How the AFL All-Australian Squad Is Selected and What It Means
Every AFL season ends with one of the game’s highest individual honours: selection in the All-Australian team. The process starts not with 22 players but with a squad of 44, from which a final team is chosen as if to play a match.
The All-Australian squad recognises the leading players across every part of the field. The selection panel is asked to pick 44 names — forwards, defenders, and midfielders or rucks — to ensure depth at each position. The final 22 is then selected under criteria established in 2007: the team must be structured to play a real game, with six forwards, six defenders, four interchange players, and a ruckman plus two wings.
The Squad of 44
The announcement of the 44-player squad is the first major step. It gives a broad view of who the selectors rate after the home-and-away season. In 2025, the squad included 28 players vying for their first All-Australian selection, with 18 debutants in the squad itself. Club representation varied: Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, and the Western Bulldogs each had five players named, while Carlton, Essendon, North Melbourne, and West Coast had none.
Among the notable inclusions were Collingwood’s Jamie Elliott, who in his 14th season earned his first squad selection after kicking 52 goals, and Nick Daicos, who averaged 30.4 disposals across 23 games and led the competition for total disposals. Josh Daicos, a half-back, also made the squad for the third time.
How the Final 22 Is Picked
The selection panel for 2025 included chair Andrew Dillon, former players Eddie Betts, Jude Bolton, Nathan Buckley, Kane Cornes, Glen Jakovich, Matthew Pavlich, and media figures Abbey Holmes and Laura Kane. They met to whittle the squad down to a starting 18 and four interchange players.
The final team in 2025 featured 11 first-time All-Australians, including Gold Coast’s Noah Anderson, Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage, and Hawthorn’s Josh Battle. Jeremy Cameron was named captain after winning the Coleman Medal by 14 goals. Melbourne’s Max Gawn earned his eighth blazer, equalling the all-time record shared by Gary Ablett snr, Gary Ablett jnr, Patrick Dangerfield, Lance Franklin, Robert Harvey, and Mark Ricciuto.
Club representation in the final 22 was led by Brisbane and the Western Bulldogs with three selections each. Adelaide, Fremantle, Geelong, Gold Coast, Greater Western Sydney, Hawthorn, and Melbourne had two apiece. Six clubs — Carlton, Essendon, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Richmond, and West Coast — had no player in the final team.
Why the Selection Matters
Selection in the All-Australian squad or team is the clearest public acknowledgment of a player’s season. For many, a first blazer marks a career breakthrough. For veterans like Gawn or Marcus Bontempelli, each additional selection builds a legacy that places them among the game’s greatest.
But the squad process also reveals broader trends. A club with five players in the initial squad of 44 — as Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, and the Western Bulldogs had in 2025 — signals depth of high-end talent. A club with none, like Carlton in 2025, faces questions about its star power.
The All-Australian team does not always reflect the premiership ladder, but it offers a snapshot of who the game’s official judges believe performed best across a full season. For players, it is a career milestone. For fans, it is a debate that begins with the squad announcement and continues long after the final 22 is named.