Carlton, Essendon and Brisbane among clubs to cash in on the 2016 AFL draft
DID the Bombers win last year’s draft by securing Andrew McGrath or are Carlton and Brisbane in better shape? One year on, we review all your club’s 2016 draft picks.
IT’S only early in their careers but the 2016 AFL draft class has already produced 10 Rising Star nominees, the award’s overall winner and a whopping 341 games.
But how much has your club cashed in on this windfall?
Carlton list boss Stephen Silvagni got the most out of his picks, with six new Blues combining for a league-high 61 games this year.
The Brisbane Lions were the only other club to break 50.
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At the other end of the scale, West Coast is the only club in the league to so far not get a single game out of any player drafted in 2016.
Where did your club fit on the scale? One year on, we review all your club’s 2016 draft picks.
ADELAIDE
Picks: Jordan Gallucci (15) Myles Poholke (44) Elliot Himmelberg (51) Matthew Signorello (62), Ben Davis (75)
The Crows had five selections in last year’s National Draft and of those, No.15 pick Jordan Gallucci was the only man to get a look in at the top level. However, he broke his jaw shortly after his Round 9 debut and missed the rest of the year. Myles Poholke was the only other draftee to get close to a debut. He was a senior emergency late in the season.
BRISBANE
Picks: Hugh McCluggage (3) Jarrod Berry (17) Alex Witherden (23) Cedric Cox (24) Jacob Allison (55) Corey Lyons (71)
The future sure is looking bright at the Lions. McCluggage and Witherden both kicked off their AFL careers with a bang and were rewarded with Rising Star nominations. After a slow start, Berry bolted down the home stretch and was unlucky to miss a late nomination. Cox produced one of the highlights of the year with his incredible running goal against Carlton and has the athletic potential to be anything. Although Lyons didn’t debut it is huge ticks all round for the Lions.
CARLTON
Picks: Sam Petrevski-Seton (6) Zac Fisher (27) Harrison Macreadie (47) Cameron Polson (59) Tom Williamson (61) Pat Kerr (65)
Nothing speeds up a rebuild like getting games into youngsters. No club did that better than Carlton with their 2016 draftees. Their combined games were the highest in the AFL, five more than the club’s nearest rival and 19 more than the third ranked team. Petrevski-Seton is an excitement machine capable of achieving anything and Fisher showed plenty of encouraging signs through the year. But Williamson could prove the steal of the draft. At pick 61 he played 15 games and will only get better down back.
COLLINGWOOD
Picks: Sam McLarty (30) Callum Brown (35) Kayle Kirby (50) Josh Daicos (57)
Despite their mixed form, it took the Magpies until Queen’s Birthday to unearth one of the club’s 2016 draftees when Brown pulled on the black and white for the first time. He went on to play five games while Daicos played in the final two matches of the year. But it was Kirby who has the Magpie army really excited. He booted 43 goals in the VFL and could be a serious X-factor in 2018. McLarty spent the year in the VFL.
ESSENDON
Picks: Andrew McGrath (1) Jordan Ridley (22) Joshua Begley (31) Kobe Mutch (42) Dylan Clarke (63)
Essendon’s class of 2016 draftees combined for 22 games however, 20 of those belonged to Rising Star winner McGrath. So what happened to the rest of the Bombers? Essendon fans were eager to see Begley debut and he didn’t disappoint when given his chance with two early goals against the Suns in Round 22. He is in the mix to play in the club’s qualifying final against Sydney. Ridley’s start to the season was ruined by a back injury but he finished the year in the VFL with Mutch and Clarke.
FREMANTLE
Picks: Griffin Logue (8) Sean Darcy (38) Brennan Cox (41) 66 Luke Ryan (66)
Did the Dockers get the biggest steal of the draft at pick 38? Darcy looks a ready-made replacement for Aaron Sandilands and could carry the club’s ruck duties for the next 10 years. Among Rising Star nominees, Ryan finished the year ranked second in marks per game and fifth in kicks. Logue and Cox each reached double figure games and showed plenty of promise. The changing of the guard is well underway out west.
GEELONG
Picks: Brandan Parfitt (26) Thomas Stewart (40) Esava Ratugolea (43) 60 Quinton Narkle (60) Timm Housen (68) Ryan Abbott (69)
The Cats may not have had a first-round pick in 2016 but that didn’t stop them striking some gold. Parfitt is a pressure machine who started his career with a bang. Even a mid-season hamstring injury hasn’t slowed him down. Meanwhile, mature age recruit Stewart at pick 40 is a genuine bargain and could be at the Cats for a long time to come. While they were the only two national picks to debut, rookie selections Zach Guthrie and Sam Simpson combined for 12 games. Now that is some shrewd drafting.
GOLD COAST
Picks: Ben Ainsworth (4) Jack Scrimshaw (7) Will Brodie (9) Jack Bowes (10) 67 Brad Scheer (67)
Considering four of their five picks in the draft fell in the top 10, the Suns would have been hoping to get a few more games out of their youngsters. Ainsworth’s start to the year was derailed by a quad injury but he came home like a steam train and looks the goods. Bowes played the second most games at senior level, finishing with 11 but his form was up and down. Despite avoiding serious injuries, Scrimshaw and Brodie combined for just seven senior games, spending the majority of their time in the NEAFL.
