The meteoric rise of Ollie Dempsey has well and truly continued in the 2026 AFL season, with Geelong's dynamic winger earning his first selection in the All Australian team. 

Dempsey was selected on the wing in the team, with superstar Cats teammate Bailey Smith selected on the opposite wing. 

It adds to a remarkable resume for the young gun, who has already earned an AFL Rising Star award, two selections in the AFLPA's 22Under22 team and Geelong's Best Young Player award alongside his All Australian blazer, all coming within his first three full seasons at the elite level. 

Following an outstanding 2025 campaign, Dempsey took no time to recapture his form this year with a four-goal outing in Opening Round, a sign of what was to come across the remainder of the season. 

Able to showcase his running capacity each and every week, the 23-year-old is averaging a career-high 19.8 disposals per game, continually putting pressure on his opponent and working into dangerous positions on the ground. 

But it is in the forward half where Dempsey does his best work, kicking 30 total goals across the home-and-away season, which included nine different occasions where he kicked two goals or more in a match, while also finishing fourth at Geelong for total score involvements. 

The AFL announced a squad of 46 players on Monday, before the squad was trimmed to a final team of 23 players at the AFL Awards on Tuesday night. 

The 2026 All Australian selection panel comprises of: Andrew Dillon (Chair), Eddie Betts, Jude Bolton, Kane Cornes, Luke Hodge, Abbey Holmes, Glen Jakovich, Laura Kane, David Mundy, Joel Selwood and Greg Swann.

Oliver Dempsey, Geelong Cats

• 2026 All Australian
• 23 matches this season, 30 goals, 13 behinds
• Averages 19.8 disposals, 73.9% disposal efficiency, 1.9 tackles, 6.0 score involvements and 3.0 inside 50s