The mid-year All Australian teamBy Staff writers
afl.com.au
Wednesday, June 19, 2013DURING the bye weeks, AFL.com.au journalists assessed the top performers in the first half of the season and submitted their own All Australian teams at the midway point.
We compiled each writer's selections and arrived at a collective All Australian line-up with players from 13 teams.
Now we brace ourselves to take the hits.
No Joel Selwood and we couldn't find a spot for Grant Birchall.
There isn't a Tiger in the line-up and Travis Cloke missed selection too.
But let's focus on the positives.
Six-time All Australian Gary Ablett was a certainty. Some argue he is staking claims as the game's greatest ever player.
Ablett was unlucky not to be named captain, but the performance of Jobe Watson under all sorts of pressure got him the nod.
Essendon joined the Sydney Swans as the only team with three representatives.
Carlton's Andrew Walker pipped Birchall and Richmond's Brett Deledio for the running half-back position. Jordan Lewis tagged Walker last week for Hawthorn, giving some indication of the respect held for him.
The absence of a Tiger is somewhat of an anomaly given Richmond is having its best season for a long time. However it reflects the team-first approach starting to seep into the line-up at Punt Road. The Eagles' Josh Kennedy just held off Cloke for the full-forward spot. Both have kicked 34 goals. Both are having good seasons but Kennedy was perceived to have done so with less opportunity. It's fair to say there is no right or wrong in that call, just a decision that is certainly debatable.
And that's what we'll be doing as the season heads towards its climax.
That's when we'll know for sure whether the coach of the year title should be bestowed upon Fremantle's Ross Lyon.
But that question, as with most positions, remains open.
There is, as they say, a long way to go.
Full article at: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-06-19/midseason-all-australian-team
