All-Australian selector comments on Todd Goldstein omission

The All-Australian squad of 40 dropped on Tuesday, with North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein a surprising omission.

Despite the Kangaroos' poor 2020, Goldstein finished the season third for hit-outs and seventh for clearances and spent the entire season in SEN’s Rolling All-Australian side.

West Coast’s Nic Naitanui and Melbourne’s Max Gawn were the two ruckmen selected in the 40 ahead of the North Melbourne star.

All-Australian selector and former Eagles champion Glen Jakovich admits Goldstein’s omission was a difficult call.

“I look back and think ‘how did we leave him out’, but what people probably have to appreciate is we’ve to get to 40 (players) and we usually have about 52,” Jakovich told SEN’s Time On.

“We’ve got to trim that to 40 and we’ve got to trim 12 off it and we’re all looking at each other and we look at the duration of the season, we look at the criteria, we look at their form in big games, defining games, changing games and then you’ve got to finalise your 40.

“(Goldstein) has been an outstanding player over a long period of time and was unlucky not to get in the 40 this time around.”

Jakovich was full of praise for Naitanui's season, coming off multiple years ruined by injury.

“He’s already got an All-Australian blazer, but he’ll look back on this one if he makes the final 22, but even for making the squad, it will be great recognition,” he said.

“You’ve done two ACL’s, people are saying that your career is done and to come back and have the year that he has had, I think it’s a real testament to Nic.

“He’ll have some personal satisfaction to be recognised in the 40.

“Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy have been the two best ruckmen of the last few years and they surpassed him, but (Naitanui) has caught back up. He can say, ‘I’ve pegged you boys back a little bit’ which is good for him.”

Jakovich added that the selectors look at impact on games as much as they look at statistics when working the squad out.

“We look at the numbers a few times, there’s all sorts of stats these days, but I think when you look back at Nic Naitanui his influence during that period in the middle of the year, that game against Geelong, Geelong was all over West Coast and he turned the game on its head,” Jakovich said.

“His ability to read where the space is at a crucial time when you’ve got Geelong at its mightiest, that was probably the best game I’ve broadcast this year, it was an epic game. Nic didn’t have many possessions, but it was definitive when you look at that performance that he was clearly the most influential person on the ground.

“That was really signified and mentioned in all three (All-Australian) meetings this year.”

See the full All-Australian squad of 40 here.