For every All-Australian player presented a blazer on Thursday night, there is another in the initial squad that has missed out.
And as there is every year, the revealing of the squad that’s designed to reflect the league’s best 22 players has some controversial selections.
Below foxfooty.com.au highlights the biggest winners with a blazer around their back this season, as well as the biggest losers – including the 22 snubs ranked.
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WINNERS
JOSH BATTLE
What a rise it’s been for 26-year-old Josh Battle, who played every position in his first few years at St Kilda before being turned into a defender in 2022.
He was good enough over the next three years to land a lucrative free agency offer from Hawthorn, where he has helped steady a side that saw inconsistent form from captain James Sicily.
There’s an easy, direct comparison to make here – Battle earns an All-Australian blazer while his former teammate Cal Wilkie didn’t even make the 44-man squad, despite arguably having a better season.
Battle’s selection is surprising but he’s still a tremendous player and story, and the Hawks must be absolutely thrilled with this piece of off-season business.
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BAILEY SMITH
Let’s not forget that Bailey Smith did not play a single game in the 2024 season.
There was no guarantee the midfield speedster would get back to his best after an ACL injury, but he bet on himself when he made the move from the Western Bulldogs to Geelong.
Smith wanted to be a full-time mid, and the Dogs had too many of those to guarantee him gametime in his preferred position. So he took his talents to Eastern Beach.
From game one, Smith looked like the superstar he’d infrequently been at his Bulldogs peak, with everyone realising the Cats had gotten another bargain. A midfield perfectly set up to use his and teammate Max Holmes’ talents made both men better.
One could argue Holmes was more important to the Cats than Smith, but for more than living up to the billing, it’s hard to argue that Smith isn’t an All-Australian calibre player.
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ED RICHARDS
At the start of 2024, Ed Richards was a solid halfback contributor, and there was no obvious path to being much more than that given how jam-packed the Western Bulldogs midfield was.
But a Tom Liberatore concussion saw Luke Beveridge throw Richards into the middle, and he showed enough to make the club comfortable losing Jack Macrae, Caleb Daniel and Bailey Smith that off-season.
The path to greater game time was clear in 2025, especially with reigning All-Australian Adam Treloar battling injuries, but nobody saw Richards becoming the No.2-rated player in the entire AFL.
While the Dogs disappointingly missed the finals, Richards’ added element of run and carry made an already-great midfield even better, and helped turned them into the best offensive team in the competition.
Signing a five-year extension this past May, Richards will help smooth the transition from Liberatore (and eventually Marcus Bontempelli) to the next generation.
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NASIAH WANGANEEN-MILERA
We came into 2025 expecting Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera to be one of the more exciting halfbacks in the competition, with St Kilda hopeful of keeping him as part of a promising young core.
His next contract was likely to be in the range of $800,000 a year – certainly above the AFL average, but not exactly a history-making deal.
Yet after an intense bidding war between the Saints and the two South Australian clubs, Wanganeen-Milera ends the year as the game’s first $2 million man, a genuine superstar and the core of what the Saints hope will be their next great team.
Wanganeen-Milera earns an All-Australian blazer at halfback because of his time in the role early on, but he had been showing the potential to be a gun midfielder for some time – David King seemed to be calling for the move every second week on First Crack – and once he made the switch, he took his game up a level. Actually, several levels.
The Melbourne win was his masterpiece; two goals in the final 10 seconds of the match, proving he is an all-lines gamebreaker.
Ross Lyon was brutally honest after Wanganeen-Milera re-signed that losing him would’ve been “catastrophic”. Hard to argue.
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LOSERS
As maths tells us, 44 players don’t fit into a 22-man team – and like every year, there are plenty of unlucky omissions who didn’t make the final cut for an All-Australian blazer this season.
There’s always confusion over the defensive picks and this year a straight swap would’ve more accurately reflected the story of the season, while a teammate switch would make things more logical.
Foxfooty.com.au assesses and ranks the ‘unlucky 22’ that weren’t selected in the 2025 All-Australian team.
1. JOSH WORRELL
One of the biggest snubs in recent memory. Not only did Worrell play a key role in helping transform Adelaide’s backline to being one of the best in the league, that improvement was a key reason for the club’s ascension to the top of the ladder. His numbers were also outstanding in a true breakout season. The 24-year old averaged 20.3 disposals and 5.5 marks per game and ranked No. 2 in the AFL in intercepts and No. 5 in rebound 50s. It also meant the Crows had no representation in the All-Australian back six, when arguably the story of the season was them figuring out their defence on the run, and thus becoming minor premiers. This isn’t necessarily saying Worrell had the best year of all the players that missed out, but most would’ve had him ahead of Josh Battle. The only reason we could think of is that the selectors saw Worrell as a true key defender and thus went with Sam Taylor and Harris Andrews over him? He was also hurt by the selectors picking four true midfielders on the bench, rather than having at least some versatility. If we’re picking a team to play next weekend, wouldn’t you rather have an extra back than a seventh midfielder? As Adelaide AFLW superstar Ebony Marinoff put it: “NO JOSH WORRELL SORRY WOT WHAT MORE DOES THE BOY GOT DO!!!!”
2. MAX HOLMES
While Jeremy Cameron and Bailey Smith had epic seasons, Holmes was arguably Geelong’s MVP in a career-best year. He really should be above his teammate Smith here. The star runner ranked top three in the AFL in metres gained, bounces and inside 50s as the ultimate dashing midfielder in the modern game. Holmes also has the flexibility to play a variety of roles. Though not a massive accumulator, his 26.9 disposals still ranks 16th in the AFL and he sits top 20 in effective disposals and score involvements. The ultimate punish player, which again, is so critical in today’s game.
