Four West Coast Eagles are in the running to don a 2020 Virgin Australia AFL All Australian blazer on Thursday night after being named in the 40-man squad.

Talismanic ruckman Nic Naitanui, indefatigable midfielder Andrew Gaff, dependable defender Brad Sheppard and electric forward Liam Ryan were given the nod by the selection panel today.

Naitanui (one) and Gaff (two) will be looking to add to their All Australian collection, while Ryan and Sheppard are vying for a debut in the representative side.

Many would consider Naitanui, who claimed his previous All Australian honour in 2012, to be West Coast’s leading contender following a scintillating home and away campaign that saw him dominate the competition.

The marquee big man ranked third in the league for average hitouts and centre clearances, plus fourth in overall clearances per game in 2020 – a remarkable feat for a ruckman.

Gaff is in the mix to claim his third representative gong after slipping on All Australian blazers in 2015 and 2018.

West Coast’s most prolific ball-winner of the past five years ranked fourth in average uncontested possessions, sixth in total effective disposals and eighth for total disposals across the competition this year.

The blue and gold army will be willing Sheppard’s selection to fruition after he narrowly missed out on a spot in the final 22 last year.

Sheppard has been a picture of consistency this year, often blanketing the opposition’s most dangerous forward while offering plenty of bounce out of the defensive 50.

He ranked fourth in the league for total marks this year.

And last, but not least, Ryan is in contention to receive his first All Australian honour following a remarkable run of form through the qualifying rounds.

The Geraldton high flier has been a force to be reckoned with this year, standing up in the absence of several key Eagles who went down throughout a challenging season.

Ryan was particularly influential in the final month of the season, spurring West Coast to wins in tight contests against Essendon, St Kilda and North Melbourne with his sublime play.

He ranked sixth in the league for total score involvements, 11^th for total marks inside 50 and 12^th in total goals with his 25 majors through 17 games.

The 2020 Virgin Australia AFL All Australian team will be announced during the virtual AFL Awards, which will be broadcast on Fox Footy, Kayo and AFL Live Pass from 5.30pm AWST on Thursday.