Who your club could have poached if there was a mid-season rookie draft in previous years

We saw the first mid-season draft since 1993 this week, but what if we had it every year? Would Carlton have snared Tim Kelly, and which mature-age star could have helped the Pies to a flag? BEST POTENTIAL PICK-UPS

Could Tim Kelly have been picked up by Brisbane in the mid-season rookie draft? Pic: Michael Klein.

We love a mature-age footy story.

The mid-season draft was back this week for the first time since 1993, and with it came the chance — or second chance for some — for 13 footballers from across the country to land on an AFL list.

While they weren’t household names, the mid-season rookie draft allows clubs to bolster their lists on the run without having to wait until the end of the year.

Just 24 hours after being selected on Monday night, the Bulldogs announced their new pick-up Ryan Gardner will be jettisoned into their side for their clash against West Coast on Sunday.

It makes us wonder — what if the mid-season draft was in action in recent years?

We have seen some brilliant mature-age selections shine at the top level in the past five years and the mid-season rookie draft would have enabled clubs to nab these talented prospects halfway through the year.

A whirlwind 24 hours to say the least... Ryan Gardner will pull on the 🔴⚪️🔵 this Sunday! #MightyWesthttps://t.co/MMitUpeXEf

— Western Bulldogs (@westernbulldogs) May 28, 2019

So which mature-age pickups could have helped your side?

Check out some of the best mid-season draft pick-ups and where they could have lined up:

2018

Marty Hore (Collingwood VFL)

This time last year, Marty Hore was piecing together a best-and-fairest year for Collingwood’s VFL side, excelling as an intercept defender. He has made a flawless transition to the big league for Melbourne, ranking second in the competition for intercepts per game.

But what if the Pies had the opportunity to pluck him from under the Demons’ noses mid-year? Collingwood was hit by a series of injuries in the back end of 2018, including torn ACLs for two key defensive pillars Lynden Dunn and Matt Scharenberg, while gun defender Darcy Moore was plagued by concerns for the whole season.

Who knows — we could have seen Hore lining up as Collingwood’s loose man in defence in the Grand Final, with no 6-6-6 rule to worry about.

If he was snagged earlier in the draft, Carlton (18th at Round 10), Brisbane (17th) and St Kilda (16th) could have benefited greatly from the elite interceptor.

Marty Hore has become an important member of the Demons defence. Pic. Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Matthew Parker (South Fremantle)

The freakish forward was turning heads in the WAFL 12 months ago, finishing with 27 goals from 20 games in 2018.

St Kilda took the 23-year-old in the third round of last year’s draft and he has played every game, booting 11 majors and providing the Saints forward line with plenty of spark.

If there was a mid-season draft 12 months ago could we have seen the enigmatic forward snaffled by a West Australian club?

The Eagles’ forward 50 for last year’s Grand Final could have been something to behold — Parker joining talls Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling and pocket rockets Liam Ryan and Willie Rioli.

Likewise, their arch rivals Fremantle — sitting in 13th spot after Round 10 — could have snapped up a bargain for its malfunctioning forward line.

The medium forward could have had an immediately impact lowly Blues, Lions or his current club — the Saints — for the back-end of the year.

2017

Tim Kelly (South Fremantle)

One of the best mature-age pick-ups in recent memory, Kelly was starring in the WAFL for years before he had his name read out by the Cats at pick No.22 in the 2017 draft.

The prolific midfielder had a huge impact for his club South Fremantle that year, averaging 26 touches and five inside-50s and hitting the scoreboard with 26 goals.

While clubs were already cautious of him heading home at that stage, what if the 18th-placed Brisbane Lions took the almighty punt on the WAFL star at Pick No.1?

Fast-forward to today and we could be witnessing one of the better midfields in the competition go to work — a centre square brigade of Lachie Neale, Dayne Zorko and Kelly, complimented by the outside run of emerging youngster Hugh McCluggage.

Kelly has already gone above the likes of Joel Selwood and Gary Ablett in the midfield stakes after just a year-and-a-half on the Cats list — imagine the partnership he would have formed with Carlton’s Patrick Cripps (then 22 years of age) if they had taken him with pick two.

Liam Ryan (Subiaco)

Now a premiership Eagle, Ryan was standing on heads in the WAFL on his way to a whopping 73-goal haul for Subiaco in 2017.

Like Kelly, clubs were well aware the human highlight reel’s preference was to stay in his home state, however both West Australian clubs were nestled inside the top eight at the midway point of that year.

On ladder positions, the Swans would have had the fourth selection in the mid-season rookie draft after a shock 0-6 start to the season. Could we have seen Liam Ryan roving to the feet of Lance Franklin on the way to Sydney’s unlikely finals berth?

It is a move that the club may have considered, with the Swans willing to do anything in their power to turn their season around.

A forward line duo featuring Charlie Cameron and Liam Ryan could have been a possibility if the Lions snagged him with Pick No.1, while the agile forward wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Blues guernsey, either.

Liam Ryan in action for Subiaco in the WAFL.

2016

Tom Stewart (Geelong VFL)

Hard nut Stewart has become of the best defenders in the competition, but just three years ago he was biding his time in Geelong’s VFL side.

The medium defender finished second in the Cats reserves best-and-fairest that year and was one of the leading mature-age candidates in the VFL before the 2016 national draft.

Would the bottom-placed Dockers — with a win-loss record of 0-10 at that point — have thrown an AFL lifeline to the then 23-year-old?

It is a move that would have paid dividends, considering the Dockers possess one of the most miserly defences in the league in 2019, alongside Alex Pearce and Joel Hamling.

Essendon would have also jumped at the chance to add to their team top-up players — following the drug bans to their players in that year — and Stewart could have added the edge they sorely need.

If he slipped further, Richmond at pick No.5 in that mid-season draft would have seen the Tigers field an unstoppable defence for Round 1, 2019 — featuring Alex Rance, David Astbury, Dylan Grimes, Nick Vlastuin and Tom Stewart.

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Luke Ryan (Coburg)

Now starring as an interceptor in his third season at Fremantle, Ryan was catching the eye of recruiters for Coburg in 2016.

Ryan took out the Fothergill-Round Medal as the VFL’s best under-23 talent that year from just 10 games, excelling as an intercept defender.

The Lions were struggling that season along with Fremantle and Essendon — conceding the most points to Round 10, 2016 — and could have selected Ryan with Pick No.3.

If they took the punt in the mid-season draft, he would have bolstered their young defence alongside the likes of Harris Andrews and Alex Witherden.

If he was taken at Pick 1, we may have seen him don the Dockers guernsey half a year earlier than he did. Ryan also would have helped stem the bleeding for the Bombers (pick 2) in 2016 and into the future.

Originally published as Who your club could have poached if there was a mid-season rookie draft in previous years