THE 2009 All Australian team was announced this week and was followed by the normal debate about the merits of its makeup.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and there is no definitive right or wrong but unless you have seen all 176 home and away games then our views are based more on perception and reputation rather than the reality of this year’s form.

The official All Australian team is not any one person’s selection but a consensus of a group of experienced footy people so I have no beef with the decisions they have made.

What I do question is whether the positional criteria they are given is still relevant in the modern era.

The team was named in the traditional team sheet format of three back line players, three half backs, three in the centre line, a ruckman, ruck rover and rover, three half forwards, three forwards and four on interchange.

As the final selections were announced I could not stop thinking how old fashioned, out dated and unrealistic the 18 position plus four interchange team sheet has become.

It has been many years since players have lined up in anything like this positional formation.

Teams are announced in this manner solely for newspaper and footy record publication purposes. That is quite logical. As a marketing tool, a squad of players does not really capture the imagination.

Within the confines of a club's match committee the process is done very differently.

For a start it is now very much a 22-man team. The progression to around 80 – 100 interchanges per match means game time is spread fairly evenly over all 22 players.

Joel Selwood starts on the interchange for Geelong quite regularly which is proof that the historical concept of having the best 18 on the field at the start no longer applies.

In general terms a more realistic selection break up is six forwards, seven defenders and nine midfielders including a ruck man and a second back up follower.

Working from the 40-player squad selected a couple of weeks ago as the available players this is the way I would pick my team.

I would start with the forward six, five on and one rotating off the interchange.

The highest priority is always the leading pack marking big forwards. Two or three at most preferably all of them able to push up field or play deep around full-forward.

Nick Riewoldt and Jonathan Brown are automatics to fill the first two roles. I would think Lance Franklin or Adam Goodes complement Riewoldt and Brown better than Brendan Fevola. The first three forwards picked, Riewoldt, Brown and Franklin.

Plenty of height there, so now to the small and medium sized forwards. Steve Johnson only played 16 games but is in the squad so he would be next picked. Good in the air, good on the ground and can play well anywhere in the forward half. For similar reasons I would go for Jason Porplyzia next.

A genuine crumber who can chase hard is always hard to find and is extremely valuable. I still think Cyril Rioli is the best of this type but not being in the squad is ineligible so it is between Paul Chapman, Leon Davis or Steven Milne. Line ball but I will go for Chapman because he is also a very good burst midfielder.

Defenders must be good on the rebound but they must be able to stop their opponents as well. With no specific forward line to oppose let's match them against our forward group. Again six on, and one rotating off interchange.

With the talls, you can’t go past Craig Bolton for Riewoldt, Brian Lake for Brown and Matthew Scarlett for Franklin.

The mediums have to be very good attackers as well as good defenders. Andrew Mackie, Simon Goodwin and Corey Enright would fill the needs in this area. The seventh? The squad did not include a Rhyce Shaw, Heath Shaw or Jarrod Harbrow type, quick running ball carrier.

Nick Maxwell can play the third up to assist defensive role very well so we will make him our final defender.

The nine midfielders will consist of a ruckman, a backup ruckman and seven on ballers, five around the middle, one as a designated sixth forward pushing up field and one rotating off interchange.

Aaron Sandilands deserves the ruck position and Mitch Clark has earnt the second ruck spot with the added bonus of being a potential key position player. You cannot go into any game without a back up follower because injury to the main ruckman is always a concern.

There are always a multitude of midfielders. It is hard to go past Gary Ablett, Chris Judd, Dane Swan, Joel Selwood, Lenny Hayes and Matthew Boyd as the first picked. That’s six. I will add Leigh Montagna who as a running ball carrier complements the core group.

So attempting to select a balanced and versatile 22, in the simple category of seven defenders, nine midfielders and six forwards, that is my team.

Compared to the All Australian team that means the INs are Clark, Johnson, Franklin, Mackie and Porplyzia and the OUTs are Davis, Dal Santo, Goddard, Goodes and Fevola.

No right, no wrong, just a matter of opinion but at least picked in a practical manner rather than to fill the outdated 18-position team sheet.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.