Chris Fagan consistently lauds the whole of team effort that has led the Lions to the past two finals series, and it seems the rest of the country is starting to take notice.
Zac Bailey and Brandon Starcevich have been mainstays of Fagan’s side and have earned selection in the AFL Players’ Association’s 22Under22 squad, which honours the game’s most exciting young talent.
Both players must surely also be in contention for a senior All Australian squad call-up given the outstanding seasons they have produced so far.
Starcevich has evolved into one of the competition’s most miserly defenders while Bailey is an explosive midfielder who is also deadly in the forward half of the ground with 25 goals to his name from 19 games this season.
The 40-man squad is picked by the AFLPA with support from Champion Data, but it is up to the fans to decide who are presented with a 2021 22Under22 guernsey.
Hugh McCluggage made the final side in 2020 and we need Lions fans to come out in droves to vote for Bails and Starc to ensure they take their rightful place when this season’s final side is announced.
Now in its 9th year, 22Under22 is the industry’s only recognised fan-voted award and provides the footy public with the power to select the final 22.
Voting is open for seven days from August 11 to August 18. – The final team will be announced on August 24 via the AFL Players’ Association’s social media channels.
To vote for Starce and Bails, vote here
AFLPA President, Patrick Dangerfield, said 22Under22 continues to celebrate the best young talent in the competition.
“These guys are the stars of tomorrow. Within this group are future club captains, All-Australians and MVP award winners and it’s great they’re being rewarded for such strong seasons,” he said.
“I’ve come up against a lot of these players already and they’re super impressive on the field. The competition is in very safe hands.”
To be eligible for selection, players must be aged 22 years or under for the entirety of the season, including the finals series.
