But it is the premiership medallion Daicos senior won on the first Saturday of October in 1990 that is the prize Nick and Josh want the most.
Moore was the third Magpie in the side,named at centre halfback despite missing the final two games with injury. The Magpies,along with Port,had the most players in the side with three,ahead of St Kilda,the Bulldogs and Adelaide,who each had two.
Josh Daicos was rewarded for a career-best season by the 10-person selection panel,who picked specialist wingmen for the first time since 2018. His partner on the other wing is Sydney sensation Errol Gulden,who was the AFLPA’s best first-year player just two seasons ago.
Nick was named as rover in a centre-square combination alongside Port Adelaide star Zak Butters and Bontempelli,while Bulldogs big man Tim English ended Max Gawn’s five-year run in the All-Australian team.
Reflecting the status on-ballers have in the modern game,midfielders Christian Petracca and Connor Rozee were named as half-forwards ahead of players who have spent more time in attack,such as Martin.
Martin was in contention for a fifth All-Australian blazer,and his first since 2020,after a return to close to his best this year.
There was also no room for sentimental favourite and clearance specialist Liberatore,whose quest for a first All-Australian selection was thwarted by midfielders with a more dynamic outside game.
Serong,the Dockers’ young star,was preferred ahead of him on the bench,possibly due to his more even spread of contested to uncontested possessions. Dawson and Merrett claimed two other positions on the bench in side loaded with midfield talent.
Larkey was the most surprising selection in a forward line containing the five leading goalscorers of the season. Charlie Curnow and Taylor Walker were locks in the key positions,as was Greene in the pocket as a medium-sized forward capable of threatening in the air and at ground level.
Charlie Cameron’s status as the game’s premier goalsneak was recognised with his selection as the sole small forward. Larkey,who kicked 71 goals in a Kangaroos side that won just three games,was picked on the bench.
Selectors deviated from the norm at clubland by not naming a forward who has played as the second ruck,or a second frontline ruckman,and picked only six specialist defenders.
Wilkie,a squad member last year,was awarded his first blazer after another fine season in defence,while Sicily was rewarded after being unlucky 12 months ago.
Tom Stewart becomes a five-time All-Australian,while St Kilda’s Jack Sinclair and Port’s Dan Houston are the two running backs.
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On a night of awards,Butters won his first major individual award. Butters polled 17 out of a possible 20 votes in the last two rounds to take out the Coaches’ Association champion-player award.
Nick Daicos had led the voting on 99,seven ahead of Butters,after round 22.
The Magpies utility missed the last three games because of his knee fracture and is in a race against time to be part of Collingwood’s finals series.
Bontempelli won his second Leigh Matthews Trophy as the AFL Players Association’s most valuable player award,ahead of Daicos.
The Bulldogs star also was named the AFLPA’s best captain,again for the second time after doing the same double in 2021.
With AAP
ALL AUSTRALIAN TEAM
B: James Sicily (Haw) Callum Wilkie (StK) Tom Stewart (Geel)
HB: Jack Sinclair (StK) Darcy Moore (Coll) Dan Houston (PA)
C: Errol Gulden (Syd) Marcus Bontempelli (WB,v/capt) Josh Daicos (Coll)
HF: Connor Rozee (PA) Taylor Walker (Adel) Christian Petracca (Melb)
F: Charlie Cameron (Bris) Charlie Curnow (Carl) Toby Greene (GWS,capt)
R: Tim English (WB) Zak Butters (PA) Nick Daicos (Coll)
I: Jordan Dawson (Adel) Nick Larkey (NM) Zach Merrett (Ess) Caleb Serong (Fre)