All-Australian

The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, traditionally led by that season's premiership coach.

Despite the name's implication, the All-Australian team is usually ceremonial in modern times. Though the AFL played an All-Star match in 2020, it was the first in 12 years, and the difference in skill level between the All-Australian team and the nearest international competitor is currently too large for any contest to be competitive. Despite this, some of these players have represented Australia in AFL Academy junior teams up to the age of 18, as more than two-thirds of all AFL Academy representatives have gone on to play at senior AFL level.

From 1998 to 2004, the Australian international rules team was mainly composed of All-Australians, and from 2005 to 2013 the team for the annual International Rules Series was selected according to the quite different requirements of International rules football.

This change was reverted ahead of the 2014 series, with any player who had been selected at least once in ''any'' All-Australian team being eligible for selection.

History

The earliest concept considered to be a precursor to the All-Australian team was an annual team selected by ''Sporting Life'' magazine between 1947 and 1955. A panel of sportswriters at the magazine selected a full team of eighteen from all ANFC-affiliated competitions. For a time, AFL historians considered these teams to be official All-Australian teams, but no longer recognises them as such.

The first official All-Australian team was selected in 1953, immediately after the Australian Football Carnival, which was held in Adelaide on that occasion. Based solely upon performances at the carnival, the All-Australian team was selected by representatives of the various state teams. This tradition continued at all subsequent interstate carnivals until 1988.

In 1991, following the VFL's conversion to a national competition and its renaming as the Australian Football League (AFL), an annual All-Australian team based on performances during the AFL premiership season was introduced.

Since 1999, the All-Australian coach is the coach of the premiership-winning side that year.

Prior to 2007, only the final selections in the All-Australian team were announced. Since 2007, the All-Australian selection committee has nominated the 40 leading players of the year in their playing positions at the conclusion of the home and away season, before announcing the final 22 at a later date during the All-Australian Presentation Dinner. The squad was increased to 44 in 2022. The 2023 All-Australian selection panel consists of chairperson Gillon McLachlan, Kevin Bartlett, Eddie Betts, Jude Bolton, Nathan Buckley, Kane Cornes, Andrew Dillon, Glen Jakovich, Laura Kane, Cameron Ling, and Matthew Pavlich.

In addition to the senior All-Australian team, each year an All-Australian is announced based on the AFL National Under 18 Championships and the AFL National Under 16 Championships. The following lists are for senior teams only.

Members of the All-Australian team are awarded a team blazer, reminiscent of the formal wear traditionally worn by travelling members of national sports teams. Blazers have become synonymous with the identity of the honour.

Teams

AFL era: 1991–present

2024

2023

Notes:
* Despite winning the Brownlow Medal for the second time, Lachie Neale was not selected in the team.

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Notes:
* Despite winning the Brownlow Medal, Matt Priddis was not selected in the team, but was selected in the initial squad of 40 like Sam Mitchell and Jack Riewoldt were two years earlier.

2013

2012

Notes:
* Despite being awarded the Brownlow Medal retrospectively alongside Trent Cotchin over four years later in November 2016, Sam Mitchell was not selected in the team. However, he was selected in the initial squad of 40. Cotchin was named in the team alongside Jobe Watson, who received the most Brownlow votes and was initially awarded the medal before being stripped of it due to the Essendon supplements saga.
* Despite winning the Coleman Medal, Jack Riewoldt was also not selected in the team. He, too, was selected in the initial squad of 40.

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

Notes:
* For the first occasion, a preliminary squad of 40 was announced.
* With nine players selected, set a record for most players from one club in an All-Australian team, a record which stands to this day.

2006

2005

Notes:
* Despite winning the Coleman Medal, Fraser Gehrig was not selected in the team.

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

Notes:
* Despite winning the Brownlow Medal and club best and fairest in a grand final year, Shane Woewodin was not selected in the team. Notably three Adelaide midfielders were selected despite that club missing the finals with a 9–13 win–loss record.

1999

Notes:
* Despite winning the Coleman Medal, Scott Cummings was not selected in the team.

1998

Notes:
* 1998 was the final season in which the coach of the All-Australian team was not necessarily the premiership coach.

1997

1996

1995

1994

1993

1992

1991

Notes:
* Despite winning that season's Grand Final, Hawthorn did not supply one player in the team of the year.

VFL/AFL Team of the Year: 1982–1990

The AFL website recognises players who were named in the VFL/AFL Team of the Year from 1982 to 1990 as having All-Australian status. This was a team picked by Victorian selectors. Teams were named every season from 1982 to 1990, except 1985.

1990

1989

1988

1987

1986

1984

1983

1982

Australian Football Carnival era: 1953–1988

;State of origin era

1988

1987

1986

1985

1983

1980

1979

;Pre-State of Origin era

1972

1969

1966

1961

1958

1956

1953

''Sporting Life'' Team of the Year: 1947–1955

These teams were once considered to be equivalent to All-Australian selection, but are no longer recognised as such.

1955

1954

1953

1952

1951

1950

1949

1948

1947

Records

Players

Most times selected overall

Most times selected in Carnivals era

Most captaincies

Coaches

Most times selected overall

Selected as both player and coach

See also

*AFL Women's All-Australian team

References

External links

All-Australian Team on official AFL website
* ''Sporting Life'' teams 1947–1955:
* All-Australian teams 1953–1988:
* All-Australian teams 1991–2004
Official AFL website

{{DEFAULTSORT:All Australian
Australian Football League awards
Australian rules football awards
Australian rules football representative teams