Under a new format introduced this year, the All Australian selectors were asked to nominate the leading players in each section of the field -- forwards, defenders and midfielders / ruckmen -- with the final team of 22 to be named on Monday September 17.

AFL Chief Executive Officer Andrew Demetriou, the Chairman for the All Australian panel, said the final team would comprise six of the 12 forwards named in the squad, six of the 12 defenders named in the squad and six of the 16 midfielders / ruckmen named in the squad. The four interchange positions would come from the remaining players not selected in the starting 18, to best fit team balance as if to play a match.

The 40-man squad contains 22 players who have never previously won All Australian selection, with club representation broken down as follows: Geelong (nine), Hawthorn (four), Port Adelaide (four), Brisbane Lions (three), Kangaroos (three), St Kilda (three), Sydney (three), West Coast (three), Essendon (two), Fremantle (two), Richmond (two), Adelaide (one), Western Bulldogs (one), Carlton (nil), Collingwood (nil), Melbourne (nil).

""All Australian selection is recognition for a tremendous year of football, as the best player in your position across the entire competition,"" Mr Demetriou said.

""All Australian selection is also a recognition of the quality of those players you have competed against, to win your spot, and the aim of this approach is to highlight the outstanding players who are in contention for selection, and those who eventually win out to claim a position as one of the elite players of the season,"" he said.

The All Australian selection panel is: Andrew Demetriou (chairman), Adrian Anderson, Rod Austin, Kevin Bartlett, Mark Bickley, Gerard Healy, Chris Mainwaring, Robert Walls.

The squad members named are as follows:

Defenders

Forwards

Midfielders / Ruckmen