What top 15 picks have played the most games, kicked the most goals and won the most flags since 2000
Which picks have produced the most premierships, goals, games, best and fairests? Jack Hudson has gone through the top 15 to see which is the best pick for each category.
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First round draft picks are gold in the AFL.
They’re talked up like treasure in the lead up to each year’s AFL Draft, and some can shine through like it as well.
Being higher up the order obviously gets your club a better chance at who they wanted to select, but sometimes that doesn’t pay off.
Before Wednesday’s 2019 Draft, we’ve gone through which top 15 pick since the turn of the century has the most games, goals, premierships, you name it.
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MOST GAMES
1. Pick 1 (3,273)
2. Pick 3 (2,696)
3. Pick 5 (2,621)
4. Pick 13 (2,607)
5. Pick 7 (2,604)
6. Pick 2 (2,564)
7. Pick 12 (1,903)
8. Pick 9 (1,817)
9. Pick 4 (1,771)
10. Pick 14 (1,714)
11. Pick 11 (1,674)
12. Pick 8 (1,661)
13. Pick 15 (1,535)
14. Pick 10 (1,481)
15. Pick 6 (1,465)
It’s no surprise that Pick 1 is the top of this list, with three 300 gamers (Nick Riewoldt, Luke Hodge and Brendon Goddard) and four 200 gamers (Adam Cooney, Brett Deledio, Marc Murphy and Bryce Gibbs), which means Gold Coast can expect plenty of mileage out of its first selection.
However, Pick 13 is also up on the list, above Picks 2, 4 and 6 to name a few.
Ash McGrath, Nick Dal Santo, Shannon Hurn, Jack Riewoldt, Daniel Talia and Brent Stanton were all taken at Pick 13, which is currently held by the Western Bulldogs.
It’s grim reading for Crows and Melbourne fans, who boast picks six and 10 respectively, but it’s expected the former will slide to Pick 7 due to an early academy selection.
MOST GOALS
1. Pick 1 (2,561)
2. Pick 5 (2,282)
3. Pick 2 (2,216)
4. Pick 13 (1,781)
5. Pick 3 (1,748)
6. Pick 12 (1,366)
7. Pick 7 (1,348)
8. Pick 4 (1,292)
9. Pick 11 (1,275)
10. Pick 8 (1,048)
11. Pick 9 (949)
12. Pick 6 (925)
13. Pick 14 (888)
14. Pick 10 (884)
15. Pick 15 (691)
Similar to the most games total, Pick 1 is at the top of the list, largely thanks to an additional 600 games on the other picks, and Nick Riewoldt’s 718 career goals for the Saints.
Pick 13 is also high on the list due to his cousin, Jack, who has booted 631 goals for Richmond so far.
Adelaide’s Tom Lynch, Essendon’s Brent Stanton and Ash McGrath have also kicked plenty of goals after being selected at Pick 13.
Pick 5, which is currently in the hands of the Swans, comes in second on the back of Lance Franklin’s 944 career goals for Hawthorn and Sydney, but Jarrad McVeigh (201) and Travis Boak (171) have added their fair share.
MOST PREMIERSHIPS
1. Pick 7 (15)
2. Pick 12 (9)
3. Pick 2 (8)
=4. Pick 3 (6)
=4. Pick 9 (6)
=4. Pick 14 (6)
=4. Pick 15 (6)
=8. Pick 1 (5)
=8. Pick 5 (5)
=8. Pick 11 (5)
=8. Pick 13 (5)
12. Pick 8 (4)
13. Pick 4 (2)
=14. Pick 6 (1)
=14. Pick 10 (1)
You play football to win premierships, and if you have Pick 7, which Fremantle currently does, then you’re a good chance.
Since 2000, there have been a whopping 15 flags won by players selected at Pick 7.
Jordan Lewis (four) Andrew Mackie, Joel Selwood, David Hale (three) and Josh Caddy (two) were all selected with the seventh selection in the draft.
Pick 12, currently owned by Port Adelaide, comes in at second spot with Shaun Burgoyne’s four at Port Adelaide and Hawthorn, Cyril Rioli and James Frawley all boasting premiership success.
At the bottom of the list is Picks 6 and 10, with Jack Macrae and Nathan Brown respectively.
Furthermore, the only premierships a first overall pick has been involved with since 2000 has involved a trade.
Fremantle traded its Pick 1 in 2001 (Luke Hodge), and he went onto win four flags with the Hawks, while Tom Boyd won a flag at the Bulldogs after being drafted to GWS.
MOST ALL-AUSTRALIANS
1. Pick 5 (20)
2. Pick 1 (15)
=3. Pick 3 (12)
=3. Pick 13 (12)
5. Pick 7 (9)
=6. Pick 4 (8)
=6. Pick 10 (8)
8. Pick 2 (7)
9. Pick 12 (6)
10. Pick 11 (5)
11. Pick 8 (4)
12. Pick 6 (3)
13. Pick 14 (1)
=14. Pick 9 (0)
=14. Pick 15 (0)
Lance Franklin, Scott Pendlebury, Michael Hurley and Travis Boak – it’s an impressive haul, and they’re responsible for most of the 20 All-Australian jumpers picked up by fifth overall picks.
