Best of the NAB AFL Draft: part one

THE NAB AFL Draft, one of the most important days on the football calendar, will celebrate its 22nd instalment on November 24.

 

In the lead-up to this year's meeting, afl.com.au has chosen the top draft selections of all time. Over the next five days we will nominate the pick which we think was the best selection at that position in the history of the draft.

It must be pointed out that it only includes selections from the 21 AFL Drafts and not the Pre-Season or Rookie Drafts.

In compiling the Best of the Draft, specific criteria needed to be established.

The key criterion was: The draftee needed to be the best player for the club that drafted them with that selection. Our pick is not necessarily the best overall AFL player.

For example, Melbourne drafted Darren Jarman at No.55 in the inaugural 1986 AFL Draft, but he never played a match for the Demons.

Although he is now a member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame, we haven't chosen Jarman as the best No.55 pick of all-time. Instead, we've gone with Sam Fisher who has forged a fine career for St Kilda.

Even though Jarman is the best AFL player to have ever come through pick No.55, he was a great with Hawthorn and Adelaide - not Melbourne.

For the record, Jarman was later claimed as a pre-draft selection by Brisbane in 1989 and then traded to Hawthorn in 1990. In 1995, Jarman was traded by the Hawks to Adelaide.

It must also be noted that with players who were drafted and then traded to another club, the assessment is made based on the matches they played before being exchanged. It does not extend into their next draft or trade movement.

Also, where players were redrafted by their original club, again, the assessment is made strictly from the time they were selected until they were delisted - not their overall career at that particular club.

It must also be pointed out that from picks No.117-124, only one player has ever been drafted at this number, so therefore those players automatically got the nod.

From picks No.112-116, only two contenders were in the mix. Three players jostled for position from choices No.101-111.

In this first edition, we only cover three AFL Drafts - 1988 (112 selections), 1989 (116) and 1992 (124). The '92 meeting remains the largest AFL Draft to date.

The lowest number of selections in an AFL Draft is 1986-87, when those two meetings had 65 selections each. As the series continues, a greater number of players are in the mix.

Of the 24 players chosen from 101-124, 11 players did not play an AFL match. This is the only part of the series where players made the Best of the Draft list without reaching the highest level.

Don't forget to check back each day this week on afl.com.au as we count down the best draft selections of all time.

124 - BRAYDEN LYLE (WEST COAST)
Recruited from: Port Adelaide Magpies (1992)
Lyle has the distinction of being the highest draftee of all time, having been claimed at No.124. Lyle played a total of 116 AFL matches - an excellent result for player taken at this position. After playing 26 matches with West Coast from 1995-96, he became an inaugural Port Adelaide player, making 90 appearances from 1997-01. Lyle was a vice-captain for the Power.

123 - MARTY CHRISTENSEN (KANGAROOS)
Recruited from: Kangaroos (1992)
Christensen was redrafted by the Roos after playing two matches that year, however, he didn't add to his tally when he was back on the Kangas' list via this pick. He previously played 69 matches with Geelong from 1985-91. Christensen's brother Damien also made 17 appearances for the Cats from 1984-86. More recently, Damien coached the Box Hill Hawks in the VFL from 2006-07.

122 - DAMON MUNT (MELBOURNE)
Recruited from: Norwood (1992)
Munt never played an AFL match, as he didn't make the move from South Australia to the Demons. In 1993, Melbourne had a handful of players remain in their home state. He was one of three Norwood players claimed by Melbourne in 1992, with four-time premiership player Martin Pike chosen as the club's first selection (No.9) and Glenn Molloy also taken with the father/son rule.

121 - BEN ELLINGHAUS (HAWTHORN)
Recruited from: Melbourne Grammar (1992)
Ellinghaus was Hawthorn's seventh and final selection in the 1992 edition of the draft. Although he didn't play an AFL match for the Hawks, the club's draft was highlighted with the recruitment of Nick Holland (No.14), who won the 1995 AFL Rising Star and played 179 matches from 1994-05. Jonathan Robran (No.11) and Tim Hargreaves (No.74) also proved to be handy acquisitions.

120 - TROY OLSEN (COLLINGWOOD)
Recruited from: Port Adelaide Magpies (1992)
Olsen didn't manage an AFL match with Collingwood after being the club's 10th player selected in the '92 draft. He was one of three Port Adelaide Magpies chosen at this meeting, along with Brett Chalmers (No.10) and Julian Waite (No.105). Collingwood's highlight from this draft was undoubtedly the selection of Scott Burns (No.90), who has since played 247 matches.

