Defender Michael Hurley will find out tonight whether he has earned his first ever All Australian selection.

Named in the 40 man squad this month, Hurley was selected as a backman after one his most consistent and dominant seasons to date.

Hurley made the shift down back last year under coach Mark Thompson and quickly asserted himself as one of the premier tall defenders in the competition.

This year saw the 25year-old take his game to the next level, shutting down some of the best opposition forwards on a weekly basis.

His big body and strong contested marking ability saw Hurley restrict the impact of Richmond’s top goal scorer Jack Riewoldt on two occasions this season, with the Tiger only able to kick one goal from both encounters.

Hurley also showed great composure in the round 13 loss against Hawthorn, gathering 29 disposals, taking nine marks and clearing the backline six times, all while keeping opponent Jarryd Roughead to only one goal and forcing the impact player up the ground to find the ball.

Never previously an All Australian, Hurley played 19 games in 2015 with a total of 301 kicks, 131 marks, 104 handballs, averaging 15.8 kicks, 6.9 marks, 5.5 handballs.

His booming kick also saw him rebound 50 an impressive 107 times – ranked third overall in the AFL.

The standout season did not go unnoticed, with Hurley finishing second in the Club’s Best & Fairest Crichton Medal count, only missing out narrowly to Cale Hooker.

Hurley may have been recruited in the hope that he would become the team’s next power forward, but the star has certainly made a name for himself in defence and will hopefully be rewarded for all his efforts tonight. 

2015 HIGHLIGHTS