SHORT DRAFT MEMORY (Must have a…..)

[I]”Conquistadors of Peel Thunder, West Adelaide and Northern Knights
The Young Falcons of Old Geelong SHORT DRAFT MEMORY
Young hopeful from Tasmania, a project player from Canberra
Your club’s 2 minute deadline’s up SHORT DRAFT MEMORY
Short draft memory must be a shoorrrt draft memory”[/I]

Sorry, getting a little carried away with it all, or maybe it’s Midnight Oil blaring over my computer. The bottom line of it all is that last night was draft night, arguably the most important component of a pre-season for clubs and their supporters. It’s a chance for those who travel around Australia to see who can cut it on the field earn the considerable dough that they earn. It’s the opportunity for people to brag that they were able to get a steal in the draft. It’s an opportunity for someone to be picked that makes us say “who the f*** is this bloke?”

It’s also a good time to remember those that didn’t quite make the grade, and especially remember the last player chosen, known in NFL circles as “Mr Irrelevant”. Looking back over history, these names should be a question for Trivial Pursuit or some other quiz.

1986: Tony SYMONDS (Hawthorn) – played 3 games in 1987 before returning to Glenelg where he was a 200 gamer. Unlike many SA boys at the time, he actually did go to the club who drafted him
1987: Dean ADAMS (Carlton) – Didn’t appear at Senior level
1988: Troy REID (Hawthorn) – Like Adams, no senior matches
1989: Brendan BICKNALL (Hawthorn) – Another who recorded a duck in games played (but he probably played footy better than his namesake Martin, an English pie thrower of the 90’s)
1990: Chris RYAN (Collingwood) – Another quacker in the games tally. Not the same Chris Ryan that played Rugby League for Manly and the Perth Reds.
1991: Paul DIMATTINA (Richmond) – Richmond rejected him, found a home later with the Doggies
1992: Brayden LYLE (West Coast) – Couldn’t really crack the Eagle midfield, and after 26 games went “Home” to Port Adelaide where he was skipper in their first ever game
1993: Andrew SCHAUBLE (Collingwood) – Dour defender who played 150 all up at both Collingwood and Sydney. Spent some time reportedly in Dubai.
1994: Kym EYERS (North) – Zippo for games, don’t know if he went back to Centrals in SA either
1995: Steven PITT (Collingwood) – Mature Ager from Norwood who played 18 games for the Pies and Dees, now a policeman
1996: Leigh SINGLINE (Collingwood) – Add him to the Duck egg list
1997: Scott WHISTON (Collingwood) – See Singline….
1998: Shane CLAYTON (North) – Played in a flag at his 3rd home (some say technically 2nd), delisted a few years later. Son of the master of recruiters, Scott Clayton
1999: Joe ALLEN (Carlton) – See Whiston
2000: Daniel WULF (St.Kilda) – Best remembered for hitting the post from 5m out running into an open goal in a 2002 game against Sydney that created a draw. Also a former Dog Listee.
2001: Aaron JAMES (Dogs) – Played 1 game for the Dogs (rd 1, 2002) after a stint at Richmond. Had the talent (kicked tons at Metro level in later years), but was about as dedicated as a toenail and liked a cold amber beverage or 3.
2002: Mick MARTYN (Carlton) – Pagan needed someone to play on “Gorillas”, Mickey only wanted to get to 300 games (which he managed to get to)
2003: Kyle ARCHIBALD (Richmond) – Played a couple in the Wallace era, got axed pretty quickly.
2004: Anthony RASO (Carlton) – Quack Quack Quack (0 games)
2005: Justin SWEENEY (St.Kilda) – Forward plucked from Metro footy, managed 1 game in 2007
2006: David RODAN (Port Adelaide) – Most successful last pick in the draft by a long way.
2007: Taylor WALKER (Adelaide) – NSW Scholarship player, much maligned at Crows.
2008: Colm BEGLEY (St.Kilda) – Thrown a lifeline after Brisbane dumped him, Begley couldn’t find a place at the Saints and is now back in the Gaelic ranks
2009: Pearce HANLEY (Brisbane) – Rookie elevation, played the last 8 games of last season in his best year to date.

So whilst the hottest talent in the country is lauded for their efforts tomorrow night to get where they are, raise a glass and spare a thought for those that are the last picked. Then promptly say we picked him because he takes us to McDonald’s after the game…..

About Mick Jeffrey

39 Year Old, 16 year Bulldogs. over 280 combined senior/reserves appearances for Brothers AFC in AFL Capricornia. 26 time Marathon finisher, three time Ultra Marathon finisher and three time Comrades Marathon competitor (though not finisher yet).

Comments

  1. Richard Jones says

    MICK: Aaron James topped the Vic. Country Footy League goalkicking charts in 2009.

    Snagged a lazy 130 playing for North Bendigo in the Heathcote District F.L.

    Think he went back to Kilmore for the 2010 season, recently completed. A very large lad keen on a frothie or 3 as u pointed out in Jamesy.

    Also among those in VCFL ranks who passed the ‘ton’ in 2009 were Grant Weeks (Colbinabbin) in the aforesaid Heathcote DFL. He slotted 107. Luke Livingston (remember him with the BlueBags) got 103 playing for Kerang in the Central Murray FL., also in 2009

    Weeksie went on to nail a lazy 157 for Golden Square in the Bendigo F.L. this year…. 145 in the regular season plus another dozen in the September finals action.

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