WESTERN Bulldogs captain Matthew Boyd has earned a third straight position in the All Australian squad.

The 29-year-old was a squad member last year and made the starting 22 in 2009.

Robert Murphy is the other Bulldog who has been named in the 40-man squad.

"I think I've been consistent the last three years, and I pride myself on that, trying not to let my form drop off across the year," Boyd told westernbulldogs.com.au.

"I think that's been good and I'm happy with that but there's always something there I can improve on, and you never play the perfect game or have the perfect season.

"I'm trying to make sure I continue to get better.

"You take a lot more of a teaching role on when you become a leader at the place, and hopefully I've been able to teach the young boys some things."

At the end of round 22, Boyd had amassed more possessions than any other AFL player with 701 from Adelaide's Scott Thompson (673).

He was second in the League for kicks (398, behind Collingwood's Dane Swan, who had 419), and seventh for handballs with 303 (West Coast's Matt Priddis topped the table with 344).

He had the most contested possessions (326, from West Coast's Josh Kennedy) in the competition, and narrowly the most clearances (154, from Melbourne's Brent Moloney who had 153).

It was a solid, consistent year from the tough midfielder, who also had to deal with the responsibility of his first season as captain in what was a disappointing years for the Dogs overall.

He also became a father for the first time in April when he and wife Kate welcomed baby Chloe, which he said had been an amazing experience since.

When asked about what would mean to earn his second All Australian guernsey, Boyd was honoured at the thought.

But, he was also already looking ahead to how the Dogs can make amends for their shocking year when their pre-season commences in two months' time.

"It's nice but if it happens, it's lovely and I'll look back on it when my career is finished and be able to show the kids something," he said.

"I'd like to be able to show them a premiership medallion and it's not going to happen his year but that's what I play for, and if you play for that and the little nice things come along the way, then you take them.

"It's going to be a tough team to get into. We haven't gone that well so the winning teams usually fill the All Australian team up a chunk of the time.

"It would be nice but it's not what I play for."

The 40-member AFL All Australian Team squad members is as follows (in order of club representation):

Adelaide - Scott Thompson; Carlton -  Eddie Betts, Chris Judd, Marc Murphy, Heath Scotland; Collingwood - Travis Cloke, Leon Davis, Scott Pendlebury, Ben Reid,   Dane Swan, Dale Thomas; Fremantle - Nat Fyfe, Luke McPharlin; Geelong - Corey Enright, Steve Johnson, James Kelly, Matthew Scarlett, Joel Selwood, Harry Taylor; Gold Coast - Gary Ablett; Hawthorn - Grant Birchall, Lance Franklin, Josh Gibson, Sam Mitchell; North Melbourne - Todd Goldstein,   Drew Petrie, Andrew Swallow, Daniel Wells; Richmond - Brett Deledio; St Kilda - Nick Dal Santo, Sam Fisher, Stephen Milne; Sydney - Adam Goodes; West Coast - Dean Cox,   Andrew Embley, Darren Glass,   Josh Kennedy, Matt Priddis; Western Bulldogs - Matthew Boyd, Robert Murphy.

Jennifer Witham covers Western Bulldogs news for the AFL Website. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham.