Max Gawn and Kysaiah Pickett have been named in the 2025 AFL All-Australian squad.
The Melbourne pair feature in the 44-man line-up, who the All-Australian selection panel was asked to select to recognise the leading players across all parts of the field – forwards, defenders and midfielders/rucks.
The final team of 22, as per the criteria established in 2007, will be selected as if to play a match. The team will be named on Thursday, 28 August, as part of the AFL Awards.
The 2025 All Australian selection panel is Andrew Dillon (Chair), Eddie Betts, Jude Bolton, Nathan Buckley, Kane Cornes, Abbey Holmes, Glen Jakovich, Laura Kane and Matthew Pavlich.
For Gawn, it’s another chapter in a remarkable career. The 33-year-old claimed his seventh All-Australian blazer in 2024, joining an exclusive group of greats such as Wayne Carey, Nathan Buckley, Paul Roos and Craig Bradley. Another selection in the final team this year would see him join the even rarer company of Robert Harvey, Gary Ablett Jr, Lance Franklin,
Holding Melbourne’s record for the most All-Australian honours - ahead of AFLW great Paxy Paxman on five - Gawn once again delivered a dominant 2025 campaign, leading from the front as captain.
Gawn’s numbers across the 2025 season highlight just how influential he remains in the middle of the ground. Averaging 20.7 disposals a game - ranked elite for a ruckman - he averaged 5.3 clearances per match, well above his career benchmark. In the air, he continued to dominate with an average of 35.9 hit outs a game.
Pickett’s inclusion comes off the back of a dynamic 2025 season, where his energy, pressure and creativity made him a constant threat inside 50.
His scoreboard impact and trademark spark proved vital to Melbourne’s forward line, with 38 goals and a career-high 63 clearances in 2025 highlighting why Pickett is rightly recognised as one of the competition’s premier small forwards.
Pickett also reaffirmed his commitment to Melbourne earlier this season, providing a major boost for the red and blue, with the club eager to witness plenty more of his brilliance in the years ahead.
The final All-Australian team will be unveiled during the AFL Awards on Thursday night.
