The future is strong for four premiership contenders, with Melbourne, Collingwood, Fremantle and Sydney featuring heavily in the 2022 AFL Players’ Association’s 22Under22 squad, presented by Snaffle.
The Swans take out top spot for the most represented club with six players featuring this year, followed by Dockers with five players, while the Demons and Magpies have four representatives each, proving how vital a core group of young players is in pushing far into September.
Nick Blakey, Tom McCartin, James Rowbottom, Chad Warner, Justin McInerney and Errol Gulden feature for the Swans, while the Dockers have Hayden Young, Jordan Clark, Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and Michael Frederick. Demon youngsters Harrison Petty, James Jordon, Kysaiah Pickett and Luke Jackson also made the cut, while Isaac Quaynor, Nathan Murphy, Nick Daicos and Jack Ginnivan represent for the Magpies.
The 40-person squad is selected by former Docker and Sun, Michael Barlow as Chair of Selectors, with support from the AFL Players’ Association and Champion Data. Of the 40 players included in 2022, Aaron Naughton and Sam Walsh are looking for their fourth selection in the final team, and will join Andrew McGrath if they do so, while Marcus Bontempelli is the most-selected player of all time with five 22Under22 jumpers.
The AFLPA is proud to partner with Snaffle as the major partner of the 22Under22 competition, giving fans who submit their vote the opportunity to claim some great prizes.
Snaffle, the e-commerce store with built-in consumer finance, also sponsors the AFL Players’ Association MVP Awards as part of its commitment to a major partnership with the AFLPA. Snaffle offers hundreds of products that can be paid for in bite-sized weekly payments using the Snaffle wallet or Snaffle rental.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 40-PERSON SQUAD AND SUBMIT YOUR TEAM
22Under22 Chair of Selectors, Barlow, said the current squad was full of players who have already proven their worth on the main stage.
“There are so many quality players 22 and under, this was an incredibly tough squad to pick,” he said.
“We have players that are already stars in the squad, and these players will go onto be future captains, MVP contenders and All-Australians. Their performances are already being recognised and the fans will have a challenge to finalise the team when they vote.”
For a player to be eligible to be selected in the squad they must be aged 22 and under for the entirety of the season (including Grand Final day – September 24) and have played a minimum of 11 games throughout the 2022 season.
As always, fans will decide the final 22Under22 team, with voting now open at 22Under22.com.au for seven days from August 10 to August 17. The fan who selects the team that best matches the final team will win a 22Under22 jumper signed by the side’s captain and vice-captain and their choice of either Apple AirPods Pro or Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, thanks to Snaffle.
Snaffle Chief Marketing Officer, Paul Winslow, said the company is thrilled to continue its association with the MVP awards.
“We know young players tend to play with a great freedom and it’s been fantastic to watch these great youngsters strut their stuff in front of crowds again after two tough years,” he said.
“We love to see people walking around with a sense of confidence, whether playing in front of 100,000 at the G or just organising their daily finances. That’s why we created Snaffle. We believe that you shouldn’t just live life, you should own it and these players certainly live up to that.”
This year’s 22Under22 final line up, presented by Snaffle, will be announced on August 23 via the AFLPA’s website and social media channels.