The polls for the Fans’ 22 have now officially closed and with nearly 3000 submissions, the team has well and truly taken shape.
We asked fans to select six players from each section of the ground - defence, midfield and forward.
We’ve based the positions on AFL Fantasy listings.
Defence
Two-time All Australian Rory Laird claimed bragging rights as the most-selected defender with a massive 99 per cent of votes.
Full back Daniel Talia is the only true key defender in the starting side, with Rising Star runner-up Tom Doedee and Jake Kelly to play tall when required.
“Due to the lack of height in the Hawthorn forward line, I believe this backline gives us the key defender (Talia) that we need with two medium guys in Doedee and Kelly to do the job on their medium guys,” Nathan K wrote.
The fans voted for rebounding power to round out the back six, with Brodie Smith and Wayne Milera Junior to provide firepower from the back half transitioning into attack.
Midfield
A similar pattern followed in the middle of the ground with Crows co-captain Rory Sloane grabbing the most selections.
The Crouch brothers weren’t far behind, Matt proving slightly more popular than Brad.
“The Crouch boys and Sloane will start in the middle and give us hard attack at the ball to start us off. Gibbs will give good run and Sauce is a ruckman who’s going to have a standout season,” Braedyn H said.
Bryce Gibbs and Hugh Greenwood completed the line with spots on the wing, with fans backing the basketball convert to be good to go after a strong SANFL Trial performance a fortnight ago.
Meanwhile, Rory Atkins and Richard Douglas earned spots on the bench.
Sam Jacobs was the dominant choice for the ruck.
Forwards
Eddie Betts was the most popular player across all three categories.
Joining him up forward was co-captain Taylor Walker, Tom Lynch and Josh Jenkins.
Riley Knight and teenager Darcy Fogarty complete the six, along with Jordan Gallucci on the interchange.
“Riley Knight is a key player to our forward line as he brings a different game style to our gameplay. Josh Jenkins I think has the potential to win the Coleman Medal,” Luke P wrote.
Full team:
B: Rory Laird, Daniel Talia, Jake Kelly
HB: Brodie Smith, Tom Doedee, Wayne Milera Jnr
C: Bryce Gibbs, Brad Crouch, Hugh Greenwood
HF: Tom Lynch, Taylor Walker, Riley Knight
F: Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins, Darcy Fogarty
FOLL: Sam Jacobs, Rory Sloane, Matt Crouch
INT: Alex Keath, Rory Atkins, Richard Douglas, Jordan Gallucci