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY
Picks: Tim Taranto (2) Will Setterfield (5) Harry Perryman (14) Isaac Cumming (20) Lachlan Tiziani (54) Matthew De Boer (58)
Of all the teams to finish in the top four, the Giants handed the most games to 2016 draftees with 34. However, that number is a little misleading, with mature age recruit De Boer making up 12 of those. Given he is knocking on the door to play in the first final, calling his name out at pick 58 is looking like a bargain. Taranto looked like a star before an ankle injury derailed his season while Setterfield was slowed by an injury after a hot start in the NEAFL. His name is sure to come up in Rising Star calculations next year.
HAWTHORN
Picks: Harry Morrison (74) Mitchell Lewis (76)
The Hawks were fashionably late to last year’s draft, not holding a pick until 74. After strong VFL form throughout the year, Morrison made his debut in the final match of the home and away season. He didn’t look out of place, winning 21 disposals. Lewis spent the year in the VFL.
MELBOURNE
Picks: Mitchell Hannan (46) Dion Johnstone (64)
The Demons were another club which had limited resources on draft night but, they look to have come away with a good one. Hannan played for Footscray VFL in 2016 before Melbourne swooped at the draft. He averaged 12.4 touches and more than a goal a game in his first season at the top level. That’s a huge win. Johnstone had mixed form in the VFL.
NORTH MELBOURNE
Picks: Jy Simpkin (12) Declan Watson (34) Josh Williams (36) Nick Larkey (73)
When the injury curse hits, it hits hard. Just ask the medical staff at Arden Street. The Kangaroos were decimated by injuries during 2017 which impacted their ability to play their youngsters for extended periods. Simpkin got the best run at it, playing 13 games while navigating a shoulder injury. He showed plenty of promise and will be better after a full pre-season. Williams and Larkey combined for four senior games while Watson didn’t get a run at it.
PORT ADELAIDE
Picks: Todd Marshall (16) Sam Powell-Pepper (18) Joe Atley (32) Willem Drew (33)
Powell-Pepper was overlooked 17 times before the Power swooped at pick 18. How big of a bargain will that prove to be? Compared to other Rising Star nominees, Powell-Pepper ranked outright first in inside 50s, contested possessions, centre clearances per game and total tackles. Now that is an impressive resume for a teenager in his first year of senior footy. Marshall was drafted as a long-term prospect but managed to force his way into the senior side by Round 22.
RICHMOND
Picks: Shai Bolton (29) Jack Graham (53) Ryan Garthwaite (72)
After trading for Dion Prestia, the Tigers didn’t enter the draft until the second round. However, they still managed to land an exciting prospect in Bolton. The forward played seniors during the middle of the season but has finished the year in the VFL. After strong VFL form, Graham forced his way into the senior side in Round 22 and may not be going anywhere anytime soon. He has been very impressive since getting the call up. Garthwaite has spent the year in the twos.
ST KILDA
Picks: Ben Long (25) Josh Battle (39) Edward Phillips (56)
After trading away their first round pick to Hawthorn, the Saints didn’t get much out of their 2016 draft crop. Long started the year suspended before getting his debut in a Round 4 win against Collingwood. He was dropped in Round 6 before fighting his way back into the seniors late in the year. Battle kicked a goal in his one senior appearance.
SYDNEY
Picks: Oliver Florent (11) Will Hayward (21) Jack Maibaum (45) Darcy Cameron (48)
Even when the Swans were struggling at the start of the year, Hayward was making the most of his senior chances. He finished the home and away season with 22 goals and nine goal assists and always looked dangerous when the ball came his way. First-round pick Florent was in and out of the senior team throughout the season. He is clearly too good for the NEAFL and will be even better in his second year. Florent remains in the selection mix for the Swans’ finals campaign. Cameron was close to senior selection a couple of times but couldn’t quite break through.
WEST COAST
Picks: Daniel Venables (13) Josh Rotham (37) Willie Rioli (52) Jake Waterman (77)
Move along. Nothing to see here. At first glance, that is the result out of West Coast with not one of the club’s 2016 draftees cracking a game in 2017. Venables had his season ended by a toe injury, Rotham’s year came to an early end with a hamstring and Waterman was delayed because of a serious foot injury. But is there some hope for Rioli? The man with the most famous name in football is looming as a selection bolter after seven WAFL goals in the last two weeks. The words September and Rioli have worked out well in tandem for other clubs in the past. Will the Eagles take the risk?
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Picks: Timothy English (19) Patrick Lipinski (28) Lewis Young (49) Fergus Greene (70)
The Western Bulldogs were rumoured to be chasing Adelaide’s Jake Lever this off-season. But has Young’s form changed their plans? Young started with a bang on the backline, debuting with a brilliant performance in Round 17 and backing that up the following week against the Gold Coast. While his form dropped off from there, it’s easy to see that he could become an intercept marking machine. With the club short on rucks, English got a call up mid-season but supporters will need to be patient with him. After recovering collarbone and hamstring injuries, Lipinski debuted in the final match of the year.
Originally published as Carlton, Essendon and Brisbane among clubs to cash in on the 2016 AFL draft
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