The curse of the number 1 draft pick

[Dry Rot]

With the likely debut of Matthew Kruezner, the footy world once again turns its focus on last season's draft pick number one.

I really feel sorry for these players. Always touted as the #1 pick throughout most of their careers, they carry expectations and attention and are pilloried if they turn out to be just a very good player.

Worst of all, half the time they end up in rubbish sides like Carlton or the Tigers, their development blighted by playing in crap sides.

Thoughts?

[ledge]

Anthony Banik, Richmond, saw him in paper the other day, hasnt he beefed up after football, never realized his potential, is it possible to get a look at all no 1 draft picks since it started and see who was successful and who wasnt?
Maybe injuries, big head , too much expectation or maybe just overrated.
Be interesting to see which number draft pick has had the most games played.

[hujsh]

Anthony Banik, Richmond, saw him in paper the other day, hasnt he beefed up after football, never realized his potential, is it possible to get a look at all no 1 draft picks since it started and see who was successful and who wasnt?
Maybe injuries, big head , too much expectation or maybe just overrated.
Be interesting to see which number draft pick has had the most games played.

* 1986 - Martin Leslie (Brisbane Bears)
* 1987 - Richard Lounder (Richmond)
* 1988 - Alex McDonald (Hawthorn)
* 1989 - Anthony Banik (Richmond)
* 1990 - Stephen Hooper (Geelong)
* 1991 - John Hutton (Brisbane)
* 1992 - Drew Banfield (West Coast)
* 1993 - Darren Gaspar (Sydney)
* 1994 - Jeff White (Fremantle)
* 1995 - Clive Waterhouse (Fremantle)
* 1996 - Michael Gardiner (West Coast)
* 1997 - Travis Johnstone (Melbourne)
* 1998 - Des Headland (Brisbane Lions)
* 1999 - Josh Fraser (Collingwood)
* 2000 - Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda)
* 2001 - Luke Hodge (Hawthorn)
* 2002 - Brendon Goddard (St Kilda)
* 2003 - Adam Cooney (Western Bulldogs)
* 2004 - Brett Deledio (Richmond)
* 2005 - Marc Murphy (Carlton)
* 2006 - Bryce Gibbs (Carlton)
* 2007 - Matthew Kreuzer (Carlton)

[The Coon Dog]

They never used to always end up in crap sides. Stupid sides used to trade the first round pick for established players. 1 that springs to mind is West Coast trading Scott Watters & Troy Begavich (I think) to Sydney for the #1 pick which netted them Drew Banfield. Fremantle were the beneficiaries of compensatory selections which they traded away, One that I recall was Essendon trading Tony Delaney & Todd Ridley to Fremantle who then used that selection to secure Matthew Lloyd.

[hujsh]

Fremantle were the beneficiaries of compensatory selections which they traded away, One that I recall was Essendon trading Tony Delaney & Todd Ridley to Fremantle who then used that selection to secure Matthew Lloyd.

Pretty sure they also traded the 1st pick (Hodge) for Croad.

[whythelongface]

* 1986 - Martin Leslie (Brisbane Bears)
* 1987 - Richard Lounder (Richmond)
* 1988 - Alex McDonald (Hawthorn)
* 1989 - Anthony Banik (Richmond)
* 1990 - Stephen Hooper (Geelong)
* 1991 - John Hutton (Brisbane)
* 1992 - Drew Banfield (West Coast)
* 1993 - Darren Gaspar (Sydney)
* 1994 - Jeff White (Fremantle)
* 1995 - Clive Waterhouse (Fremantle)
* 1996 - Michael Gardiner (West Coast)
* 1997 - Travis Johnstone (Melbourne)
* 1998 - Des Headland (Brisbane Lions)
* 1999 - Josh Fraser (Collingwood)
* 2000 - Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda)
* 2001 - Luke Hodge (Hawthorn)
* 2002 - Brendon Goddard (St Kilda)
* 2003 - Adam Cooney (Western Bulldogs)
* 2004 - Brett Deledio (Richmond)
* 2005 - Marc Murphy (Carlton)
* 2006 - Bryce Gibbs (Carlton)
* 2007 - Matthew Kreuzer (Carlton)

Interesting list. Out of those players how many would you rate as being an absolute champion - maybe 1 in Riewoldt with possibly Hodge and Cooney reaching that level within the next year or two.

It would be interesting to compare say the no. 1 draft pick against the second and third draft picks of the same years to see which draft picks have been better.

[LostDoggy]

It seems that you have escaped the curse of the No.1 draft pick when nobody remembers you as a 'no. 1 draft pick' because you are a genuine superstar ie. Riewoldt, Banfield, Hodge. Others who don't quite make it to that level are remembered as 'former no. 1 draft picks' ie. White, Fraser, implying, to my mind, that they were expected to be better than they turned out.

