In 38 years Brisbane Football Club has drafted 180 players in the AFL National Draft. There have been 26 picks in the top 10, 20 from 11-20, 34 from 21-30, and 100 picks above 30.

Yet the selection that has delivered most to the club was pick #31 in 1997, when they claimed games record-holder, Brownlow Medallist and three-time premiership champion Simon Black from East Fremantle.

_{📸: Simon Black during play}

Black was the third of the club’s six picks in 1997 after they’d taken the Oakleigh Chargers’ Luke Power at #5 and the North Ballarat Rebels’ Shane O’Bree at #10 and before they chose Morningside’s Scott Ralph at #53, the Rebels’ Marcus Picken at #58 and Swan Districts’ Beau McDonald at #73.

O’Bree joined Collingwood after 19 games in Brisbane colors, going on to play a further 227 games to a glittering career, and Picken played 25 Brisbane games before joining the Western Bulldogs, where he failed to break into the top side. And Ralph never played at AFL level

But in proof of how a good draft can transform a club, the Class of 1997 delivered eight premierships and 695 games to Brisbane. Black (322 games) and Power (282 games) were teammates in the 2001-02-03 flag hat-trick, and McDonald (91 games) was a 2001-02 premiership player before a knee reconstruction in ’03.

Power is ranked #2 on the games list of National Draft pick-ups behind Black and ahead of a mix of early and later picks. The top 10 is:-

1. Simon Black – pick #31 – 322 games
2. Luke Power – pick #5 – 282 games
3. Nigel Lappin – pick #2 – 279 games
4. Daniel Rich – pick #7 - 275 games
5. Shaun Hart – pick #33 – 273 games
6. Jonathan Brown – pick #30 – 256 games
7. Justin Leppitsch – pick #4 – 223 games
8. Daniel Bradshaw – pick #56 – 222 games
9. Chris Scott – pick #12 – 215 games
10. Ash McGrath – pick #13 – 214 games

That will change next year when Harris Andrews, now a 212-game mega-bargain drafted at #61, and Ryan Lester, a 207-gamer at #28, push up into the top 10.

Cumulatively, pick #33 has been used most often by the club – six times - and has delivered most games in total – 680.

Players chosen at pick #33 have been Shaun Hart (1989), Craig Bolton (1998), Martin Pike (2000), Jed Adcock (2003), Tom Cutler (2013) and Brock Smith (2019).

_{📸: Shaun Hart during play}

In addition to Hart’s 273 games, which ranks 5^th all-time, Adcock played 206 games for the club, Pike 106, Cutler 66 before going to Essendon and Bolton 29 before going to Sydney. Smith did not play.

Pick #30 ranks a close #2 for aggregate games via Richard Champion (1988 - 183 games), father/son Jonathan Brown (1999 – 256 games), Daniel Merrett (2002 – 200) and current West Coast player Eliot Yeo (2011 – 27).

Pick #56 is third overall at 419 games thanks to Daniel Bradshaw (1995 – 222), Joel Patfull (2005 – 182) and Matt Austin (2007 – 15).

Pick #2 has delivered 397 games via Chris McDermott (1987 – 0), Nathan Chapman (1992 – 60), Nigel Lappin (1993 – 279), Josh Schache (2015 – 27) and Will Ashcroft (2022 – 31), and pick #31 has delivered 341 games via just two players – Black (1997 – 322) and 2024 premiership team member Logan Morris (2023 – 13).

Only one draft pick has delivered two Brisbane club champions - #61.  And it’s two for two. In 2003 it delivered Michael Rischitelli, club champion in 2010, and backed up in 2014 to hand over Andrews, the 2023 club champion and now premiership co-captain.

A total of 27 premiership players have joined the club via the National Draft – none more than two at any pick.

Seven were drafted inside the top 10, nine from 11-20, three from 21-30, and eight above 30 – Jonathan Brown (#30), Simon Black and Logan Morris (#31), Shaun Hart and Martin Pike (#33), Aaron Shattock (#45), Daniel Bradshaw (#56), Harris Andrews (#61) and Beau McDonald (#73).

Excluding current players, 43 Brisbane players taken in the National Draft did not play a game.

Chris McDermott, originally drafted by Fitzroy at #21 in 1981 and later picked at #2 by Brisbane in 1987, is the ‘no-gamer’ drafted highest by the club.

In more recent times, Andrew Gowling, drafted from South Adelaide at #12 in 1995, is the highest-ranked “no gamer” from Andrew Harrison, pick #15 in 1990 from Benalla, and Ely Smith, pick #21 in 2018 from the Murray Bushrangers.

There is only one pick in the top 45 that Brisbane have never used - pick #11.

The highest pick allocated to Brisbane in the National Draft was #107 in 1989, which the club used to claim Morningside’s Sean Valenta. It was subsequently ruled an invalid nomination.  

Two players were drafted twice in the National Draft – Luke Chambers and Michael Murphy.