PORT ADELAIDE has had four players chosen in the final 2024 AFL Players’ Association 22under22 side, making it the best represented of all the clubs.
Among the Power players selected in the final 22 are ruck Matilda Scholz, midfielder Abbey Dowrick, forward Julia Teakle and defender Amelie Borg.
It’s extra recognition for Scholz and Borg who were last week also named in the 42-player All-Australian squad.
Having four players in the 22Under22 side puts Port Adelaide at the top of the list for representation with Adelaide next best with three.
The initial 44-player squad was picked by Chair of Selectors, Kate McCarthy, and an internal selection panel at the AFL Players’ Association with the final 22 decided by a fan vote.
Scholz was a popular inclusion at first ruck, earning 77 per-cent of the total vote. Only Vice-Captain Charlie Rowbottom got more of the vote (78 per-cent).
Teakle was the fifth most popular player, and most selected forward, with 67 per-cent of all voters including her in their sides.
It’s Scholz’s second time in the final side, having also been included last season. And she has deserved it, averaging 14 disposals, five clearances and 22 hit-outs per game, as well as adding three goals.
Having just turned 20 this week and in her third season in the AFLW, Borg has been one of the more reliable defenders in the competition, regularly being tasked with shutting down some of the competition’s best tall forwards.
Teakle had a strong start to the season and led the AFLW’s goal kicking at one point before a knee injury kept her out of three matches. She has since returned to the field and has now booted 11 goals in her 10 games so far.
Dowrick has continued her 2023 club best and fairest form, averaging 17 disposals, six clearances and seven tackles per game. She is one of the most damaging midfielders in the competition for metres gained and has added six goals this season. She missed final selection in last year’s 22Under22, having been included in the extended 44 player squad.
Midfielder Shineah Goody and defender Molly Brooksby, who had been in the initial 44 this year failed to garner enough of the fan vote to make the final 22.
The quartet of selections join duo Jason Horne-Francis and Jase Burgoyne at Alberton in earning 22under22 honours after the pair were selected in the corresponding AFL side.
22Under22, presented by Torrens University Australia, is a fan-voted concept that recognises the best 22 players aged 22 and under for the entirety of the season.
For a player to be eligible for the squad of 44, they are required to play a minimum of five games of the home and away season.
While there is a games minimum, players are rewarded for their consistency across the season.
The inaugural AFLW team was announced in 2020 to help celebrate the achievements of the best and brightest stars of the female competition.