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View Full Version : Rohan Connolly picks his best 22 in AFL rookie draft history



Bulldog4life
03-12-2016, 09:31 AM
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-rookie-draft-more-than-just-making-up-the-numbers-20161129-gt00dx.html

Trends in AFL recruiting can take years to become apparent, but one that has been increasingly obvious in recent times is the concept of the ruckman as the late developer.

It was underlined again over the past week as clubs passed over opportunities to take ruckmen early in last Friday's national draft, but in Monday's rookie version were prepared to roll the dice, with five ruckmen among the first-round selections.

History would suggest it's probably a smart move, too. For some of the best ruckman we've seen in the modern era have emerged from a draft initially a bit of an afterthought. And some more-than-handy types who played other positions as well.

We've had a crack at putting together a "best of" team from players whose introduction to AFL football came via the rookie draft, and it's a handy line-up, to say the least, starting at the centre bounce.

We've gone for a WA duo in Dean Cox and Aaron Sandilands, a pair with three best and fairests and no fewer than 10 All-Australian gongs between them. Eight seasons in a row between 2005 and 2012, one or the other was the No.1 ruckman in the team of the year.

Yet there have been plenty more quality ruckmen where they came from in the rookie draft. Four more premiership players for starters: Darren Jolly, Sydney pair Shane Mumford and Mike Pyke, and basketballer-turned-footballer Dean Brogan, part of Port Adelaide's 2004 flag side. Not to mention Sam Jacobs, Josh Jenkins and Mark Jamar.

A team spanning two decades' worth of rookie draft selections should offer enough hope to those picked up on Monday that they can forge decent AFL careers. It also backs up some stereotypes about the type of player who forces his way into the system via the draft's last-chance saloon.

This squad had no shortage of hard-working midfielders and determined defenders. Far more difficult was coming up with some key forwards, supporting the theory that most quality key forwards are taken as earlyish national draft selections.

The biggest contrast in that regard is this side's spearhead, James Podsiadly, who three times was selected in rookie drafts over a period of 10 years by first Essendon, then Collingwood, then Geelong, with whom he eventually made his debut at 28, going on to play in the Cats' 2011 premiership team.

Small forwards haven't been so much an issue, with one of the best of all time, St Kilda's Stephen Milne, taken by the Saints in the 2000 rookie draft after playing in an Essendon reserves premiership.

And, if the Western Bulldogs needed another pat on the back, there's one here, too, the Doggies with the most representatives in the team of "harder road" draftees – Dale Morris, Matthew Boyd, Liam Picken and Luke Dahlhaus.

Hard work and the right attitude might not take you all the way to AFL stardom, but that quartet's four premiership medallions, and the 21 this team has now won collectively, are a fair body of evidence that those picked on AFL lists as rookies have done far more than just make up the numbers.

Hard work and the right attitude might not take you all the way to AFL stardom, but that quartet's four premiership medallions, and the 21 this team has now won collectively, are a fair body of evidence that those picked on AFL lists as rookies have done far more than just make up the numbers.

Click on link for team:

http://i65.tinypic.com/2irllrd.png

bulldogtragic
03-12-2016, 09:33 AM
The reigning Norm Smith medalist doesn't even rate a mention.

Webby
03-12-2016, 09:48 AM
It's funny how there are these comments beneath the article such as "there's short termism (invented word!) here regarding the Bulldogs" and "Rohan's getting carried away with the Bulldogs premiership"

Meanwhile I'm reading it thinking "how the fk did Johannisen miss out?!"

We've pulled the competitions' pants down on the rookie draft front. Two VFL flags in three years, REIGNING AFL premiers, the best stadium in the VFL, the best community support putting bums on seats to watch our kids play, a burgeoning women's team etc etc.

That's how it's done, AFL!

Topdog
03-12-2016, 12:06 PM
Picken, Boyd and Dalh. How could anyone argue against those selections?

westdog54
03-12-2016, 01:06 PM
How JJ doesn't have Aaron Davey covered is beyond me.

hujsh
03-12-2016, 01:52 PM
How JJ doesn't have Aaron Davey covered is beyond me.

I guess because he's only being doing it the last two years. One or two more and he'll be on the list

LostDoggy
03-12-2016, 02:58 PM
Lukey D on the pine behind One James McDonald!!!???
PPFFFTTTT!!!!!

Twodogs
03-12-2016, 03:26 PM
Hardly anyone rates Luke D outside of the bulldogs. A lot of bulldog supporters undersold his importance to the team as well until his injury this year. All of a sudden 50% of manic energy and desperation disappeared. He's one of our most important players.

Doc26
03-12-2016, 05:22 PM
Lukey D on the pine behind One James McDonald!!!???
PPFFFTTTT!!!!!

The Pies supporters would be livid that their All Australian, Premiership Captain of 200+ games didn't rate a mention either.

The Doctor
03-12-2016, 06:37 PM
The Pies supporters would be livid that their All Australian, Premiership Captain of 200+ games didn't rate a mention either.

yeah true but they would also be filthy that Andrew Pugsley didn't make the team

Scorlibo
03-12-2016, 06:41 PM
Chad Fletcher wouldn't hold a candle to Luke Dahlhaus

Twodogs
03-12-2016, 06:57 PM
Has anyone got a full list of all our rookies from over the years? I can't stop thinking there is one more great from the RL that haven't whinged about yet. Just can't think who it is.

Doc26
03-12-2016, 08:45 PM
Has anyone got a full list of all our rookies from over the years? I can't stop thinking there is one more great from the RL that haven't whinged about yet. Just can't think who it is.

Extracted from Wiki TD of Rookies having played over 100 AFL games and/or kicked over 100 goals in the AFL

Michael Barlow
Nathan Bassett
Jarryd Blair
Nathan Bock
Matthew Boyd
Luke Breust
Dean Brogan
Greg Broughton
Shannon Byrnes
Andrew Carrazzo
Robert Copeland
Dean Cox
Stewart Crameri
Aaron Davey
Matt de Boer
Michael Doughty
Paul Duffield
Aaron Edwards
Michael Firrito
Chad Fletcher
Nathan Foley
Josh Gibson
Antoni Grover
Heath Grundy
Jarrod Harbrow
Pearce Hanley
Leigh Harding
Roger Hayden
Kieren Jack
Sam Jacobs
Mark Jamar
Mark Johnson
Darren Jolly
Brett Jones
Tadhg Kennelly
Brett Kirk
Tarkyn Lockyer
Nathan Lovett-Murray
Heritier Lumumba
Quinten Lynch
Martin Mattner
Nick Maxwell
James McDonald
Ben McGlynn
Mal Michael
Stephen Milne
Dale Morris
Shane Mumford
Mark Nicoski
Michael Osborne
Joel Patfull
Danyle Pearce
Damien Peverill
Liam Picken
James Podsiadly
Jason Porplyzia
Matt Priddis
Dean Rioli
Russell Robertson
Max Rooke
Ben Rutten
Aaron Sandilands
Brad Sewell
Cheynee Stiller
Bret Thornton
Greg Tivendale
Shane Tuck
Clinton Young

Webby
03-12-2016, 08:57 PM
I reckon Connelly might've lazily used quite a bit of that list to construct his side.

Johannisen is a miss which will slightly embarrass him in years to come. He's got a couple of spuds in his 22.

Twodogs
03-12-2016, 09:20 PM
Extracted from Wiki TD of Rookies having played over 100 AFL games and/or kicked over 100 goals in the AFL

Michael Barlow
Nathan Bassett
Jarryd Blair
Nathan Bock
Matthew Boyd
Luke Breust
Dean Brogan
Greg Broughton
Shannon Byrnes
Andrew Carrazzo
Robert Copeland
Dean Cox
Stewart Crameri
Aaron Davey
Matt de Boer
Michael Doughty
Paul Duffield
Aaron Edwards
Michael Firrito
Chad Fletcher
Nathan Foley
Josh Gibson
Antoni Grover
Heath Grundy
Jarrod Harbrow
Pearce Hanley
Leigh Harding
Roger Hayden
Kieren Jack
Sam Jacobs
Mark Jamar
Mark Johnson
Darren Jolly
Brett Jones
Tadhg Kennelly
Brett Kirk
Tarkyn Lockyer
Nathan Lovett-Murray
Heritier Lumumba
Quinten Lynch
Martin Mattner
Nick Maxwell
James McDonald
Ben McGlynn
Mal Michael
Stephen Milne
Dale Morris
Shane Mumford
Mark Nicoski
Michael Osborne
Joel Patfull
Danyle Pearce
Damien Peverill
Liam Picken
James Podsiadly
Jason Porplyzia
Matt Priddis
Dean Rioli
Russell Robertson
Max Rooke
Ben Rutten
Aaron Sandilands
Brad Sewell
Cheynee Stiller
Bret Thornton
Greg Tivendale
Shane Tuck
Clinton Young

Cheers Doc. Maybe I'm subconsciously counting a couple like Barlow who sat right under our noses for ages and should have been ours.

I wonder if Hawthorn supporters say that about Dale Morris?

Twodogs
04-12-2016, 03:56 AM
It was Jarryd Harbrow.

Mofra
12-12-2016, 03:05 PM
Extracted from Wiki TD of Rookies having played over 100 AFL games and/or kicked over 100 goals in the AFL
We've done incredibly well if you throw in a few others - Suckling, JJ, Biggs, Campbell, Dahl to start with.