Franklin has eight, four each at Hawthorn and Sydney, while Pendlebury has six at Collingwood.
Despite Pick 9 boasting six premierships, it has not had an All-Australian player, but it could be short lived with Dion Prestia, Darcy Moore and Aaron Naughton coming into the competition in recent years.
Pick 13 is also high on the list with Shannon Hurn, Nick Dal Santo, Jack Riewoldt, Daniel Talia and Patrick Cripps winning All-Australian guernseys.
While Pick 10 has only one premiership it has eight All-Australian jumpers and seven of those belong to Patrick Dangerfield. The other? Essendon’s Joe Daniher.
MOST BEST & FAIRESTS
1. Pick 1 (16)
2. Pick 5 (12)
3. Pick 3 (10)
4. Pick 2 (8)
=5. Pick 4 (6)
=5. Pick 13 (6)
=7. Pick 7 (5)
=7. Pick 10 (5)
=7. Pick 11 (5)
10. Pick 12 (4)
=11. Pick 6 (1)
=11. Pick 8 (1)
=11. Pick 9 (1)
=11. Pick 14 (1)
=11. Pick 15 (1)
When you have the best pick in the draft, you should expect the best players and that’s why Pick 1 sits atop the best and fairests total.
The only pick significantly out of place is Pick 13 with six, largely thanks to Patrick Cripps at Carlton and Jack Riewoldt at Richmond.
Robbie Tarrant (15), Devon Smith (14), Dion Prestia (nine), Dyson Heppell (eight) and Chad Wingard (six) are flying the flags for their respective picks.
MOST INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES
=1. Pick 1 (2 Norm Smith, 1 Brownlow, 4 Rising Star – 7)
=1. Pick 3 (3 Norm Smith, 3 Brownlow, 1 Rising Star – 7)
3. Pick 5 (4 Coleman, 1 Norm Smith – 5)
4. Pick 13 (3 Coleman, 1 Rising Star – 4)
=5. Pick 2 (1 Coleman, 1 Brownlow, 1 Rising Star – 3)
=5. Pick 7 (3 Rising Star – 3)
=5. Pick 8 (1 Norm Smith, 1 Brownlow, 1 Rising Star – 3)
8. Pick 4 (2 Coleman – 2)
=9. Pick 6 (1 Rising Star – 1)
=9. Pick 10 (1 Brownlow – 1)
=9. Pick 12 (1 Norm Smith – 1)
12. Pick 9 – 0
13. Pick 11 – 0
14. Pick 14 – 0
15. Pick 15 – 0
Luke Hodge’s two Norm Smiths, Adam Cooney’s Brownlow and a Rising Star for Brett Deledio, Bryce Gibbs, Nick Riewoldt and this year, Sam Walsh show off individual honours for the first picks.
Chris Judd has two Brownlows, a Norm Smith and a Rising Star, while Dusty Martin has two Norm Smiths and Brownlow to round out Pick 3’s success.
For Pick 6 (Jaidyn Stephenson), Pick 10 (Patrick Dangerfield) and Pick 12 (Cyril Rioli), it’s just the one accolade apiece.
MOST MULTI-CLUB PLAYERS
1. Pick 10 (10)
=2. Pick 4 (9)
=2. Pick 5 (9)
=2. Pick 7 (9)
=2. Pick 11 (9)
=2. Pick 12 (9)
=7. Pick 1 (8)
=7. Pick 2 (8)
=7. Pick 8 (8)
=7. Pick 15 (8)
=11. Pick 3 (7)
=11. Pick 6 (7)
=11. Pick 9 (7)
=14. Pick 13 (6)
=14. Pick 14 (6)
Out of all of the top 15 picks, Pick 10 players have the most likelihood of changing clubs, with 10 players having done so.
Jordan McMahon (Western Bulldogs to Richmond), Sam Power (Bulldogs to North Melbourne), Marcus Drum (Fremantle to Geelong), Nathan Brown (Collingwood to St Kilda), Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide to Geelong), Phil Davis (Adelaide to GWS Giants), Jake Melksham (Essendon to Melbourne), Daniel Gorringe (Gold Coast to Carlton), Liam Sumner (GWS Giants to Carlton) and Nathan Freeman (Collingwood to St Kilda).
If Joe Daniher’s move to Sydney had gone through, he would’ve become to 11th player to do so.
From 2000 to 2009, only three first picks have remained at their original club – Nick Riewoldt, Matthew Kreuzer and Marc Murphy.
Luke Hodge finished his career at Brisbane, Brendon Goddard and Adam Cooney both at Essendon, Brett Deledio at GWS, Bryce Gibbs at Adelaide, Jack Watts at Port Adelaide and Tom Scully moved from Melbourne to the Giants and now is at Hawthorn.