This year's team will upset but not offend. These teams are never wrong because they can't be. They are never right because they can't be. They are opinions and they are never universal.

What this team fails to do – again – is select a team as a club might. So there is no forward who changes in the ruck. Every team plays with one except the All-Australian team. Jarryd Roughead could play that role in this team but he hasn't played that role in his own team this year (David Hale has).

Likewise there is no tagger. Again. Why? Nearly every team has one but not this team. They are the player no one comes to watch so no one wants to recognise them in the best team of the year. It's like no one could bring themselves to say the words Ryan Crowley and All-Australian in the one sentence. A bit like saying Scott Morrison and humanitarian.

Eric Mackenzie might be the best defender in the AFL but he is not in the best six defenders in the All-Australian. Alex Rance missed the start of the year, was pretty good in the middle and finished superbly. Maybe that was front of mind. Daniel Talia is a bit clingy with his opponent. Mackenzie should be in ahead of one of them, probably Talia. Sorry Daniel.

Some players are rightly a lock on a position (Gary Ablett eight years in a row now) but the entire back six were debutants. Nick Malceski earnt his first gong after four previous nominations (and just when he is out of contract, how serendipitous).

It's troubling to see any All-Australian side without Grant Birchall in it but Brodie Smith's year was better.

Nick Smith had a good year, but not better than Bryce Gibbs who, while he spent more time in the midfield, also played across half back and shouldn't have missed this team somewhere. If not on a back flank then ahead of Tom Rockliff on the bench.

Dustin Martin had a better year than Hayden Ballantyne but Ballantyne kicked almost twice as many goals – 27 to 49 – so how can you begrudge the Docker? Well, because Eddie Betts kicked more goals than him (51) and missed out so goals alone were not the criteria.

Martin was predominantly a forward not a mid and he influenced the result of more games than Ballantyne, so he should be in ahead of him. But that might be an eastern states thing. Or a Ballantyne thing.

This might sound heretical but Nick Riewoldt is bit lucky. He started very well then flattened off a bit. He had a good year but was it better than Tom Hawkins who took more contested marks than anyone else? Or Jack Gunston who kicks straighter at goal than anyone save maybe Luke Breust who is also in the team?

It might not be wrong, it might not be right. It's the All-Australian it can't be wrong. Or right.