119 - SCOTT MORRISON (ST KILDA)
Recruited from: St Kilda (1992)
Originally an under-19s player with the Kangaroos in the final year of the now-defunct competition, Morrison was later drafted by St Kilda in the 1991 AFL Draft at No.82. He spent a year on the club's list, before being delisted. He then gained a reprieve and was redrafted at No.119 in 1992. A midfielder, Morrison didn't manage an AFL match during his two stints with the Saints.

118 - SCOTT SPALDING (CARLTON)
Recruited from: Perth (1992)
Spalding, the younger brother of 1995 Carlton premiership player Earl, played one match for the Blues against Fitzroy in the opening round of the 1993 season. He accumulated 10 disposals for the match. Spalding was one of eight players selected by Carlton in '92, highlighted by the recruitment of future captain Andrew McKay with its first pick (No.13).

117 - VINCE CAPPADONA (ESSENDON)
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons (1992)
The inaugural best-and-fairest winner for the Geelong Falcons and a member of the TAC Cup's team of the year in 1992, Cappadona was Essendon's 10th selection in '92. Despite his impressive junior career, he didn't play an AFL match. Essendon's highlight from this draft meeting was the selection of Damien Hardwick (No.87), who played in the club's 2000 premiership.

116 - MICHAEL GODDEN (ADELAIDE)
Recruited from: West Adelaide (1992)
Two players have been selected at No.116 over the journey - Godden and Brendan Bicknell, who was drafted by Hawthorn from Shepparton in 1989, yet neither played an AFL match. Godden got the nod as he played in the SANFL. He also coached Glenelg reserves in 2007. Marty McKinnon (No.26) proved to be Adelaide's best selection in 1992. He played 25 matches with the Crows, before stints with Geelong and Brisbane.

115 - RICHARD MARR (FITZROY)
Recruited from: Central District (1992)
Neither Marr nor Colum McManamon (Geelong - 1989) - the only two players drafted at No.115 - played an AFL match. Although a difficult selection to assess, Marr gets the guernsey as he came from SANFL club Central District, whereas McManamon hailed from Ireland. In that era, Irish youngsters faced greater challenges to make it at the highest level, compared to the new wave of Irishman entering the AFL system today.

114 - PAUL WHELAN (FOOTSCRAY)
Recruited from: Ainslie (1992)
Whelan showed plenty of promise as an emerging footballer, impressing in the under-17 championships before being drafted by the Bulldogs. Due to his potential at the time, he got the nod ahead of Jason Walsgott (Essendon - 1989), who was drafted from West Gambier, despite neither playing at the highest level. Whelan was the 10th player selected by the Bulldogs in the '92 AFL Draft.

113 - SHANE CROTHERS (GEELONG)
Recruited from: Grovedale (1989)
After his initial drafting, Crothers was later delisted and subsequently redrafted by the Cats in the 1993 Pre-Season Draft (No.34). It was from this point when he played his four AFL matches from 1994-95. The only other player to be drafted at this selection was Damon Armstrong, who was recruited by the Kangaroos from Moama in 1992. He didn't play an AFL match.

112 - ASHLEY McINTOSH (WEST COAST)
Recruited from: Claremont (1989)
Clearly the best No.112 pick of all-time, McIntosh was claimed as a father-son selection and proved to be an outstanding key defender for West Coast, playing 242 matches from 1991-03. He was a member of West Coast's premierships in 1992 and 1994. The only other two players chosen at this number - Troy Reid (Hawthorn - 1988) and Ben Careless (Richmond - 1992) - didn't play an AFL match. 

111 - DAVID NOBLE (FITZROY)
Recruited from: North Hobart (1989)
Two of the three No.111 picks reached the highest level - Noble, who is now an assistant coach at Adelaide and Tom Kavanagh (Melbourne - 1988), the son of Brent Crosswell. Interestingly, both played two AFL matches from this pick, although Kavanagh added a further eight games to his career with Fitzroy in 1993-94. But Noble gets the nod here, as he gained 30 disposals to Kavanagh's 18 in those matches played from pick No.111.

110 - JEFF CHANDLER (KANGAROOS)
Recruited from: Kangaroos (1992)
Chandler played 50 AFL matches for the Kangaroos from 1987-92, but was released at the end of  '92. He was then redrafted by the club in the 1992 AFL Draft, but the defender didn't add to his game tally when he was reinstated on the list. Two other players have been selected at this number - father-son choice Chris Mulcair (Carlton - 1988) and Craig Budarick (Sydney - 1989) but neither played an AFL match.

