If there’s one thing history tells us about the AFL National Draft it is that nothing is guaranteed.
As Lions fans look forward with high hopes to the 2019 AFL National Draft on Wednesday and Thursday, there are some undeniable lessons to be learned from the Club’s draft history.
There is absolutely no guarantee a top 10 pick will be a 200-gamer. Or even close. And there is no guarantee a player chosen at 80 cannot be a 200-gamer.
And, as much as it is time-worn cliché to say ‘once they get to the club every player is equal’, there has never been a truer word spoken.
Draft selection is basically just an entry ticket to a possible AFL career. It guarantees nothing more. It’s an opportunity. The ultimate outcome is up to the player. It’s about commitment and character, dedication and determination, opportunity and execution, and, often a bit of ‘right time, right place’ good fortune.
For every early draft pick who has gone on to be a long-term AFL player another has fallen short. And the same goes at the other end of the draft.
Since the introduction of the AFL National Draft in 1986 Brisbane have drafted a total of 161 players new to the Club, including seven who had played previously in the AFL at another club, and two who were drafted twice (so counted only once).
There was even one player whose selection was later ruled ineligible.
Shaun Valenta, chosen with pick #107 in 1989 when playing at full forward with Queensland club Morningside, was found not to have met the necessary criteria.
Originally from Western Australia, he had not been playing long enough in the Queensland competition and was prohibited from joining the club.
From Martin Leslie, the first pick in the first draft, to Noah Answerth, the Club’s last pick in the last national draft last year, the success stories and others are spread far and wide.
Best 13 picks
Thirteen Brisbane draftees have played 200 games for the Club, and they originated from all parts of the draft spectrum - picks 2-4-5-7-12-13-26-30-30-31-33-33-56.
Oddly, the highest pick among the 200-gamers, Daniel Bradshaw at #56, falls precisely in the middle.
Among the six players who played more games than Bradshaw, three were chosen in the top 10 and three were chosen in the 30’s.
There was #2 Nigel Lappin (279 game), #4 Justin Leppitsch (227) and #5 Luke Power (282) in single digits, and #31 Simon Black (322), #33 Shaun Hart (273) and #30 Jonathan Brown (268).
Likewise, the six 200-gamers after Bradshaw in the games list are an even split of early and later picks - #7 Daniel Rich (207 games), #12 Chris Scott (215), #13 Ash McGrath (214), #26 Tim Notting (208) and #33 Jed Adcock (206).
The 13 200-gamers, listed in order of games for the club with their draft pick, were:-
322 – Simon Black – 31
282 – Luke Power - 5
279 – Nigel Lappin - 2
273 – Shaun Hart – 33
256 – Jonathan Brown – 30 (F/S)
227 – Justin Leppitsch – 4
222 – Daniel Bradshaw - 56
215 – Chris Scott – 12
214 – Ash McGrath – 13
208 – Tim Notting – 26
207 – Daniel Rich – 7*
206 – Jed Adcock - 33
200 – Daniel Merrett – 30
Interestingly, the top 10 are all premiership players.
There have also been seven Brisbane draftees who, after starting their careers at the Gabba, moved clubs and topped 150 career games. Again, they are spread across the draft, joining the AFL via picks 1-3-8-19-25-27-33. They are:-
246 – Shane O’Bree - #27 – 19 Brisbane games – 227 Collingwood games
211 – Jack Redden - #25 – 129 Brisbane games – 82 West Coast games *
199 – Craig Bolton - #33 – 29 Brisbane games – 170 Sydney games
173 – Jared Brennan - #3 – 119 Brisbane games – 54 Gold Coast games
171 – Lachie Henderson - #8 – 15 Brisbane games – 156 Carlton/Geelong games
166 – Des Headland - #1 – 52 Brisbane games – 114 Fremantle games
156 – Jason Gram - #19 – 2 Brisbane games – 154 St.Kilda games
Four #1 picks
The Club has had four #1 picks in the National Draft - Leslie (1986), John Hutton (1991), Headland (1998) and Cam Rayner (2017).
Leslie, a tough as nails centre half back, was an established South Australian State of Origin star who made a belated entry to the AFL after 150 games and a premiership with Port Adelaide in the SANFL.
Hutton, a full forward from Claremont who always played in a trademark helmet and kicked 100 goals in the WAFL in his draft year, was the exception that proves the rule.
