Late last year, the AFL confirmed that in 2024 a new tradition would begin within the competition – an Indigenous Vs Multicultural All-Stars Game. Fans have been clamouring for an All-Star game within the AFL for years now and I think this is a perfect way to bring that idea to fruition. After all, the concept has been used for years within junior football and camps are held every year for these squads to compete against each other and learn about their respective cultures. I personally have had multiple friends attend said camps and play in the games and they have all boasted only positive things about the experience. So, one can only think the same positivity will come from making it a tradition within the professional level of the game.
But the question remains, who would play?
Minimal spots are up for grabs for both teams and in this 2-part series, I have gone through and selected who I think, as of now, would be best suited to being called an All-Star for their respective side. I have selected the 18-man starting roster on the field and for the bench with this being a pre-season game, you would think the AFL would allow for an extended bench and unlimited subs to make sure that all players are getting adequate rest and don’t injure themselves before Round 1 kicks off. So I have selected an extended bench of 6 players.
In this part, I select the best 24 players who I think deserve to play for the Multicultural All-Stars!
Read who was selected for the Indigenous team HERE
The Multicultural All-Stars
All 24 players selected have been done so on the basis that they have a heritage outside of Australia.
The Backline
The backline of this team is filled to the brim with plenty of players that can provide both intercept capabilities in the air, as well as plenty of run on the ground, they would match up perfectly with the Indigenous Forward Line.
Alir Alir: Kenya – The big Kenyan who once struggled to get a game in Sydney has had a full career 180 at the Power. He has already earned himself an All-Australian honour in his short time as Port Adelaide’s starting full-back and fully deserves to be recognised in this game.
Adam Saad: Lebanon – The new ‘Wolf’ of Carlton is another that has had a full career turnaround with a move to a new club and he can be regularly seen picking up 20+ touches and making a great impact running off his man and injecting pressure down-field.
Zach Tuohy: Ireland – The loveable Irish larrikin from Geelong would fit into this team easily and would most likely share kick-out duties with a few others in this team. Who knows, but by the time this game plays he would be 34, so it could be the only opportunity he gets to don an All-Star guernsey.
Changkuoth Jiath: Ethiopia – Boy hasn’t this big boy been a revelation for the Hawks? Most weeks he is half the reason they aren’t beaten by more and he would most certainly be lining up straight at Centre Half Back for the Multicultural All-Stars working as their intercepting/switching anchor.
Aaron Hall: Fiji – If his hamstrings aren’t injured then Aaron hall would 100% be lining up in this game and playing quite the influence down back. He often averages elite stats and would also put his hand up as the man that would be the leader of the back 6.
Christian Salem: Lebanon – Another player that will be welcomed into either the half-back lines or back pockets. Salem always has a consistent presence for the Demons that sees him link up with his teammates with plenty of runs and small stab kicks on the 45. He’ll have the same presence for the All-Stars as well.
The Midfielders
The mids for this team are just as stacked as the backs. Honestly, you could probably see this midfield unit on the list for a regular All-Star team, irrespective of culture, that is just how good they are.
Nic Naitanui (C): Fiji – The big Fijian is the clear pick for both the side’s ruckman and captain. He is the most iconic Multicultural player in the game and paved the way for many of these younger talents coming through, as they saw him growing up and decided they COULD play AFL. He deserves the honour more than any other man on this team.
Touk Miller: USA and Jamaica – Born to an African-American Father and a British Jamaican the Gold Coast Suns jet could provide a two-pronged representation for the Multicultural All-Stars. He almost snagged himself a Brownlow medal last year, who knows, he could be heading into this match with the 2023 medal around his neck.
Tim Taranto: USA – Another man with American heritage would slide into this side with ease as the ex-Giant, now Tiger always has a strong impact in the games that he is in. He would be the perfect player to join Miller in an All-American Ruck Rover duo.
Christian Petracca: Italy – What would a Multicultural All-Stars team be without our favourite Italian teaching us Nonna’s recipes on Tik Tok! Petracca would be there in a heartbeat and pick up 30 touches and 3 goals just for the hell of it.
Josh and Nick Daicos: Macedonia – That’s right, on both wings, we have the Daicos brothers, representing their father’s Macedonian heritage. Both brothers got better with every game under their belt last year and were integral parts of the Pies’ finals run, they deserve to be here and Nick would most likely take the cake as the youngest player on the field.
The Forwards
The forwards are a mix of young and old, all of whom have plenty of goal-kicking firepower that would bring a lot to the side.
Mabior Chol: Sudan – Yet another player in this team that has completely revitalised their career at another club with the Suns big man topping anything he ever achieved at Richmond in the 2022 season alone. He kicked at least 1 goal in almost every single game he played, phenomenal stuff.
Mason Cox: USA – Does he deserve it? I’d say yes. He has made great inroads for the game in the US and after all, he is one of the game’s more recognisable figures standing at 6ft 11 inches and speaking in his booming Texan accent. He might only show up once or twice a year, but this game is for the stars and no matter what some fans might think of him, he is one.
Marcus Bontempelli: Italy – Another good Italian poster boy for the game has to get a nod in here. The Bulldogs skipper is up their with the best in the game, so there would be plenty of complaints if he missed out on this game. But, he is better suited to the ha;f forward line now, as the Midfield is already too stacked and he can always rotate in, just like…
Dustin Martin: Maori – With the way Dustin has always been so incredibly close to his late father, one would think he would jump at the opportunity to represent his father’s proud Maori heritage. Tears would most likely flow pre and post-game from the biggest star in the game and it would be a beautiful sight to see, especially after he has snagged his 3rd goal for dad.
Brody Mihocek: Croatia – Another stalwart of the game that should get his talents recognised here. He is always a crucial member of Collingwood’s forward line, as he would be here, on the half-forward line tearing it up, most likely rotating down to full forward at some point as well.
Michael Frederick: Sudan – The young Docker is a bit of a smoky to be included in this team at the time of writing, but another year under his belt and I can’t see why not this exciting young Sudanese talent couldn’t be considered good enough to get a starting spot in the side.
The bench
The following six players are all very talented and deserve their chance to play in this game and will provide plenty of rotation for the starting 18.
Jason Johannisen (South Africa), Jack Darling (South Africa), Buku Khamis (Sudan), Andrew McGrath (Canada), Harrison Himmelberg (USA) and Isaac Quaynor (Ghana) are all worthy of representing their cultures in this game and would provide plenty of rotation options around the field.
The Side
B: A Saad, A Alir, Z Tuohy
HB: C Salem, C Jiath, A Hall
C: N Daicos, C Petracca, J Daicos
HF: B Mihocek, M Chol, M Bontempelli
FF: D Martin, M Cox, M Frederick
FOLL: N Naitanui (C), T Miller, T Taranto
BENCH: J Johannisen, J Darling, A McGrath, H Himmelberg, B Khamis, I Quaynor
That is Part 2 done and dusted and the Multicultural All-Star team has been selected! Who do you think was stiff to miss out? Let me know in the comments!