The 2015 22Under22 team has been unveiled at the AFL Players’ MVP Awards, with Western Bulldogs star Jake Stringer announced skipper and Sydney Swans’ tough nut Luke Parker named vice-captain.
Stringer – who kicked 54 goals during the home and away season to finish in the top five in the Coleman Medal – took to the stage to accept his 22Under22 cap from last year’s captain, Essendon’s Dyson Heppell.
The all-star line-up was made up of players from 12 of the 18 AFL clubs. Greater Western Sydney was best represented, with four Giants – Adam Treloar, Dylan Shiel, Jeremy Cameron and Devon Smith – selected in the final 22.
Gold Coast and Port Adelaide each had three players named in the team, with Kade Kolodjashnij, Adam Saad and Tom Lynch of the Suns getting the nod and Jack Hombsch, Ollie Wines and Chad Wingard representing the Power.
Wingard and Richmond’s Brandon Ellis became the only players to have gained selection in every 22Under22 team since the award’s inception, after being picked for a third consecutive year.
Thirteen players were named in the 22Under22 team for the first time, while seven were selected for a second time.
For the third season, aflplayers.com.au called on footy fans to decide the final team by selecting their best 22Under22 via the AFL Players’ Facebook page, after the AFL Players’ Board – led by AFL Players’ President Matthew Pavlich – selected the initial squad of 47.
More than 5000 footy fans from across Australia teams submitted their teams via the AFL Players’ Facebook page, with many of the game’s highest profile players picking their own teams and getting involved in the banter on social media.
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