While Leslie and Headland topped 100 games and Rayner is on track to that and more, Hutton played 36 games at three clubs over three years – he played 18 games at Brisbane in 1992, five games at Sydney in 1993, and 13 games at Fremantle in 1994.
Immediate Impact
Rayner’s unbroken 46-game start to his AFL career has seen him equal Daniel Rich’s club record for most games in his first two years by a player new to the competition.
Only Martin Pike, who -played 47 games in his first two years in Brisbane, has played more. But he was 28 and had played 141 games with Fitzroy, Melbourne and North Melbourne, 1including the 1999 premiership, before heading to Brisbane.
Other draftees to have topped 40 games in their first two years with the club have been Lewis Taylor (44), David Bain (42), Justin Sherman (41) and Hugh McCluggage (40).
Rich holds the games record for a draftee in his first season at 24 games (including two finals), from Rayner (22), Pike (22), James Aish (21), David Bain (20) and Nathan Chapman (20).
Rayner next year will be eyeing off the club’s three-year games record for a draftee set at 72 by Pike in the triple premiership years of 2001-02-03.
Aside from Pike, McCluggage and Taylor (63) are next best, ahead of Rich (62), Lappin (61).
Top 10 Picks
Overall, the club has drafted 25 players with a pick inside the top 10.
In chronological order, listed with their draft number, their draft year and their Brisbane games tally, they have been:-
1 – 1986 – Martin Leslie – 107
2 – 1987 – Chris McDermott – 0
5 – 1989 – Brad Rowe – 14
10 – 1990 – David Ogg – 9
1 – 1991 – John Hutton – 18
2 – 1992 – Nathan Chapman – 60
4 – 1992 – Justin Leppitsch – 227
2 – 1993 – Nigel Lappin – 279
3 – 1996 – Rory Hilton – 9
5 – 1997 – Luke Power – 282
10 – 1997 – Shane O’Bree – 19
1 – 1998 – Des Headland – 52
6 – 1999 – Damian Cupido – 13
3 – 2002 – Jared Brennan – 119
9 – 2005 - Mitch Clark = 82
4 – 2006 – Matthew Leuenberger – 108
8 – 2007 – Lachie Henderson – 15
7 – 2008 – Daniel Rich – 207
5 – 2010 – Jared Polec – 16
8 -2011 – Billy Longer – 9
8 – 2012 – Sam Mayes – 101
7 – 2013 - James Aish – 32
2 – 2015 – Josh Schache – 27
3 – 2016 – Hugh McCluggage – 63
1 – 2017 – Cam Rayner - 46
Bargain Picks at 40+
At the other end of the scale, premiership players Bradshaw, Beau McDonald and Aaron Shattock, club champions Michael Rischitelli and Joel Patfull, and current vice-captain Harris Andrews are among 12 50-gamers drafted by the club with a pick beyond 40.
In chronological order, they have been:-
56 – 1995 – Daniel Bradshaw – 222
73 – 1997 – Beau McDonald – 91
45 – 1998 - Aaron Shattock – 57
53 – 2002 – Anthony Corrie - 53
61 – 2003 – Michael Rischitelli – 111
45 – 2004 - Justin Sherman – 114
56 – 2005 – Joel Patfull – 182
41 – 2007 – James Polkinghorne – 94
41 – 2007 – Todd Banfield – 53
47 – 2009 – Ryan Harwood – 81
91 – 2009 – Matt Maguire - 91
61 – 2014 – Harris Andrews – 97
Best Drafts
The best draft year overall, in terms of Brisbane games, was 1997. It was worth 739 games mostly via premiership players Power, Black and McDonald. Plus, Marcus Picken played 25 games and O’Bree 19 before heading to Collingwood.
Only Queenslander Scott Ralph, drafted from Morningside, failed to play at AFL level.
The second-best draft year was 1993, headed by Lappin and Scott. It produced 584 games.
The Class of 2000, which included the premiership quartet of McGrath, Richard Hadley, Jamie Charman and ex-Melbourne, Fitzroy and North utility Martin Pike, was worth 490 games.
No less than 45 of 162 Brisbane draftees did not play a game for the club. A further 23 played 1-10 games, and 26 more played between 11-25 games.
So, in a blunt reminder of how tough the AFL system is, 94 of 162 Brisbane draftees, or 58% overall, have played 25 games or less.
