The 22Under22 final team for 2017 was announced at the 2017 AFLPA MVP Awards last night. We look at the numbers that define the team.
Top 10 Most Popular:
- Jake Lever — 5913
- Josh Kelly — 5664
- Callum Mills — 5590
- Orazio Fantasia — 5542
- Marcus Bontempelli — 5400
- Jack Billings — 5224
- Andy McGrath — 5206
- Eric Hipwood — 5053
- Jayden Hunt — 4924
- Ryan Burton — 4757
Most Representatives:
- Sydney & Essendon (three players)
- Adelaide, Melbourne, Hawthorn, Brisbane and Gold Coast (two players)
Bont’s moment of history:
Marcus Bontempelli became the first player in history to be selected four times in the 22Under22 team, and is remarkably eligible to make it again in 2018! Adelaide’s Jake Lever and Port Adelaide’s Ollie Wines joined the likes of Chad Wingard and Brandon Ellis by earning their third 22Under22 cap. Lever is also eligible next season.
A debut season to remember:
After claiming the Rising Star a week earlier, Andy McGrath was selected into the final 22Under22 in his first season. Other players to have achieved this feat include, Jaeger O’Meara (2013), Tom Langdon (2014), Kade Kolodjashnij (2014), Marcus Bontempelli (2014), Luke McDonald (2014), Jake Lever (2015), Adam Saad (2015), Jacob Weitering (2016) and Callum Mills (2016).
All-Australians:
This year’s 22Under22 side featured three All-Australians (Josh Kelly, Zach Merrett and Matt Crouch).
First-timers:
A total of 13 first-timers were voted by the fans in 2017 (Jack Billings, Ryan Burton, Andy McGrath, Eric Hipwood, Jayden Hunt, Harris Andrews, Charlie Curnow, Orazio Fantasia, Tom Papley, Peter Wright, Matt Crouch, James Sicily and Daniel Rioli).
Record-breaking year:
For the first time ever, more than 6000 fans selected a 22Under22 team.