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All-Australian team

All-star team of Australian rules footballers

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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 (AFL) 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.

The concept of an All-Australian team originated as recognition of performance in interstate football. They were named after each Australian National Football Carnival, beginning with the 1953 Adelaide Carnival. In the 1980s All-Australian teams were named annually to recognise the best performers in State of Origin series. Following the AFL's expansion to a national competition with teams in multiple states, the first AFL All-Australian team was named in 1991.

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.

01History

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 line-up 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.

Sporting Life magazine created the concept of an All-Australian team in 1947.
Sporting Life magazine created the concept of an All-Australian team in 1947.

02Teams

AFL era: 1991-present

2026

2025

2024

2023

Notes:

  • Despite winning the Brownlow Medal for the second time, Lachie Neale was not selected in the team, but was included in the initial 44 man squad.

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Notes:

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, Geelong set a record for most players from one club in an All-Australian team, a record which stands to this day.

2006

2005

Notes:

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, although none of the three selected were positioned in midfield or onballer positions.

1999

Notes:

1998

Notes:

  • 1998 was the final season in which the coach of the All-Australian team was not necessarily the premiership coach. Indeed, premiership-winning coach Malcolm Blight was not included in the team.

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

03Records

Players

Most times selected overall

Selections Player Teams
9Max Gawn2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 (c), 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026 (c)
8Robert Harvey1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003
Mark Ricciuto1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 (c), 2005 (c)
Gary Ablett Jr.2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 (vc), 2011 (c), 2012 (vc), 2013 (vc), 2014
Lance Franklin2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 (c)
Patrick Dangerfield2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 (vc), 2019, 2020 (c)
Marcus Bontempelli2016, 2019, 2020, 2021 (vc), 2023 (vc), 2024 (c), 2025, 2026
7Craig Bradley1983, 1985, 1986, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997
Paul Roos1985, 1987, 1988, 1991 (c), 1992 (c), 1996, 1997
Wayne Carey1993 (c), 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 (c), 1999 (c), 2000 (c)
Nathan Buckley1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 (vc)

Most times selected in Carnivals era

Selections Player Teams
4Jack K. "Stork" Clarke1953, 1956, 1958, 1961
3Jack E. Clarke1953, 1956, 1958
John Abley1956, 1958, 1961
Ron Barassi1956, 1958, 1961 (c)
Polly Farmer1956, 1958, 1961
Ted Whitten1956, 1958, 1961

Most captaincies

Selections Player Teams
4Wayne Carey1993, 1998, 1999, 2000
3Joel Selwood2013, 2014, 2016
2Brian Peake1979, 1986
Paul Roos1991, 1992
Paul Kelly1996, 1997
Michael Voss2002, 2003
Mark Ricciuto2004, 2005
Max Gawn2021, 2026

Coaches

Most times selected overall

Selections Coach Teams
4Alastair Clarkson2008, 2013, 2014, 2015
3Kevin Sheedy1985, 1993, 2000
Leigh Matthews2001, 2002, 2003
Damien Hardwick2017, 2019, 2020
2Graham Cornes1987, 1988
Chris Fagan2024, 2025
Mark Thompson2007, 2009
Mick Malthouse1991, 2010
Chris Scott2011, 2022

Selected as both player and coach

Total selections Name Selection/s as player Selection/s as coach
8Paul Roos1985, 1987, 1988, 1991 (c), 1992 (c), 1996, 19972005
6Simon Goodwin2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 20092021
4Graham Cornes1979, 19801987, 1988
Leigh Matthews19722001, 2002, 2003
Damien Hardwick20002017, 2019, 2020
3Barry Cable1966, 19691979
2John Todd19611983
Terry Wallace19881998
Mark Williams19802004
Adam Simpson20022018
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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article All-Australian team, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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