AFL Draft: Is rebuilding taking clubs too long? Gerard Healy wants wooden spooners to get picks 1 and 2

GERARD Healy wants the bottom team to get draft picks 1 and 2 to fast-track their rebuild. A look at recent drafts reveals some startling results.

Richmond v Essendon Trent Cotchin goal 1st term Picture:Wayne Ludbey

IS IT taking clubs too long to rebuild their list and get themselves back into finals and premiership contention?

That’s the question being asked by some AFL experts and the league is growing increasingly concerned by the gulf between clubs at the top and those that are struggling.

“I think it is a real issue, and I don’t have the answers but this game is about hope and the chance of winning a premiership,” AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said on SEN in April.

“There is a big lead time now between bottoming out and your chance — if there are opportunities to accelerate that then we’ll explore them.”

AFL great Gerard Healy thinks he has the answer.

Healy, who played 211 games for Melbourne and Sydney, believes the side that wins the wooden spoon should automatically be given the top two draft picks that year to fast track their rebuild.

“I think we need to rejig the draft, big time,” Healy said on 3AW.

“I’d like to see the bottom clubs get two draft picks in succession, otherwise the bottom side doesn’t get any real advantage, except for one player over the top side.”

Melbourne wouldn’t have had to make the call between Jack Watts and Nic Naitanui if they had the first two picks in the 2008 draft. Photo: Daniel Wilkins

So how would that benefit clubs who have struggled in recent years? Would it really give them that much of a boost?

Look at Melbourne.

The Demons haven’t played finals since 2006 and since then poor drafting, administration and on-field performances has seen them become league cellar-dwellers.

Carlton is facing a similar bleak outlook with the club now in rebuild mode following the sacking of coach Mick Malthouse.

The Blues last saluted in 1995 and last played finals in 2013 after Essendon were booted out as part of its penalty for the 2012 supplements saga.

So what would their teams, and others, look like if they were given the top two picks in recent national drafts?

2002

St Kilda got: Brendon Goddard
Who went pick 2? Daniel Wells (NM)

The addition of Goddard and Wells would have given the Saints a midfield boost immediately, adding to their draft swindle of Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke in 2000. Then, consider the Saints made preliminary finals in 2004 and 2005 before enjoying glory years but without the glory in 2009-10 with a gritty side led by Ross Lyon. They had weapons in the form of Goddard, Nick Dal Santo and Lenny Hayes in the midfield but a lot was left to battlers like Raph Clarke and Brett Peake. Imagine a fit and smooth-moving Daniel Wells gliding up the wing on Grand Final day 2009 against the Cats or in action during the 2010 draw. What might have been.

Daniel Wells could have been a Saint.

2003

Western Bulldogs got: Adam Cooney

Who went pick 2? Andrew Walker (Carl)

The Bulldogs struggled for years without a key forward target and Walker might just have been the answer to their prayers. While not a gorilla forward, at 190cm Walker played some of his best footy at the Blues as their prime forward target in 2011, booting 56 goals from 24 games. Because of need, the Dogs probably would have made that move earlier and discovered a dangerous goalkicker. Then imagine him playing alongside Barry Hall when the Dogs came closest to that elusive second premiership.

2004

Richmond got: Brett Deledio

Who went pick 2? Jarryd Roughead (Haw)

Roughead thought he was heading to Tigerland at pick four only for the Tigers to be trumped by Hawthorn at selection two. Under Healy’s idea, Roughead would be in yellow and black and Damien Hardwick would have a pretty handy forward line with Roughead and Jack Riewoldt without the headache of trying to get the best out of Ty Vickery as a second option. And Dimma could throw Roughy into the centre bounce to add that much-needed grunt the Tigers have lacked.

Hawk Jarryd Roughead would have got to the Tigers as was originally planned before Hawthorn swooped. Picture: Michael Klein

2005

Carlton got: Marc Murphy

Who went pick 2? Dale Thomas (Coll)

The Blues eventually got picks one and two from the 2005 draft but Thomas arrived eight years later having more than likely played his best footy in black and white. Considering who the Blues picked and who they would have got under Healy’s proposal in 2006 and 2007, they’d have one of the best midfields in the competition. Remember what Daisy produced for the Pies in his first year? Would they have still got Judd and given up Josh Kennedy to West Coast for him?

Dale Thomas made an immediate impact for Collingwood the year after he was drafted.

2006

Carlton got: Bryce Gibbs

Who went pick 2? Scott Gumbleton (Ess)

OK, so having pick two as well as pick one in 2006 probably wouldn’t have helped the Blues much given injury-prone forward Scott Gumbleton was pick two in this draft. Gumbleton never had the opportunity to make a decent run at an AFL career thanks to a myriad of injury problems throughout his eight-year career. Lachie Hansen went at pick three to North Melbourne.

2007

Carlton got: Matthew Kreuzer

Who went pick 2? Trent Cotchin (Rich)

What a draft coup this would have been for the Blues. A gun ruckman/forward and a gun midfielder who has turned out to be a club captain. Imagine a Carlton midfield of Kreuzer, Cotchin, Murphy, Gibbs and Thomas all playing together from 2005. Wow. The Blues probably wouldn’t have offered the world for Judd and would have Kennedy kicking bags of goals in navy blue.

Matthew Kreuzer was taken at pick one in 2007.

2008

Melbourne got: Jack Watts

Who went pick 2? Nic Naitanui (WC)

Unfortunately for Melbourne’s Jack Watts he has been compared to the West Coast high-flyer throughout his AFL career … and even before then. Consider this: Would Watts be a better player now with Naitanui as a teammate, making irrelevant the whole “did Melbourne make the wrong call?” debate. In any case, the Demons midfield would be much stronger with Nic Nat palming to the likes of Jones, Vince, Brayshaw and Viney.

*Note: The drafts from 2009-13 saw picks one and two join the same club and for 2014, well it’s just too early to tell.