109 - HEATH SHEPHARD (COLLINGWOOD)
Recruited from: Robinvale (1988)
A father/son selection, Shephard booted five goals on debut against St Kilda in round three, 1989. He only played 11 matches for the Pies from 1989-90, before adding another four appearances with Brisbane in 1992. He got the nod over David Muir, who was drafted by West Coast in 1992, but played all 20 AFL matches with Fremantle. Irishman Colin Corkery, who didn't play an AFL match, was also drafted at this number in 1989.

108 - PETER MELESSO (WEST COAST)
Recruited from: Claremont (1988)
All three players taken at No.108 played AFL footy, yet only Melesso's six matches with West Coast from 1989-90 came from this draft selection. Eric Lissenden (Kangaroos - 1989) and Bryan Beinke (Geelong - 1992) both debuted in later years, but had been re-drafted or traded by then. Melesso, whose career was cut short by cancer, also made one appearance with South Melbourne (1981) and played seven games with St Kilda (1983-85).

107 - GARY BARROW (FOOTSCRAY)
Recruited from: Footscray (1992)
Barrow gets the nod over Darren Mead, who became a fine player for Port Adelaide, but never crossed from South Australia to play with Essendon, which took him at No.107 in 1988. Mead was also drafted by Brisbane at No.36 in the 1993 Pre-Season Draft. Barrow, also originally with Essendon, was drafted three times during his career, including this pick, where he added four more appearances to his six AFL matches with the Bulldogs.

106 - GARETH JOHN (SYDNEY)
Recruited from: Gisborne (1988)
Claimed as a father-son selection, John played 21 matches with Sydney from 1990-93 and added one more appearance with the Kangaroos in 1994. But his career was interrupted when he seriously injured his larynx against Essendon in 1991 during a ruck contest. He got the nod over Craig Treleven, who was a good player for the Hawks in the late-1990s, but did not play a match with St Kilda who drafted him at this number in 1992.

105 - CHRIS GRANT (WESTERN BULLDOGS)
Recruited from: Daylesford (1988)
Unfortunately for Stuart Annard (St Kilda - 1989) and Julian Waite (Collingwood - 1992), neither of whom played AFL, they never stood a chance against the outstanding career of Chris Grant, who played 341 AFL matches - a club record. Grant's career spanned from 1990-07 before he announced his retirement from the game at the club's best-and-fairest dinner in October. 

104 - ANDREW GRIBBLE (GEELONG)
Recruited from: St Peters (1988)
Three players have been drafted at No.104 - Gribble, Tony Trigg (Footscray - 1989) from Bungaree and Andrew Kemp (Hawthorn - 1992) from West Adelaide, but it was a difficult selection to assess, as none went on to play at the highest level. Gribble gets the nod as he became a fine footballer in the strong Geelong Football League, winning senior best-and-fairest awards with South Barwon (1993) and Geelong West St Peters (1994)

103 - SEAN BOWDEN (RICHMOND)
Recruited from: Mildura Imperials (1988)
Bowden, the brother of Richmond's Joel and Patrick, earns this position despite Ben Harrison playing 161 AFL matches. Bowden played six matches from 1990-01 - the most directly from a No.103 pick - whereas Harrison played just two of his 161 AFL matches with Carlton when he was drafted at this pick. Brett Chalmers (Richmond - 1989) played 75 matches with Adelaide and Port Adelaide, but none with the Tigers.

102 - DION SHEEHAN (HAWTHORN)
Recruited from: Mansfield (1989)
Sheehan, Shaun Holloway (Kangaroos - 1988) and Jason Bell (Essendon - 1992) have been the only three players drafted at No.102, yet none of them featured in an AFL match. Sheehan got the nod as he was a very talented player. He was the eighth of nine Hawks taken in the '89 AFL Draft, with the club's highlight being the selection of 1991 premiership player Ben Allan with its first pick (No.14).

101 - LEIGH FUNCKE (FITZROY)
Recruited from: Minyip (1988)
A trio of players have been drafted at No.101 over the years, although Funcke, Richard Harrison (Geelong - 1989) and Troy Hull (Sydney - 1992) didn't make an AFL appearance. Funcke, a relation of former Richmond and Melbourne defender Ross (40 AFL matches) gets the nod, as he was a promising player at the time. He was the last of nine Fitzroy selections in the '88 AFL Draft.