Walking into draft night, St Kilda recruiter John Beveridge and his team knew they were drafting a future superstar in Nick Riewoldt. No way could they anticipate the blonde bombshell from Queensland would become an AFL great and one of St Kilda’s most decorated players.
In this edition of Draft Throwback, we take a look at the 2000 AFL Draft – where St Kilda shored up their forward line for the next decade taking stallions Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke with picks one and two.
Pick 1 – Nick Riewoldt, Southport QLD
Identified early as an elite junior talent, the Tasmanian-born Riewoldt played his junior and early senior football for Broadbeach before moving to Southport. Just out of Brisbane’s zone access, the 193cm forward would have been a Lion had he moved 50km south of the Gold Coast. The match-winning ability was on display at a young age, going from touchless in the first half to booting three goals in the second to help Southport win their fourth straight premiership. Establishing Riewoldt as a future star, recruiter John Beveridge decided to take him at 1 and as they say, the rest was history for a Saints legend.
Pick 2 – Justin Koschitzke, Murray Bushrangers VIC
Recruited out of the now infamous Rivierina area, Justin Koschitzke was always going to be a top two pick with Riewoldt – just a matter of which order the two were drafted in. “Kosi” was taken from the Murray Bushrangers, where he starred as a junior. The athletic 196cm forward received All-Australian honours at U/18 level and was touted as a draftee likely to have an instant impact. This proved to be true, winning the Rising Star award in 2001.
Pick 64 – Mark Gale, Fremantle WA
After trades for Aaron Hamill, Steven Lawrence and Fraser Gehrig wiped out most of St Kilda’s picks in the early-mid rounds, 64 was the Saints’ next selection. Out of favour after 71 games across five years at Fremantle, Mark Gale entered himself into the draft looking for more opportunities. Finding a new home at St Kilda, Gale played 13 of the first 14 games in 2001 before losing his spot.
Pick 75 – Robert Powell, Richmond VIC
Similar to Gale, Powell’s arrival at St Kilda came via an AFL Club, playing 56 games in four years for Richmond. With injuries plaguing his final years at the Tigers, Powell made the move to St Kilda. Struggling with a calf injury, the mid-sized forward could manage just 10 games in his only year at the Saints.
Pick 82 – Daniel Wulf, Dandenong Stingrays VIC
Drafted from the Dandenong Stingrays, Wulf initially had a gameless stint at the Western Bulldogs in 1999. It took a while to break in, but once he did, the utility became a handy weapon – playing 16 games in 2002. However, injuries cruelled Wulf as an ankle, knee and broken jaw plagued his final two years at the club and was subsequently delisted at the end of 2004.
