For the second-straight AFL season, four Fremantle youngsters have been selected in the AFL Players’ Association’s 22Under22 team, presented by Snaffle, the most of any side.
Fans selected Luke Jackson, Caleb Serong, Hayden Young and Jye Amiss in the final 22Under22 team – the Dockers also had four representatives (again the most of any club) in final side in 2022.
The Western Bulldogs closely followed with three players representing the red, white and blue in 2023 – Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Bailey Smith and Cody Weightman – while Hawthorn, St Kilda and Sydney each had three players featuring in this year’s team.
The initial 40-person squad, which was selected by former Docker and Sun, Michael Barlow, with support from the AFLPA and Champion Data, was narrowed to the best 22 players aged 22 and under, as voted by the fans.
Of the final 22, Smith was selected for the fourth time – joining Andrew McGrath, Aaron Naughton and Sam Walsh as four-time representatives (only Marcus Bontempelli has more 22Under22 selections with five), while Jackson and Kysaiah Pickett were each picked for the third time.
Nick Daicos, who was one of six players to be selected in the final 22 for the second time, was the most picked player. The dominant second-year Magpie featured in 95 per cent of fans’ teams, with Ugle-Hagan (88 per cent) and first-year Kangaroo Harry Sheezel (86 per cent) following. Daicos was also selected as the 22Under22 captain, with Hawthorn midfielder Jai Newcombe picked as his deputy.
To be eligible for selection, players must be aged 22 and under for the entirety of the season (including Grand Final day – September 30) and have played a minimum of 12 games throughout the 2023 season.
The AFLPA is proud to partner with Snaffle as the major partner of the 22Under22 competition, giving fans who submit their vote the opportunity win their choice of either Apple AirPods Pro or Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro.
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.