Brisbane Lions’ young guns have dominated the AFL Players’ Association’s 22Under22 team, presented by Intrepid Travel, with all five eligible players from the initial squad being selected in the final side.
This year’s final team, selected by the fans, features more Lions than any other club, with brothers Levi and Will Ashcroft appearing together, along with Will’s fellow 2024 premiership teammates, Jaspa Fletcher, Logan Morris and Darcy Wilmot.
Ladder leader Adelaide followed closely with three players, Daniel Curtin, Max Michalanney and Josh Rachele, featuring in the final team, with Rachele securing his third 22Under22 jumper.
Fans voted for the team from an initial 40-person squad compiled by St Kilda legend Leigh Montagna, with support from the AFLPA and Champion Data.
Collingwood star, Nick Daicos, received his fourth selection in the final team, joining the likes of Bailey Smith, Andrew McGrath, Aaron Naughton, and Sam Walsh as four-time 22Under22 representatives.
Daicos was also selected as the side’s captain for the third year in a row.
Marcus Bontempelli holds the unique record of being selected in the final team by the fans five times.
Fresh from signing a contract extension at St Kilda, man-of-the-moment Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera was voted by fans as the team’s vice-captain for his third year in the team.
Wanganeen-Milera, along with Will Ashcroft and Sam Darcy, were all chosen in more than 90 per cent of fans’ teams, with Darcy appearing in more sides than any other player, at 97 per cent.
To be eligible for selection, players must be aged 22 and under for the entirety of the season (including Grand Final Day, 27 September) and have played a minimum of 12 games in 2025.
The AFLPA is proud to partner with Intrepid Travel as the major partner of the 22Under22 competition.
Intrepid Travel has been a world leader in responsible travel for 35 years. The company’s mission is to create positive change through the joy of travel, which comes to life on more than 900 trips all designed to truly experience local culture. With its own network of destination management companies in 28 countries, Intrepid has unique local expertise and perspectives. Globally recognised for their commitment to transparency and ethical travel, they became B-Corp certified in 2018. Intrepid Travel is also the first tour operator with near-term science-based climate targets through the Science Based Targets Initiative, and its not-for-profit, The Intrepid Foundation, has raised more than $16 million for more than 160 partners.