The All-Australian squad was released on Monday night, and to many fans' dismay, with some notable exclusions from the 44-man squad selected.
With only 22 spots available in the official All-Australian team, the 44-man squad allows the All-Australian panel to recognise honourable mentions before the final selections are locked in, and indirectly attempts to reduce the hysteria from AFL fans when their club favourite misses out.
Yet, there are always bound to be a few deserving players that get overlooked each year. But were they really stiff to miss? Let's analyse the stats of the biggest snubs of 2024's All-Australian squad to determine if their lack of selection was a mistake from the AA panel.
1. Rowan Marshall
Marshall presents as the most obvious snubbing in 2024, with many pundits advocating for the St Kilda ruckman in the final 22-man team. A quick glance at his statistics and it's clear to see why.
Marshall is the only ruckman to average over 20 disposals per game, averaging 20.7 for the year. It highlights his threat not only in the ruck contest but around the ground. Additionally, Marshall averages 5.8 marks, ranked second behind Bulldog Tim English.
The 201cm 28-year-old also impressively ranks sixth out of all ruckmen for tackles per game (4.3). Despite his leaner frame, Marshall averages just half a tackle less than staunchly-built rucks Kieren Briggs and Brodie Grundy. Sound defensively, Marshall ranks fifth for intercepts too (3.4 per game).
Marshall is also statistically one of the greatest rucks in attack this season, launching an average of 4.2 inside 50s per game (ranked first), 340.5 meters gained (ranked first), 5.74 clearances (ranked fourth), and 4.74 score involvements (ranked 11th).
Marshall has achieved these figures despite the Saints being ranked 15th for inside 50s, 13th for meters gained, 17th for clearances and 15th for points scored.
Whilst fellow ruckmen Max Gawn and Tristan Xerri have had equally strong seasons, Marshall's exclusion from even the squad is a bemusing decision from the All-Australian panel.
