The premiership contenders dominate the 22Under22 squad, with Melbourne, Collingwood, Fremantle and Sydney making up the vast majority of the squad.
For a player to be eligible to be selected in the squad, they must be aged 22 and under for the entirety of the season (including Grand Final day – September 24) and have played a minimum of 11 games throughout the 2022 season.
The Swans' development system, along with the advantage of the academy, has once again paid off with them having six players selected.
While the Dogs, Demons and Collingwood all have five players chosen for the 40-man squad. Possible wooden spooners West Coast are the only team not to have any player selected.
The initial 40-person squad was selected by former Docker and Sun Michael Barlow, as Chair of Selectors, with support from the AFL Players' Association and Champion Data.
Some big names have been selected including Nick Blakey, Tom McCartin, James Rowbottom, Chad Warner, Justin McInerney and Errol Gulden from the Swans.
Fremantle has done well with Hayden Young, Jordan Clark, Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and Michael Frederick all selected. While at the reigning premiers, Melbourne has continued developing youngsters with Harrison Petty, James Jordon, Kysaiah Pickett and Luke Jackson all making the cut.
Incredibly Aaron Naughton and Sam Walsh have been selected in the 40 for the fourth time each. If selected in the final 22, they will become only the third and fourth players to be selected that many times. Andrew McGrath would be level with them, and Western Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli is the most capped player with five selections.
There are so many quality players 22 and under, this was an incredibly tough squad to pick," head selector Michael Barlow said.
"We have players that are already stars in the squad, and these players will go on to be future captains, MVP contenders and All-Australians. Their performances are already being recognised, and the fans will have a challenge to finalise the team when they vote."
As always, fans will decide the final 22Under22 team, with voting now open at 22Under22.com.au for seven days from August 10 to August 17. The fan who selects the team that best matches the final side will win a 22Under22 jumper signed by the side's captain and vice-captain and their choice of either Apple AirPods Pro or Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, thanks to Snaffle.
This year's 22Under22 final lineup will be announced on August 23 via the AFLPA's website and social media channels.
Before you move on, why not give our Facebook page a like here. Or give our Twitter account a follow to keep up with our work here.