Lance Franklin captain of the AFL's best of 2018

All smiles: All-Australian skipper Lance Franklin.

All smiles: All-Australian skipper Lance Franklin.

Sydney champion Lance Franklin has been named captain of the 2018 All-Australian team for the first time after earning selection for a record-equalling eighth occasion.

He is the first Indigenous skipper of the team since Adelaide’s Andrew McLeod in 2007.

The star-studded team included two ruckmen, with Melbourne’s Max Gawn named in the ruck as Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy sat on the bench.

The backline: Tom Stewart, Alex Rance and Rory Laird.

The backline: Tom Stewart, Alex Rance and Rory Laird.

Eight players retained their spot after being named in 2017 while 10 players became All-Australians for the first time, including Carlton’s Patrick Cripps, who played a lone hand with the wooden spooners. Key forwards Ben Brown and Tom Hawkins were among those unlucky to miss selection, while Lions’ defender Harris Andrews chances were cruelled when he missed four games with concussion after Greater Western Sydney’s Jeremy Cameron knocked him out in round 14.

Suspended Eagle Andrew Gaff is on the wing after being one of the leading contenders for the Brownlow Medal before being rubbed out for eight matches for striking in round 20.

Franklin’s honour comes 10 years after his first All-Australian selection in 2008 when he tore the competition apart, leading Hawthorn to an unlikely premiership and kicking 113 goals aged just 21.

The half-backs: Shannon Hurn, Jeremy McGovern and Lachie Whitfield.

The half-backs: Shannon Hurn, Jeremy McGovern and Lachie Whitfield.

Named at centre half-forward this year, the 31-year-old’s goalkicking number is moderate by the standards he set a decade ago as he kicked 57 goals in 18 games. However, his brilliance remained undiminished as he moved into the top 10 goalkickers in the game’s history and cemented his spot as the game’s biggest drawcard.

The centres: Andrew Gaff, Dustin Martin and Steele Sidebottom.

The centres: Andrew Gaff, Dustin Martin and Steele Sidebottom.

That he did so with a heel injury that restricted him to just 20 minutes training after he kicked eight goals in round one showed his resilience.

Franklin, the only Swan named, joined former greats Mark Ricciuto, Robert Harvey and Gary Ablett senior and junior as the only players in the modern era to have been selected in the team eight times.

Half forwards Patrick Dangerfield, Lance Franklin and Robbie Gray.

Half forwards Patrick Dangerfield, Lance Franklin and Robbie Gray.

Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield was named vice-captain as he won his sixth All-Australian honour, the two leaders among eight players to retain their spot in the team from last year.

Last year’s skipper, Alex Rance was again named at full-back with teammate Dustin Martin named in the centre for the second successive season. The pair were among four Tigers named, with Coleman medallist Jack Riewoldt named at full-forward and Shane Edwards winning a spot on the bench.

The AFL forward line.

The AFL forward line.

Tigers defender Dylan Grimes was one of the unlucky players, with selectors opting for mature-aged Geelong defender Tom Stewart, who won selection in just his second season in the AFL.

Two other first-time defenders – West Coast skipper Shannon Hurn and Greater Western Sydney’s Lachie Whitfield – were named on half-back flanks while previous All-Australians, Adelaide’s Rory Laird and West Coast’s Jeremy McGovern, won the remaining two defensive spots.

Ruck division: Max Gawn, Patrick Cripps and Tom Mitchell.

Ruck division: Max Gawn, Patrick Cripps and Tom Mitchell.

The selection of Whitfield, top pick at the 2012 national draft, completes a remarkable return for the 24-year-old who was suspended for six months in the first half of 2017 after evading a potential drug test.

Collingwood midfielder Steele Sidebottom was rewarded for his best season the year after he won his first best-and-fairest award with the Magpies, while Brownlow Medal favourite Tom Mitchell was named rover and triple premiership Hawks Jack Gunston and Luke Breust were named in the forward pockets.

Breust kicked 53 goals and Gunston chipped in with 48 despite also spending some time in defence, while the brilliance of Port Adelaide’s Robbie Gray was enough to earn him his fourth All-Australian, nosing out unlucky Lion Dayne Beams and Eagle Elliot Yeo.

Interchange: Clayton Oliver, Shane Edwards, Brodie Grundy and Shaun Higgins.

Interchange: Clayton Oliver, Shane Edwards, Brodie Grundy and Shaun Higgins.

The bench had four first-time All-Australians named with Edwards and Grundy alongside Melbourne’s 21-year-old Clayton Oliver, who was the youngest player selected in the team while North Melbourne veteran Shaun Higgins won selection in his 13th season.

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