Sustained excellence over more than a decade, made visible in the ruck
Each year, the AFL's All Australian selection process becomes a quiet reckoning with excellence — a moment when the game pauses to ask which players have most fully expressed their gifts across a long season. The naming of the 2025 squad of 44 sets that reckoning in motion, with the final 22 to be revealed on August 28. At the centre of this year's deliberation stands Max Gawn, whose potential eighth selection would place him among a handful of players who have sustained greatness not as a flash of brilliance, but as a way of being in the game.
- Max Gawn stands one selection away from joining six all-time greats — Gary Ablett Snr, Gary Ablett Jnr, Dangerfield, Franklin, Harvey, and Ricciuto — as an eight-time All Australian.
- Four clubs — Carlton, Essendon, North Melbourne, and West Coast — have no representatives in the squad, a conspicuous absence that speaks to their difficult seasons.
- Twenty-eight players are chasing a first All Australian selection, with 18 appearing in the squad for the very first time, signalling a generational wave reshaping the competition's elite tier.
- Ben King's 62 goals from 22 matches and Izak Rankine's 31 goals represent the younger talent pressing hardest against the established order.
- Marcus Bontempelli, who captained the 2024 All Australian Team, is in line for a seventh blazer, a distinction shared by only Wayne Carey, Stephen Silvagni, Gawn himself, and selector Nathan Buckley.
- A nine-person selection panel, chaired by Andrew Dillon, will cut the 44 to 22 using the match-ready framework in place since 2007, with the final team announced Thursday.
The AFL named its 44-player squad for the 2025 All Australian Team on Tuesday, with the final 22 to be announced on August 28. The list spans all positions and reflects the season's standout performers — but it is Max Gawn of Melbourne who lends the announcement its most resonant storyline. Seven times already selected, Gawn is averaging 35.9 hitouts and 13.5 contested possessions across 23 matches this season, and an eighth blazer would see him join Gary Ablett Snr, Gary Ablett Jnr, Patrick Dangerfield, Lance Franklin, Robert Harvey, and Mark Ricciuto in the rarest company the game has to offer.
The squad's distribution tells its own story about the competition's current landscape. Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, and the Western Bulldogs lead with five representatives each, while Carlton, Essendon, North Melbourne, and West Coast are entirely absent — a pointed reflection of where those clubs find themselves. Fremantle and GWS each have four players in contention, with Collingwood, Geelong, and Hawthorn holding three apiece.
Perhaps the most striking feature of the 44 is its youth. Twenty-eight players are seeking a first All Australian selection, and 18 are appearing in the squad for the very first time. Ben King of Gold Coast, with 62 goals from just 22 matches, and Adelaide's Izak Rankine, who has kicked 31 goals, exemplify the calibre of younger talent now demanding recognition alongside the game's established names.
Marcus Bontempelli, who captained last year's All Australian side, is in line for a seventh selection — a distinction he would share with Wayne Carey, Stephen Silvagni, Gawn, and selector Nathan Buckley. Meanwhile, Jeremy Cameron of Geelong has again delivered at the highest level with 83 goals, and first-time contenders like Josh Dunkley and Tom Green represent years of steady development finally arriving at the game's highest honour. The selection panel, chaired by Andrew Dillon and including Eddie Betts, Jude Bolton, Kane Cornes, Abbey Holmes, and Matthew Pavlich among others, will make their final choices using the match-ready framework established in 2007.
The AFL announced its 44-player squad in contention for the 2025 All Australian Team on Tuesday, setting the stage for the final selection of 22 players to be revealed on Thursday, August 28. The squad represents the leading performers across all positions—forwards, defenders, and midfielders—during the 2025 season, and it carries particular significance for one of the game's most decorated ruckmen.
Max Gawn of Melbourne stands on the threshold of an eighth All Australian selection, a milestone that would place him among the rarest company in the sport's history. Should he be named in the final team, he would join just six other players who have achieved that distinction: Gary Ablett Senior, Gary Ablett Junior, Patrick Dangerfield, Lance Franklin, Robert Harvey, and Mark Ricciuto. Gawn has already been selected seven times across his career, most recently in 2024, and his consistent dominance in the ruck—averaging 35.9 hitouts and 13.5 contested possessions this season across 23 matches—makes him a genuine contender for the honour.