3. BRODIE GRUNDY
Grundy not getting the starting ruck role makes sense. But Swans star was a serious snub not to get a gig on the bench. The star ruckman got back to some his absolute elite best form from when he was a two-time All-Australian at Collingwood, averaging 19.4 disposals, 3.9 tackles, 36.7 hit-outs and six clearances in his second season at the Swans. He ranked No. 3 in stoppage clearances and No. 10 in contested possessions. It included a dominant run in the second half of the season where he overpowered his opponent weekly in what was probably the strongest period of any ruck. The argument against picking him would be that very few teams actually play two ruckmen – but that doesn’t really matter unless Mars finally challenges us to a game, right?
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4. JAMIE ELLIOTT
A brilliant, career-best season from the veteran Collingwood small forward at 33 years of age. He spearheaded Craig McRae’s attack with personal best 52 goals, the most of any Magpie, playing all 23 games for the club. While Elliott’s drop off later in the season coincided with the Magpies’ decline, he still finished seventh in the Coleman Medal and ranked No. 5 in tackles inside 50 and No. 6 in marks inside 50, personifying how valuable he’s been to Collingwood. Effectively overlooked for Jack Gunston in the end.
5. LACHIE ASH
There’s not much more Ash could’ve done to secure his first blazer. Would be firmly in the mix for the most improved player in the competition, averaging 27.9 disposals (ranked No. 7 in the AFL) and 5.3 marks. He also ranked No. 1 in effective disposals, No. 2 in rebound 50s and No. 3 in bounces as one of the, literal, key drivers for the Giants and their back six. Jordan Clark got the nod over him.
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6. NICK VLASTUIN
It was a tough year for the Tigers. But one player who consistently stood tall and played a key part in the club surpassing expectations was Vlasutin. The leader of Adem Yze’s back six against a high volume of opposition inside 50s most weeks, Vlaustin had a brilliant season in a defence that was consistently under siege. He ranked No. 4 in the AFL in intercepts and No. 11 in rebound 50s as well as averaging 19.1 disposals and 6.1 marks. And you fear for how that Richmond defence would’ve held up without the 31-year old helping hold it together.
7. IZAK RANKINE
Rankine’s season didn’t end in great circumstances, but that doesn’t take away from how brilliant the star midfielder-forward was for the majority of the campaign. The 25-year old averaged 20.6 disposals and just under a goal a game and is one of the best in the competition at his best. The ultimate sparkplug, Rankine’s ability to impact both as a midfielder and forward and provide a spark is such an X-factor for Matthew Nicks’ side and one it will solely miss to begin September. Also rated No. 12 in goal assists.
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8. DAYNE ZORKO
Zorko might be 36 years old, but this Lions veteran has never been going better. The heartbeat of Chris Fagan’s team whose quarterback-ing and precision kicking is vital to everything Brisbane does, Zorko is the architect for how the reigning premiers wants to play as something of an on-field coach. After claiming his second All-Australian blazer last year, Zorko had a very similar season. He averaged 25.8 disposals, 6.8 marks and 6.4 rebound 50s (ranked No. 3 in the AFL) and also finished No. 4 in metres gained. Not many players in the league you feel safer with, with ball in hand.
9. JOSH DAICOS
Another stellar season from the less talked about Daicos brother. While there was plenty of focus on Dan Houston going into the season, Josh Daicos was the Magpies’ main distributor across half back, averaging a career-best 27 disposals with five marks. Ranked top 15 in effective disposals, metres gained and rebound 50s and played a critical role when the Magpies were at their absolute best heights. Collinwood’s late-season fade-out may have cost a couple of stars a blazer.
10. MARK KEANE
He wasn’t quite on the level of teammate Worrell, but Keane went severely under the radar for the majority of 2025 as a human wall in the Crows’ rock-solid defence. The Irishman led the AFL in intercepts and was ranked No. 7 in one percenters, which really personifies his game, and No. 19 in rebound 50s. Just keeps getting better and better in one of footy’s great stories, set to play a key role in Adelaide’s September prospects. There’s a reason Collingwood went so hard in trying to get him back to the club last off-season.
11. LUKE JACKSON
Jackson’s point of difference is his versatility and ability to play multiple roles, which would’ve made him a great candidate for the bench. There’s simply not many players quite like the Dockers unicorn. He averaged 17.8 disposals, four tackles, 22.3 hit-outs and just under a goal a game. Fremantle looks more dynamic when Jackson is in the ruck, but having the flexibility to use him as an extra on-baller or swing him forward is such a dangerous asset for Justin Longmuir.
12. TOM LIBERATORE
It’s always hard fitting so many star midfielders in. But Liberatore might be the most unlucky of the lot as his All-Australian drought continued. The soul of the Bulldogs’ engine room, he averaged 26.7 deposals per game, 5.6 tackles and 6.3 clearances (ranked No. 7 in AFL). Also ranked top 20 in tackles, effective disposals and score involvements. Just such a reliable, honest player, and at 33, doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
13. JOSH DUNKLEY
14. ZAK BUTTERS
15. MITCH GEORGIADES
16. SAM COLLINS
17. ANDY BRAYSHAW
18. BEN KING
19. FINN CALLAGHAN
20. TOM GREEN
21. SAM DARCY
22. BEN LONG