Draft surprises over the years

[Dry Rot]

This is an interesting post by mjp from another thread:

This is where I think the mock drafts are going to be wrong. Gold Coast aren’t going to worry so much about talent. They are going select hard working over-achievers -you know, the kids who don’t seem good enough or athletic enough or whatever, but still have always found a way to get it done. They are going to set them achievable goals (not scoreboard based ‘cos over achievers are always good with self assessment and measuring incremental improvement and continually reference the “you’ve played 20 games, player x drafted ahead if you is still in the vfl...you’ve gone way past him now” and have a solid 3 year focus. Look for them to draft junior club captains and players with poor measurables (well, maybe 2km time trials beasts) and players who have overcome injury setback some in their teens. I think they have decided their ‘model’ player is Touk Miller and are going to see what a team with 22 players built in his image can do...

I don’t see the Rankine stuff with the Suns. Not at all. If you are talking SA kids, I think they will have Rozee in their sites.

Got me thinking that with the the Suns' 3 picks, live draft pick trading, 2 SA clubs going hard for for 3 SA players etc, that there could be more surprises than usual this year.

What were some of your biggest draft surprises (boom and bust) over the years? The Bont is an obvious one.

[Happy Days]

Re: Draft surprises over the years

Christian Howard has to be the top of the list. Gotta love drafting a guy at #15 because you can't be certain he'll be there at #39.

[Bornadog]

Re: Draft surprises over the years

2004, Richmond - Tambling

[Scraggers]

Re: Draft surprises over the years

In the 2001 'Super draft' the first live pick after the three priority picks (Luke Hodge, Luke Ball, Chris Judd) was pick number 4 Graham Polak, Fremantle Dockers. Now Polak did go on to play just over 100 games finishing his career with Richmond; but considering he was taken ahead of the likes ... Jimmy Bartel (Geelong), Nick DalSanto (St. Kilda), Steve Johnson (Geelong), Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn), Leigh Montagna (St. Kilda), Gary Ablett Jnr. (F/S Geelong), and Brian Lake (nee Harris).

But to top it off ... the Dockers gave up their prized number one pick in this super draft (plus pick 20 and 36) to snare the services of Trent Croad .

Mind you, our recruiting wasn't that flash that year either ... Sam Power (pick 10), Keiran McGuiness (pick 42), Brent Colbert (pick 57), and we gave up pick 26 for Daniel Bandy. Thank God we picked Lake

[Grantysghost]

Re: Draft surprises over the years

Wasn't the Bont a bolter? I recall hearing Aish being talked up a lot more. Scharenberg and obviously Boyd. But I do recall thinking geez I hope we know what we are doing. They knew......they knew.

[Twodogs]

Re: Draft surprises over the years

Wasn't the Bont a bolter? I recall hearing Aish being talked up a lot more. Scharenberg and obviously Boyd. But I do recall thinking geez I hope we know what we are doing. They knew......they knew.

Yep Bont was one that Dal was particularly keen on drafting from memory. The consensus on here was we very much wanted to take Aish with the pick we took Bont with.

Until we actually saw Bont play. Then we were very happy that we took him.

[Webby]

Re: Draft surprises over the years

Wasn't the Bont a bolter? I recall hearing Aish being talked up a lot more. Scharenberg and obviously Boyd. But I do recall thinking geez I hope we know what we are doing. They knew......they knew.

I recall that. My mate who I attend Dogs games with every week kept going on about how we should’ve drafted either Aish or Scharenberg every week for two years... until he saw the Bont play...

One flag later ( or is it two.., three?) he’s piped down..

[westdog54]

Re: Draft surprises over the years

I seem to remember Dale Thomas being a bolter. He was highly rated but certainly not expected to go at pick 2.

[The Adelaide Connection]

Re: Draft surprises over the years

2004, Richmond - Tambling

Tambling is a well documented disappointment, but I don't think he was a draft surprise at all. I remember that he was widely speculated to be well entrenched in the top 5 by most at the time.

Edit: Check out this Bigfooty thread I found from 2004. Most have Tambling right at the pointy end. Lots have us taking him at #3(!) and some even talk him up as a #1.

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threa...drafts.125216/

[azabob]

Re: Draft surprises over the years

I recall that. My mate who I attend Dogs games with every week kept going on about how we should’ve drafted either Aish or Scharenberg every week for two years... until he saw the Bont play...

One flag later ( or is it two.., three?) he’s piped down..

I don’t get it? Your mate didn’t watch dogs games for 2 years? Bont played in his first year.

[MrMahatma]

Re: Draft surprises over the years

For us:

A Everitt

Others:
Fiora

[Bornadog]

Re: Draft surprises over the years

I don’t get it? Your mate didn’t watch dogs games for 2 years? Bont played in his first year.

He was brilliant in his first year

[ledge]

Re: Draft surprises over the years

For us:

A Everitt

Others:
Fiora

Jarryd Grant Failure
And Chris Grant for one out of the blue.

[Bornadog]

Re: Draft surprises over the years

Tambling is a well documented disappointment, but I don't think he was a draft surprise at all. I remember that he was widely speculated to be well entrenched in the top 5 by most at the time.

Edit: Check out this Bigfooty thread I found from 2004. Most have Tambling right at the pointy end. Lots have us taking him at #3(!) and some even talk him up as a #1.

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threa...drafts.125216/

ok, I guess not a surprise but more a failure when you had guys like Buddy, Roughead, Griffen

[Bornadog]

Re: Draft surprises over the years

Jarryd Grant Failure
And Chris Grant for one out of the blue.

I wouldn't say Grant was a failure, played 95 games. Failure if we consider who we could have had in that year.

Walsh is a failure registering one game.