On The Hitout AFL Podcast this week, the team unveiled three very different mid-year All-Australian teams for 2026, selecting one stats-based 23-player side, a team made up of one player per club, and one standard team.
The stats-based outfit is made up of 23 metric leaders to this point of the season, with the backline (intercepts, spoils, intercept marks, rebound 50s, marks and bounces), midfield (disposals, metres gained, uncontested possessions, contested possessions, clearances and hitouts to advantage), forward line (goals, goal assists, score involvements, marks inside 50, forward 50 ground ball gets and tackles inside 50) and interchange (tackles, score assists, disposal efficiency (min. 10 contested possessions), ground ball gets and SuperCoach) each made up of specific stats.
Certain stats leaders earned selections while being unlikely to make the actual All-Australian team this year, including St Kilda forward Cooper Sharman (goal assists), Bulldogs backman James O'Donnell (spoils) and Fremantle livewire Patrick Voss (tackles inside 50) each leading the way for at least one metric.
Players who lead multiple stats categories - such as Clayton Oliver, Brodie Grundy, Nick Daicos and Nick Blakey - make up only one position, with the next-best ranked player for that metric being named.
The teams were selected based on season averages, while players were required to have played at least 10 games so far this year.
Stats-based All-Australian Team
FB: James Sicily (intercepts), James O'Donnell (spoils), Aliir Aliir (intercept marks)
HB: Lachie Ash* (rebound 50s), Callum Wilkie (marks), Nick Blakey (bounces)
C: Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (metres gained), Bailey Smith* (disposals), Nick Daicos (uncontested possessions)
HF: Isaac Heeney (score involvements), Ben King (goals), Patrick Voss (tackles inside 50)
FF: Cooper Sharman (goal assists), Mitch Georgiades (marks inside 50), Nick Watson (forward 50 ground ball gets)
FO: Brodie Grundy (hitouts to advantage), Jai Newcombe* (clearances), Clayton Oliver (contested possessions)
I/C: Sam Baerry (tackles), Christian Petracca (score assists), Luke Davies-Uniacke (disposal efficiency**), Tim Taranto (ground ball gets), Max Gawn* (SuperCoach)
*Selected due to the stat leader being picked elsewhere
** Minimum 10 contested possessions required
You can also check out The Hitout's other two All-Australian teams, as well as this week's discussion on the AFL's floated fixture changes for 2028 and beyond, when finishing lower on the ladder is an advantage, and the league's 'aura' issue.
