Western Bulldogs stars Marcus Bontempelli, Caleb Daniel and Jack Macrae have all been named in this year’s preliminary 2020 AFL All Australian squad of 40 players.

All three have compiled outstanding individual seasons to help the Bulldogs lock in a spot in the finals for a second consecutive year.

Bontempelli is in line for his third All Australian team, following his 2016 and 2019 selections, and Macrae his second after being named for the first time in 2019.

If Daniel was named in the final team, he would be a first-time All Australian.

In his first year as captain, Bontempelli has – as always – been a big presence in the middle of the ground.

According to AFL Player Ratings, he is the competition’s fifth-ranked player in 2020 and third-best midfielder, behind fellow All Australian squad members Christian Petracca and Nat Fyfe.

The 24-year-old has played all 17 home-and-away games, averaging 20.9 disposals per game and kicking 11 goals.

His clearance work (5.2 per game), score involvements (5.1) and inside-50s (4.2) are all rated elite.

Daniel has established himself as one of the competition’s best defenders in 2020.

The 24-year-old has also played every game this season, averaging 19.8 disposals across half back to be the number-one ranked general defender in the game, according to AFL Player Ratings.

His elite ball use has been a highlight, especially by foot – with Daniel averaging an elite 16.3 effective disposals per game.

Macrae has again had a significant impact for the Bulldogs, with the ball magnet finishing the home-and-away season with the second-most disposals in the competition (455).

The 26-year-old has averaged a phenomenal 26.8 disposals per game and played all 17 games to be ranked 26^th in the AFL Player Ratings.

His impact with ball in hand has been important for the Bulldogs, with Macrae’s effective disposals (19.1), inside-50s (4.3) and score involvements (5.3) among his elite attributes.