Joel Freijah, Ryley Sanders and Michael Sellwood have been recognised for their impacts this season with selection in the 2026 AFL Players Association 22under22 squad.

It marks a second consecutive inclusion for Freijah (20 years old) and Sanders (21 years old), and a maiden feature for Sellwood (22 years old).

Since debuting in Opening Round, Sellwood has held his spot in the Bulldogs’ backline.

At the Club, he has recorded the most intercept marks, second-most marks and third-most contested marks, while sitting 15th across the competition for total intercepts.

Sanders has taken his game to another level in 2026, averaging 24.2 disposals, 15.1 handballs and 3.8 clearances from 18 games.

The Tasmanian sits fourth for average disposals at the Bulldogs and first for average pressure acts (19.7).

Freijah, who has played every match this season, is averaging 18.7 disposals, 3.5 tackles and 3.7 clearances.

He has also hit the scoreboard on seven occasions and sits inside the Club’s Top 5 clearance-winners.

For a player to be eligible for selection in the squad, they must be 22 and under for the entirety of the season (including Grand Final Day) and have played a minimum of 12 games in 2025.

Fans will now decide the final 22Under22 team, with voting officially open at https://vote.22under22.com.au/ until 11:59pm AEST on Wednesday 12 August.

The final 22Under22 line-up will be announced on Wednesday 29 August via the AFLPA’s social media channels and website.

The AFLPA is proud to partner with Intrepid Travel as the major partner of the 22Under22 competition.