s production from the first half of the season means he deserves to be recognised as the final inclusion.

INT: Nick Vlaustin, Caleb Serong, Nick Daicos, Izak Rankine

Image from afl.com.au

There are still a lot of players who have been excluded that could vie for a spot in the team once the 2024 season finishes. There isn’t room for everyone, but here are the 15 leading contenders who I think should earn a place in the All-Australian squad and may be included in the final team:

DEF – Sam Taylor, Tom Stewart, Jordan Clark, Steven May
MID – Matt Rowell, Zak Butters, Nic Martin, Josh Kelly, Tom Green
RUC – Tristian Xerri, Tim English
FWD – Kyle Langford, Harry McKay, Bayley Fritsch, Tyson Stengle

FINAL TEAM

FB: Luke Ryan, Alex Pearce, Zac Guthrie
HB: Nick Blakey, Harris Andrews (VC), Lachie Whitfield
C: Errol Gulden, Chad Warner, Josh Daicos
FOLL: Max Gawn, Isaac Heeney, Zach Merrett (C)
HF: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Jeremy Cameron
FF: Gryan Miers, Charlie Curnow, Jake Waterman
INT: Nick Vlaustin, Caleb Serong, Izak Rankine, Nic Martin