Btw, IIRC, both White and Fraser were the Kreuzers of their day, and very highly touted, and while both are very good players, neither is quite the all-round dominant player expected, while the dominant mobile ruckman today is Coxy, who came to the system via the rookie draft. Kreuzer is no monty to be as good as every Carlton fan seems to think he'll be.

[Sockeye Salmon]

It seems that you have escaped the curse of the No.1 draft pick when nobody remembers you as a 'no. 1 draft pick' because you are a genuine superstar ie. Riewoldt, Banfield, Hodge. Others who don't quite make it to that level are remembered as 'former no. 1 draft picks' ie. White, Fraser, implying, to my mind, that they were expected to be better than they turned out.

Btw, IIRC, both White and Fraser were the Kreuzers of their day, and very highly touted, and while both are very good players, neither is quite the all-round dominant player expected, while the dominant mobile ruckman today is Coxy, who came to the system via the rookie draft. Kreuzer is no monty to be as good as every Carlton fan seems to think he'll be.

Nor is Cordy.

[GVGjr]

* 1993 - Darren Gaspar (Sydney)
* 1994 - Jeff White (Fremantle)
* 1995 - Clive Waterhouse (Fremantle)
* 1996 - Michael Gardiner (West Coast)
* 1997 - Travis Johnstone (Melbourne)
* 1998 - Des Headland (Brisbane Lions)


All bar Waterhouse moved to other teams which probably wouldn't happen now.

[LostDoggy]

Nor is Cordy.

Correct.

[mjp]

All bar Waterhouse moved to other teams which probably wouldn't happen now.

Johnstone moved after 10 years. That isn't a bad career at one club.

[The Underdog]

Johnstone moved after 10 years. That isn't a bad career at one club.

And they got a first round pick for him.
He looked pretty good on friday night I have to say.

[GVGjr]

Johnstone moved after 10 years. That isn't a bad career at one club.

In this day and age of course not but during that batch of number one picks, it was just interesting that so many moved on. Johnstone was always unsettled at the Dees, the fans couldn't tolerate him and he never quite played to his ability. I suspect that if it wasn't for Daniher he would have been moved on a few seasons earlier.

I suppose the same could have been said about Gardiner

[Rocket Science]

Oooh, Waterhouse.

There's a scone only a mother could love.

[ledge]

Richard Lounder and John Hutton, good ordinary players, i wonder who the 2nd and 3rd picks were that year.

[The Coon Dog]

Richard Lounder and John Hutton, good ordinary players, i wonder who the 2nd and 3rd picks were that year.

1987 behind Lounder were Chris McDermott (Bris) & Graham Wright (Coll) & in 1991 behind Hutton were Marcus Seecamp (Fitz) & Darren Kowal (Melb).

[ledge]

they were all just good ordinary players , bad years those 2

[bornadog]

Back page of Sports Age has picked up this thread and gone with it. Except they had Griffen out.

[mjp]

They never used to always end up in crap sides. Stupid sides used to trade the first round pick for established players. 1 that springs to mind is West Coast trading Scott Watters & Troy Begavich (I think) to Sydney for the #1 pick which netted them Drew Banfield. Fremantle were the beneficiaries of compensatory selections which they traded away, One that I recall was Essendon trading Tony Delaney & Todd Ridley to Fremantle who then used that selection to secure Matthew Lloyd.

Interesting comments TCD. I guess in Fremantle and Sydney's defence, they were trying to get some experience into struggling/new teams, get a few wins and get some members. If you look at the players in the trades, guys like Ridley, Delaney and Begovich in particular were young, had played a few games looked fairly promising...and we have to remember that the footy landscape was very different back then...picking 18year olds and waiting a few years wasn't the done thing. I think Watters was runner-up in a Sydney B&F, but was such a WA boy he returned home after 2 seasons in any case.

Picking Lloyd at 16, the Eagles taking Wirrpanda at 16...and being prepared to simply 'wait out' a few years of development. Decisions like those ones have really changed the entire face of not just one competition (the AFL), but of about 10. Now we have the TAC Cup, the WAFL, VFL and SANFL are largely after-thoughts, we are about to see the National u16 Championship played on Grand Final day as a curtain raiser....the world and footy especially is a very different place.

[The Coon Dog]

Interesting comments TCD.

Easy for me to say with the benefit of hindsight too! Yeah, it wasn't as scientific back then.

[LostDoggy]

Nor is Cordy.

Fortunately Cordy will only cost us pick 16, not pick 1.:D

[The Coon Dog]

Fortunately Cordy will only cost us pick 16, not pick 1.:D

That's a huge assumption on your part bc013.............there's no guarantee Carlton or Richmond will win 4 games, might blow out to pick 18! ;)