TRISTAN Xerri has been backed to beat Max Gawn to the No.1 ruck spot in this year’s All-Australian side, with the North Melbourne big man getting the most support from AFL.com.au users.

As of Monday morning, Xerri featured in 42 per cent of the more than 19,000 teams picked by fans using our All-Australian team selector tool.

The 25-year-old, who has never been All-Australian before, is ahead of Gawn (38 per cent), who has six blazers to his name and is gunning for a seventh this year.

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Carlton’s Tom De Koning (15 per cent) and Sydney’s Brodie Grundy (14 per cent) also got some support.

Fans can submit their All-Australian team here, with entries closing on August 29.

If Xerri gets the nod when the official team of 22 is unveiled at the AFL Awards night on August 29, he would be the first Kangaroos ruck to win All-Australian selection since Todd Goldstein in 2015.

Of course, two rucks can be picked in the same side, raising the prospect of both Xerri and Gawn getting the nod, likely with one of them on the bench.

Having been stuck behind Goldstein for much of his time at the Kangaroos, Xerri has emerged this year as a key part of the club’s future.

While strong in ruck battles, it is on the ground that he has impressed the most. With two rounds remaining in the season, he is ranked ninth in the League for contested possessions, seventh in clearances and 11th in centre clearances.

Gawn, however, has had another strong year and is the highest rated ruck of the year according to Champion Data, ahead of Xerri and De Koning.

It’s yet to be seen which man will be named in the starting side in this season’s team of the year. 

The official 2024 All-Australian selection panel comprises of: Andrew Dillon (Chair), Eddie Betts, Jude Bolton, Nathan Buckley, Kane Cornes, Abbey Holmes, Glen Jakovich, Matthew Pavlich, Laura Kane and Josh Mahoney.

The panel will pick a squad of 44 after the final round of the home and away season before narrowing it down to a team of 22 players.