SportsNut2017
Rookie
- Jun 11, 2017
- 37
- 94
- AFL Club
- Essendon
In our last piece, we highlighted the hidden treasures clubs had found from the 3rd Round and beyond.
That is where the niceties end towards recruitment teams though as today we apply the blow-torch to clubs and list your clubs biggest First Round Flop and why. We appreciate hindsight is a wonderful thing and a kid who looks a star amongst his peers might not look as flash in the big time, but for all time and effort and money clubs spend in this department, they should’ve done better.
Again, we’ve excluded the Gold Coast and GWS from this list.
Adelaide
Laurence Angwin Pick 7 2000
The Crows used their first pick in the 2000 Draft on the kid from Dandenong. He didn’t manage a single game for Adelaide. Perhaps the Crows would’ve been better placed looking closer to home as three of the next dozen names read out included South Australian trio Shaun Burgoyne (Pick 12), Scott Thompson (16) and Kane Cornes (20).
Brisbane
Billy Longer Pick 8 2011
In a rarity nowadays Brisbane took the punt on a ruckman with an early selection and settled on Longer. He lasted just two seasons in Brisbane before returning to Melbourne to play with St.Kilda. The 2011 draft was an ultra-important one to nail with the Giants having a raft of early selections and the Lions might have been wiser to focus on one of the classy Giants that were selected after Longer. They included Adam Tomlinson, Toby Greene, Taylor Adams and Devon Smith.
Carlton
Murray Vance Pick 6 1998
The early part of the 1998 Draft was not a time to butcher a pick. But the Blues did so choosing Vance who played just five times in the navy blue. Two picks later the Swans pounced on Jude Bolton and three picks after that the Saints selected Lenny Hayes. Essendon called out Adam Ramanuskas with the very next pick. Not the Blues’ finest drafting moment.
Collingwood
Danny Roach Pick 7 1999
Securing Josh Fraser with the first pick in the draft I suspect the Pies recruiters spent all their time and effort on Fraser and paid little attention to much else. Now to be fair it’s not an exact science and Roach might have been a superstar if not for injury, but how the Pies must look back and think if only we’d chosen Joel Corey (Pick 8), or Luke McPharlin (10), or Darren Glass (11), or Bob Murphy (13). And let’s not even mention Brad Green, Paul Chapman, Cameron Ling, Corey Enright or Ryan O’Keefe. Oops, too late, we did!
Essendon
Darren Wheildon Pick 15 1995
Never one to shy away from a left-field choice, Kevin Sheedy thought a punt on the ‘Doc’ was worthwhile. A talented, yet wayward forward who’d been discarded by Fitzroy must have celebrated his second chance a little too hard as he stumbled out of a King Street establishment in the early hours of one morning only to be run over and have his leg and his career broken. Maybe the Bombers should’ve favoured a punt on another young, hot-headed forward named Barry Hall instead who was called out just four selections later.
Fremantle
Ryley Dunn Pick 10 2003
Not too many early blunders from the Dockers but the one standout was the selection of Dunn in the 2003 Draft. Luring him from the Murray Region in Victoria across the country was always going to be a tricky ask. He featured just five times for Fremantle and whilst hindsight (as we’ve mentioned) is a wonderful thing, just three picks later, running machine Brent Stanton was called out by the Bombers and with his aerobic capacity on Subiaco Oval, he would’ve made a great fit for the Dockers.
Geelong
Leigh Willison Pick 11 1991
Willison, from East Perth, managed only three games for the Cats and at a time when Geelong was seriously challenging for that elusive premiership, how they would’ve loved to have had a kid named Shane Crawford running around in their midfield helping the likes of Garry Hocking, Paul Couch and co.
Hawthorn
Mitch Thorp Pick 6 2006
The Hawks had a shocker choosing Thorp with the sixth pick of the 2006 draft. The Tasmanian managed only two games for Hawthorn and despite the Hawks winning the premiership less than two years later and winning three more in the next decade, imagine how many more they might have won if instead they’d called out names like Joel Selwood (Pick 7) or Jack Riewoldt (13)?
Melbourne
Luke Molan Pick 9 2001
One club had to draw the short straw and be linked to the 2001 ‘Super Draft’! Apologies Demon fans but it is you. I’ll be blunt….. and brief. These are the players your club could’ve had instead of no-game wonder Molan: Nick Dal Santo, James Kelly, Steve Johnson, Sam Mitchell, Leigh Montagna, Dane Swan and Brian Lake. That’s enough torture for you.
Nth Melbourne
John McNamara Pick 4 1988
The Kangaroos have been quite good at getting their early picks right over the years but missed an opportunity early in the 1988 draft choosing McNamara from the South-Western Victorian beachside town of Port Fairy. McNamara never played for the Roos and perhaps the talent scouts needed to set up camp half an hour closer to Melbourne in Warrnambool where they might have seen Leon Cameron play. Cameron was called out by Footscray just three picks later.
