From left: Ricky Henderson, Jack Billings and Hugh McCluggage all win a spot in Finey’s current All-Australian team.

If a week truly is a long time in football, then what term would best describe an eight-week period? A lifetime, an eon or perhaps even an eternity.

Whichever way you go, it would be a term to describe a fair stretch of time, so when I tell you that I am putting forward my first All-Australian team for 2019, please don’t point out that eight rounds is too short a period to be making such judgements, no matter how sound that argument is.

The most interesting part of the exercise is to see how many members of the official 2018 All-Australian team are NOT in my 2019 version. For some it’s a matter of not yet recapturing the form that made them stand out in 2018, but for most the reason behind the slow start is injury.

The season is most likely already over for Alex Rance and Tom Mitchell. Jack Reiwoldt, Robbie Gray and Lance Franklin have had major injury concerns that will see them miss a fair chunk of the season, whilst Lachie Whitfield, Shaun Higgins and Dustin Martin have all missed games or been hampered by injury or illness. Andrew Gaff had a late start to the season because of that suspension.

We are only just over a third of the way through the season, and some of the stars mentioned above have enough time to turn their fortunes around. That being said, come September, I still think we’ll see a very different AFL All-Australian team announced from the 2018 version.

So here (below), for your edification and feedback, is the official All-Austrian team of 2018 and my best guess at the 2019 All-Australian team if the merry-go-round stopped right now and we all had to get off.

My side is only one man’s best guess at an early point in the season. I’m sure that you, along with every other AFL fan, would have a different team to the one above, though I’m confident there would be much common ground.

It should be noted that I have tried to apply the AFL philosophy of retaining a player in the team where applicable and being cognisant of a player’s career record when assessing their season’s form. Those factors have in some part come to play in the selections of Shannon Hurn, Gary Ablett, Patrick Dangerfield and Marcus Bontempelli.

The most controversial selection is Nat Fyffe at centre half forward. There has been a paucity of key forwards performing well this year, with John Coleman Medal leader Jeremy Cameron the standout.

Ben Brown may have turned the corner with five goals against Geelong on Sunday, whilst we still wait for the likes of Richmond’s Tom Lynch or West Coast’s Josh Kennedy to find form. Joe Daniher was excellent in the Anzac Day game and his imminent return should be closely watched.

I would suggest the key forward that should be most aggrieved by the hijacking of Fyfe would be the competition’s leading contested mark-taker.

Aaron Naughton has only played eight games of football as a forward in his entire life but if the graph keeps heading in the current direction, then Fyfe would have to earn a spot in the team in the always hotly-contested midfield.

Other players unlucky to miss out now but definitely on-track for All-Australian include Adelaide’s ultra-consistent Tom Lynch, industrious Bulldog defender Caleb Daniel, often overlooked Collingwood mid Steele Sidebottom, Travis Boak of Port Adelaide and Gold Coast’s Brayden Fiorini, just to name a few.

There are a handful of selections that may raise as an eyebrow or two but I believe are well justified.

Jack Billings who has been a major contributor for the Saints in every game this season averaging over 27 disposals a game whilst improving his defensive game with an average of two tackles per week. As a genuine half forward flanker/midfielder he is tracking well for selection in that position.

Ricky Henderson has also been a consistent performer in 2019 with over 26 touches a game. Importantly, Henderson has been able to step up to cover Hawthorn’s losses in the midfield. Calm under pressure, the player the Crows saw no future in is now playing his best football in brown and gold.

Next up is Brisbane youngster Hugh McCluggage, who makes the cut based on early season form that has seen him traverse the great divide that separates promising talent from seriously good footballer.

“McSuitcase” reminds Brisbane fans of Simon Black, with clean hands and an uncanny ability to work his way through heavy traffic. And anyone who can do a good impersonation of Simon Black gets in my All-Australian team every day of the week.

Darcy Moore has been excellent in defence for the Pies in 2019 with his intercept high-marking a standout and deserves his spot. So does fellow Collingwood defender Jack Crisp, who has been a serious ball winner this year. His run and pinpoint kicking have been a major plank in Collingwood’s fine start to the season.

Speaking of intercept marking, keep an eye on a real smoky, Sam Collins from Gold Coast. The former Docker defender went back to the VFL before being offered a second chance by the Suns on a mature-age state league concession.

A season-ending injury to key defender Rory Thompson early in 2019 opened the door for Collins, and he’s barged right in.

After round eight, he leads the competition’s other key backmen for intercept marks and has played a big part in Gold Coast’s surprisingly strong start to the year. What a story it would be if he could force his way into the All-Australian team come season’s end.

In closing, when you look at the two sides displayed, one thing stands out. Only five players selected as All-Australians in 2018 have made my best 22 after eight rounds of this AFL season.

Which suggests this. That while this season is far from over, for many of last year’s standouts hoping to repeat the feat, the clock is ticking.

2018 ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM
B: Tom Stewart (Geel) Alex Rance (Rich) Rory Laird (Adel)
HB: Shannon Hurn (WC) J. McGovern (WC) Lachie Whitfield (GWS)
C: Andrew Gaff (WC) Dustin Martin (Rich) Steele Sidebottom (Coll)
HF: Pat Dangerfield (Geel) Lance Franklin (Syd) Robbie Gray (Port Adel)
F: Jack Gunston (Haw) Jack Reiwoldt (Rich) Luke Breust (Haw)
Rucks: Max Gawn (Melb), Patrick Cripps (Carl), Tom Mitchell (Haw)
Inter: Brodie Grundy (Coll), Shaun Higgins (NM), Clayton Oliver (Melb), Shane Edwards (Rich)

FINEY’S 2019 ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM (after Round 8)
B: Tom Stewart (Geel) Dylan Grimes (Rich) Jarrod Harbrow (GC)
HB: Jack Crisp (Coll) Darcy Moore (Coll) Shannon Hurn (WC)
C: Rory Sloane (Adel) Patrick Cripps (Carl) Marcus Bontempelli (WB)
HF: Jack Billings (StK) Nat Fyffe (Frem) Patrick Dangerfield (Geel)
F: Gary Ablett (Geel) J. Cameron (GWS) Jordan De Goey (Coll)
Rucks: Brodie Grundy (Coll), Tim Kelly (Geel), Adam Treloar (Coll)
Inter: James Sicily (Haw), Scott Pendlebury (Coll), Hugh McCluggage (Bris), Ricky Henderson (Haw)