Young guns Dyson Heppell and Jake Carlisle have been named in the 2014 AFL Players’ Association 22Under22 squad.

The 22Under22 concept was introduced in 2013 to recognise the best young talent in the competition, as decided by the fans. To be eligible for this year’s team, players must be aged 22 or younger on Grand Final Day this year.

Heppell and Carlisle have been picked in the initial 45-man squad selected by the AFL Players’ Association Board.

The final 22Under22 team will be decided by fans, with the AFL Players’ Association calling on all footy fans to cast their votes by liking the AFL Players’ Facebook page and selecting a 22Under22 team from the 45-man squad.

Heppell, last year’s 22Under22 captain, believes the concept is a great way to acknowledge the next generation of elite players.

“I think it’s a fantastic initiative from the Players’ Association to have a 22Under22 side,” says Heppell, who’s encouraging all footy fans to make their voice heard in the AFL’s only fan-voted award.

“There are a lot of fans that watch the game quite intently and there was a good spread of players, from across a lot of different sides, in the team last year. It’s great to see a lot of fans interacting with the concept.”

This year’s 22Under22 squad has at least one nominee from each AFL club, with Heppell and Carlisle selected from Essendon.

Heppell has taken his game to an elite level in 2014 in the absence of skipper Jobe Watson. The hard-working midfielder has emerged as one of the competition’s most prominent ball-winners, and leads the Bombers for clearances and contested possessions.

After being selected as a key defender in last year’s22Under22 side, Carlisle has impressed with some stellar performances in the front half of the ground throughout 2014. Now arguably Essendon’s most important forward, Carlisle has kicked bags of goals on several occasions, with an eight-goal performance against the Bulldogs in Round 18 his best.

The final 22Under22 team will be announced at the AFL Players’ MVP Awards on Tuesday, September 9.

You can vote for Heppell and Carlisle by submitting your 22Under22 team via the AFL Players’ Facebook page before Thursday, September 4. Everyone who enters a team will have a chance to win the ultimate 22Under22 prize-pack.

Click here to create your team and vote.

Find out more about 22Under22 at www.aflplayers.com.au