The squad distribution across the competition reveals some notable patterns. Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, and the Western Bulldogs each claimed five spots, the equal highest representation. Fremantle and GWS each have four players in contention, while Collingwood, Geelong, and Hawthorn have three apiece. Port Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Richmond account for two each, with St Kilda holding one. Notably, Carlton, Essendon, North Melbourne, and West Coast have no representatives in the squad at all, a significant absence for clubs of their stature.
The squad also showcases substantial emerging talent. Twenty-eight players are vying for their first All Australian selection, with eighteen of those making their debut appearance in the squad itself. This influx of fresh names reflects both the depth of talent across the competition and the natural generational shift within elite football. Players like Izak Rankine of Adelaide, who has kicked 31 goals this season, and Ben King of Gold Coast, with 62 goals from just 22 matches, represent the calibre of younger performers pushing for recognition.
Marcus Bontempelli of the Western Bulldogs, who captained the 2024 All Australian Team, is in line for a seventh selection and could join an exclusive group that includes Wayne Carey, Stephen Silvagni, Max Gawn, and current All Australian selector Nathan Buckley—all holders of seven blazers. Bontempelli has averaged 27.1 disposals and 9.1 score involvements across 18 matches this season, maintaining the standard that has defined his career.
The selection panel tasked with narrowing the 44 down to 22 comprises Andrew Dillon as chair, alongside Eddie Betts, Jude Bolton, Nathan Buckley, Kane Cornes, Abbey Holmes, Glen Jakovich, Laura Kane, and Matthew Pavlich. Their selections will follow the criteria established in 2007, with the final team constructed as if to play a match—a framework that has guided All Australian selections for nearly two decades.
The announcement of the squad itself represents a moment of recognition for performances across a full season. Players like Jeremy Cameron of Geelong, a four-time All Australian, have delivered at the highest level once again, kicking 83 goals this season. Others, such as Josh Dunkley of Brisbane and Tom Green of GWS, are making their first serious push for the honour after years of consistent development. The final team will be named in two days, and with it, the question of whether Gawn will join the pantheon of eight-time All Australians will be answered.
Notable Quotes
Max Gawn could become the seventh player in AFL history with eight All Australian blazers, joining Gary Ablett Senior, Gary Ablett Junior, Patrick Dangerfield, Lance Franklin, Robert Harvey, and Mark Ricciuto— AFL announcement
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What does it actually mean for Gawn to reach eight All Australian selections? Is it just a personal milestone, or does it say something about the way the game values certain positions?
It's both. Eight selections across a career is extraordinarily rare—you're talking about sustained excellence over more than a decade. But it also reflects that rucking, when done at Gawn's level, is almost impossible to ignore. The ruck contest is visible, measurable, and he's been winning it consistently.
The squad has 18 debutants. Does that suggest the competition is getting younger, or just that there's more turnover in who makes the elite tier?
Probably both. You lose players to retirement, injury, form. But there's also genuine depth emerging. A kid like Ben King kicking 62 goals in 22 matches—that's not a fluke. The game is producing talent faster than it used to, or at least the talent is arriving earlier.
Four clubs have no one in the squad at all. That's striking. What does that tell you about their season?
It's brutal, honestly. Carlton, Essendon, North Melbourne, West Coast—they've all had difficult years. When you can't get a single player into a 44-player squad across the entire competition, it suggests systemic issues, not just bad luck. It's a statement about where those clubs sit right now.
Bontempelli captained last year's team and he's back in the squad. Does that usually happen, or is he an exception?
It happens, but it's not guaranteed. You have to earn it every year. The fact that he's averaging 27 disposals and 9.1 score involvements means he's still performing at that level. The captaincy doesn't carry you through; the football does.
When does the final team get announced, and what happens then?
Thursday, August 28. Then the 22 players get their blazers, and the conversation shifts to who was left out—which is always the more interesting story.