CRIPPS. Curnow. Docherty.
Carlton has received the equal-second most amount of selections in the 22under22 Team of the Decade.
Marking 10 years since the inception of the AFL Players’ Association’s initiative to celebrate the best young players in the competition, all players who have received a nomination were eligible for selection.
It was no surprise that the three selected ended up in the final team.
One of four Brownlow Medalists named in the final team, Cripps - Carlton’s first player selected in the 22under22 team - joined a star-studded midfield with Marcus Bontempelli, Dustin Martin, Lachie Neale and Clayton Oliver.
Cripps was selected in the 22under22 side in 2015 (his first John Nicholls Medal-winning season) and 2016. Named as the starting centre on both occasions, he reprised that role in the Team of the Decade as the sixth most selected player overall.
Similar to Cripps, Curnow was named at centre half-forward in consecutive years of 2017 and 2018 — a two-year stretch which saw him emerge as one of the most exciting young forwards in the competition.
Named on the half-forward flank in the Team of the Decade, Curnow stamped a sensational return to football last year by winning the Coleman Medal.
Rounding things out from a Navy Blue perspective was Sam Docherty.
It was in 2016 when Docherty - who was named on the Team of the Decade interchange - was named in the 22under22 side: he would also end that season as a John Nicholls Medallist, before being named an All Australian the following season.