Port Adelaide
John Butcher Pick 8 2009
He had some moments Johnny Butcher, but his lack of athleticism and inaccurate kicking never saw him reach consistent heights. Now whilst the 2009 Draft wasn’t exactly flush with talent, how the Power would’ve loved to have read out a name like Daniel Talia (Pick 13), Nat Fyfe (20), Mitch Duncan (28) or Jack Gunston (29) instead.
Richmond
Richard Tambling Pick 4 2004
The Tigers, Hawks and Bulldogs shared the first six selections in the 2004 draft. Whilst Richmond nailed the first of those picks with Brett Deledio, they’ll never ever forget the decision to select Tambling with the fourth pick of the draft leaving Lance Franklin gift-wrapped to the Hawks with the very next selection.
St.Kilda
Jody Arnol Pick 3 1989
At a time when shrewd recruiting, especially with high draft picks wasn’t commonplace, the Saints decided to select Tasmanian Arnol with the third pick in the 1989 draft. He only played 13 times for the Saints and they may have been better sending their recruiting teams to Western Australia where they may have spotted Peter Matera or Ben Allan running around. Better yet, they should’ve paid more attention to Arnol’s North Hobart teammate Paul Williams who was drafted by Collingwood over 60 selections later and managed almost 300 more games.
Sydney
Patrick Vezpremi Pick 12 2007
It’s a little known (and very unfortunate) fact that Vezpremi will forever be known as the player who was drafted in between a slightly more famous Patrick, in Dangerfield and perhaps the greatest ever Rioli (Cyril). There’s barely an honour those two haven’t shared whilst Vezpremi faded into obscurity after just 11 games with the Swans and another dozen with the Bulldogs.
West Coast
Shane Sikora Pick 12 1994
Granted they were probably still celebrating the premiership they had just won and given the talent at their disposal probably paid scant regard to the draft, but they must have seen something in Sikora who hailed from the Murray Region of Victoria. Unfortunately though he managed just the three games for West Coast who wouldn’t win another flag for a dozen years. It might have been sooner if they selected Scott Camporeale (Pick 15), Adem Yze (16) or Michael O’Loughlin (40).
Western Bulldogs
Tim Walsh Pick 4 2002
There weren’t too many misses in the early stages of the 2002 draft, however the Bulldogs selection of Walsh with the fourth pick is one they’d like to have over. Walsh managed just a single game for the Dogs whilst a couple of players they could’ve chosen instead will be remembered as 250 game champions and premiership heroes. Those players were Jarrad McVeigh (Pick 5) and Andrew Mackie (7).
https://downtheguts.com/2017/11/23/first-round-flops-afl-draft/
That is where the niceties end towards recruitment teams though as today we apply the blow-torch to clubs and list your clubs biggest First Round Flop and why. We appreciate hindsight is a wonderful thing and a kid who looks a star amongst his peers might not look as flash in the big time, but for all time and effort and money clubs spend in this department, they should’ve done better.
Again, we’ve excluded the Gold Coast and GWS from this list.
Adelaide
Laurence Angwin Pick 7 2000
The Crows used their first pick in the 2000 Draft on the kid from Dandenong. He didn’t manage a single game for Adelaide. Perhaps the Crows would’ve been better placed looking closer to home as three of the next dozen names read out included South Australian trio Shaun Burgoyne (Pick 12), Scott Thompson (16) and Kane Cornes (20).
Brisbane
Billy Longer Pick 8 2011
In a rarity nowadays Brisbane took the punt on a ruckman with an early selection and settled on Longer. He lasted just two seasons in Brisbane before returning to Melbourne to play with St.Kilda. The 2011 draft was an ultra-important one to nail with the Giants having a raft of early selections and the Lions might have been wiser to focus on one of the classy Giants that were selected after Longer. They included Adam Tomlinson, Toby Greene, Taylor Adams and Devon Smith.
Carlton
Murray Vance Pick 6 1998
The early part of the 1998 Draft was not a time to butcher a pick. But the Blues did so choosing Vance who played just five times in the navy blue. Two picks later the Swans pounced on Jude Bolton and three picks after that the Saints selected Lenny Hayes. Essendon called out Adam Ramanuskas with the very next pick. Not the Blues’ finest drafting moment.
Collingwood
Danny Roach Pick 7 1999
Securing Josh Fraser with the first pick in the draft I suspect the Pies recruiters spent all their time and effort on Fraser and paid little attention to much else. Now to be fair it’s not an exact science and Roach might have been a superstar if not for injury, but how the Pies must look back and think if only we’d chosen Joel Corey (Pick 8), or Luke McPharlin (10), or Darren Glass (11), or Bob Murphy (13). And let’s not even mention Brad Green, Paul Chapman, Cameron Ling, Corey Enright or Ryan O’Keefe. Oops, too late, we did!
