Port Adelaide and Melbourne kicking themselves after passing on Dockers star Nat Fyfe at 2009 national draft
THE Power and Demons should be filthy. Between them, they had seven chances to grab Nat Fyfe at the 2009 draft but missed him. He’s shown them the error of their ways, says Andrew Capel.
PORT Adelaide and Melbourne should be filthy on themselves.
The clubs that will clash in Alice Springs tomorrow had seven chances between them to secure Nathan Fyfe at the 2009 national draft and let the now Fremantle superstar slip through their fingers.
Fyfe is a raging hot favourite for this year’s Brownlow Medal - one betting agency has already payed out punters who have beacked him - and the hottest property in the game right now.
The 190cm midfielder, who would be causing Crows coach Phil Walsh sleepless nights as he plots a way to try to curb his influence at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, could have - and probably should have - been a Power or Demons player.
After trading 2004 premiership midfielder Shaun Burgoyne to Hawthorn, Port had three top-16 draft selections in 2009.
It overlooked West Australian Fyfe with all of them, picking key forward John Butcher at No. 8, midfielder Andrew Moore at nine and half-back Jasper Pittard at 16.
Fyfe was still on the board when the Power made all three calls, falling to a grateful Fremantle at No. 20.
Melbourne blew an even bigger opportunity to nail a game-changing player who could have been a cornerstone of its future.
The Demons had four top-18 picks at the Fyfe draft.
It used pick one on midfielder Tom Scully, who has since joined GWS, pick two on injured onballer Jack Trengove, and selections 11 and 18 on two midfielders who have since been delisted, Jordan Gysberts and Luke Tapscott.
While only Trengove - sidelined for the rest of the season with a foot injury - remains on Melbourne’s list, Fyfe has become arguably the game’s best player.
With dual Brownlow Medallist Gary Ablett sidelined with a bad shoulder injury, Fyfe is an almost unbackable Brownlow favourite after eight rounds.
His brilliant early-season form, which has piloted the Dockers to an 8-0 start and top of the table, sees him lead the AFL in a host of key statistical categories.
Remarkably, Fyfe has polled 68 out of a possible 80 votes in the AFL Coaches Association award to hold a commanding 22-vote lead over nearest rival Dan Hannebery of Sydney.
Former Power football operations manager Peter Rohde, who was at the draft table when Port made its 2009 draft calls, described overlooking Fyfe as his biggest recruiting regret in the 10 years he spent at the club.
Rohde said Fyfe was on the Power’s shortlist but admitted he was the one who got away, with the club failing to pull the trigger.
“We watched Fyfe play at the national under-18 championships in 2009 as a third tall forward for WA and he was okay but we initially didn’t have him rated that highly,’’ Rohde said.
“Then before one of Port’s games in Perth we watched him play in an under-18 game for Claremont and he put on a clinic, kicking eight goals, having about 40 possessions and taking hangers in the forward line.
“I sent (then recruiting manager) Blair Hartley a text saying we’ve just seen the next Royce Hart.
“We didn’t get a chance to see him play again but we really liked him and interviewed him before the draft but we just hadn’t seen enough good games from him and at his height (190cm) we didn’t think he could be a dominant key forward.
“At that stage no-one knew he would develop into the type of star on-baller that he has become.’’
Already a dual club champion, an All-Australian and last year’s AFLPA’s MVP, Fyfe’s first 100 games rank among the best in the game.
It’s frightening to think that at age 23 his best football should still be ahead of him.
THE FYFE FREAK SHOW
Fremantle’s Nat Fyfe is having a season for the ages, leading the AFL in four key statistical categories after round eight, being a runaway leader of the AFL Coaches Association Award and a white-hot favourite for the Brownlow Medal.
AverageAFL Rank
Ranking Points 132 1
Disposals 31.1 3
Cont Possessions 18.3 1
Groundball-Gets 10 4
Cont Marks (Total) 18 E1
Clearances 8.0 4
Inside-50s 5.3 9
Score Involvements 9.8 1
Nat Fyfe has polled 68 out of a possible 80 votes in the AFL Coaches Association award.
68 - Nat Fyfe (Frem)
46 - Dan Hannebery (Syd)
42 - Dylan Shiel (GWS)
40 - Scott Pendlebury (Coll)
37 - Matt Priddis (WC)
Brownlow Medal odds after round 8.
Nat Fyfe (Frem) $2.25
Matt Priddis (WCE) $11
Dan Hannebery (Syd) $13
Scott Pendlebury (Coll)$15
Luke Parker (Syd) $15
FLYING HIGH
Of current AFL midfielders, Nat Fyfe ranks among the elite in most key categories at the 100-game stage of their careers.
Ranking Points Average
Chris Judd (WCE/Carl) 111.6
Tom Rockliff (BL) 105.8
Nick Dal Santo (SK/NM) 105.3
Nat Fyfe(Frem) 104.7
Matt Priddis (WCE) 101.9
Disposals Average
Tom Rockliff (BL) 26.5
Joel Selwood (Geel) 25.3
Matt Priddis (WCE) 24.9
Nat Fyfe(Frem) 24.3
Dayne Beams (Coll) 24.2
Contested Possessions Average
Josh Kennedy (Syd) 14.2
Nat Fyfe (Frem) 13.1
Matt Priddis (WCE) 12.0
Patrick Dangerfield (Adel) 11.1
Chris Judd(WCE/Carl) 11.0
Contested Marks Average
Nat Fyfe (Frem) 1.4
Jimmy Bartel (Geel) 0.6
Brett Deledio (Rich) 0.6
Patrick Dangerfield (Adel) 0.6
Dale Thomas (Coll/Carl) 0.5
Clearances Average
Josh Kennedy (Syd) 6.3
Sam Mitchell (Haw) 5.8
Matt Priddis (WCE) 5.2
Chris Judd (WCE/Carl) 4.9
Nat Fyfe (Frem) 4.8
Goals Average
Patrick Dangerfield (Adel) 1.1
Dayne Beams (Coll/BL) 1.1
Adam Cooney (WB/Ess) 1.1
Dustin Martin (Rich) 1.1
Chris Judd (WCE/Carl) 1.0
Shaun Burgoyne (PA/Haw) 1.0
Nat Fyfe (Frem) 0.9
TAKING THE WRONG DRAFT ROAD
Of the 19 players selected before Nat Fyfe at the 2009 national draft, only four have played more games than him while three have already been delisted.
Pick Player Drafted Games
1 Tom Scully Melb 94
2 Jack Trengove Melb 81
3 Dustin Martin Rich 116
4 Anthony Morabito Frem 26
5 Ben Cunnington NM 107
6 Gary Rohan Syd 51
7 Brad Sheppard WCE 67
8 John Butcher Port 24
9 Andrew Moore Port 50
10 Jake Melksham Ess 104
11 *Jordan Gysberts Melb 19
12 Kane Lucas Carl 42
13 Daniel Talia Adel 84
14 Lewis Jetta Syd 111
15 *Christian Howard WB 20
16 Jasper Pittard Port 64
17 Daniel Menzel Geel 21
18 *Luke Tapscott Melb 48
19 Ben Griffiths Rich 41
20 Nat Fyfe Frem 100
*Denotes delisted.