All-Australian team
The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each Australian Football League 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, 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
2025
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
- Despite winning the Coleman Medal, Scott Cummings was not selected in the team.
1998
- 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
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1984
1983
1982
Australian Football Carnival era: 1953–1988
;State of origin era1988
1987
1986
1985
1983
1980
1979
;Pre-State of Origin era