Essendon
Darren Wheildon Pick 15 1995
Never one to shy away from a left-field choice, Kevin Sheedy thought a punt on the ‘Doc’ was worthwhile. A talented, yet wayward forward who’d been discarded by Fitzroy must have celebrated his second chance a little too hard as he stumbled out of a King Street establishment in the early hours of one morning only to be run over and have his leg and his career broken. Maybe the Bombers should’ve favoured a punt on another young, hot-headed forward named Barry Hall instead who was called out just four selections later.
Fremantle
Ryley Dunn Pick 10 2003
Not too many early blunders from the Dockers but the one standout was the selection of Dunn in the 2003 Draft. Luring him from the Murray Region in Victoria across the country was always going to be a tricky ask. He featured just five times for Fremantle and whilst hindsight (as we’ve mentioned) is a wonderful thing, just three picks later, running machine Brent Stanton was called out by the Bombers and with his aerobic capacity on Subiaco Oval, he would’ve made a great fit for the Dockers.
Geelong
Leigh Willison Pick 11 1991
Willison, from East Perth, managed only three games for the Cats and at a time when Geelong was seriously challenging for that elusive premiership, how they would’ve loved to have had a kid named Shane Crawford running around in their midfield helping the likes of Garry Hocking, Paul Couch and co.
Hawthorn
Mitch Thorp Pick 6 2006
The Hawks had a shocker choosing Thorp with the sixth pick of the 2006 draft. The Tasmanian managed only two games for Hawthorn and despite the Hawks winning the premiership less than two years later and winning three more in the next decade, imagine how many more they might have won if instead they’d called out names like Joel Selwood (Pick 7) or Jack Riewoldt (13)?
Melbourne
Luke Molan Pick 9 2001
One club had to draw the short straw and be linked to the 2001 ‘Super Draft’! Apologies Demon fans but it is you. I’ll be blunt….. and brief. These are the players your club could’ve had instead of no-game wonder Molan: Nick Dal Santo, James Kelly, Steve Johnson, Sam Mitchell, Leigh Montagna, Dane Swan and Brian Lake. That’s enough torture for you.
Nth Melbourne
John McNamara Pick 4 1988
The Kangaroos have been quite good at getting their early picks right over the years but missed an opportunity early in the 1988 draft choosing McNamara from the South-Western Victorian beachside town of Port Fairy. McNamara never played for the Roos and perhaps the talent scouts needed to set up camp half an hour closer to Melbourne in Warrnambool where they might have seen Leon Cameron play. Cameron was called out by Footscray just three picks later.
Port Adelaide
John Butcher Pick 8 2009
He had some moments Johnny Butcher, but his lack of athleticism and inaccurate kicking never saw him reach consistent heights. Now whilst the 2009 Draft wasn’t exactly flush with talent, how the Power would’ve loved to have read out a name like Daniel Talia (Pick 13), Nat Fyfe (20), Mitch Duncan (28) or Jack Gunston (29) instead.
Richmond
Richard Tambling Pick 4 2004
The Tigers, Hawks and Bulldogs shared the first six selections in the 2004 draft. Whilst Richmond nailed the first of those picks with Brett Deledio, they’ll never ever forget the decision to select Tambling with the fourth pick of the draft leaving Lance Franklin gift-wrapped to the Hawks with the very next selection.
St.Kilda
Jody Arnol Pick 3 1989
At a time when shrewd recruiting, especially with high draft picks wasn’t commonplace, the Saints decided to select Tasmanian Arnol with the third pick in the 1989 draft. He only played 13 times for the Saints and they may have been better sending their recruiting teams to Western Australia where they may have spotted Peter Matera or Ben Allan running around. Better yet, they should’ve paid more attention to Arnol’s North Hobart teammate Paul Williams who was drafted by Collingwood over 60 selections later and managed almost 300 more games.
Sydney
Patrick Vezpremi Pick 12 2007
It’s a little known (and very unfortunate) fact that Vezpremi will forever be known as the player who was drafted in between a slightly more famous Patrick, in Dangerfield and perhaps the greatest ever Rioli (Cyril). There’s barely an honour those two haven’t shared whilst Vezpremi faded into obscurity after just 11 games with the Swans and another dozen with the Bulldogs.
West Coast
Shane Sikora Pick 12 1994
Granted they were probably still celebrating the premiership they had just won and given the talent at their disposal probably paid scant regard to the draft, but they must have seen something in Sikora who hailed from the Murray Region of Victoria. Unfortunately though he managed just the three games for West Coast who wouldn’t win another flag for a dozen years. It might have been sooner if they selected Scott Camporeale (Pick 15), Adem Yze (16) or Michael O’Loughlin (40).
Western Bulldogs
Tim Walsh Pick 4 2002
There weren’t too many misses in the early stages of the 2002 draft, however the Bulldogs selection of Walsh with the fourth pick is one they’d like to have over. Walsh managed just a single game for the Dogs whilst a couple of players they could’ve chosen instead will be remembered as 250 game champions and premiership heroes. Those players were Jarrad McVeigh (Pick 5) and Andrew Mackie (7).
https://downtheguts.com/2017/11/23/first-round-flops-afl-draft/
