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The best of the rest: Top ten rookie drafted players

17th April, 2015
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Roar Guru
17th April, 2015
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1178 Reads

Fresh off my last series of articles, where I revisited AFL drafts of the past, I decided I wanted to finish on an article which looks at the best rookie draft picks from 2001.

If you thought you were shocked by the hits, the misses and the steals of the national draft, wait until you see who was initially overlooked and drafted as a rookie.

When I was searching the web, I came across SuperFooty’s attempt at naming the best 20 AFL rookie draft picks of all time.

I’m going to name my best 10. Compare both of our lists and see you think has been the best rookie-drafted player since 2001.

1) Aaron Sandilands (Pick 33, 2001 Rookie Draft – Fremantle)
Sandilands, the 211-centimetre, 120-kilogram giant has become one of the most dominant ruckman our game has ever seen. Lucky for him, I’ve started from 2001 – as another Western Australian ruckman named Dean Cox was drafted in the 2000 rookie draft.

Between those two, they toyed with the rest of the competition for years when it comes to elite ruck work. He’s a four-time All-Australian, a Best and Fairest winner at Fremantle (2009), has played 218 games for the Dockers and has averaged 29 hit outs and 13 disposals over his entire career.

Incredible from the big Docker. The development, skill and ability for someone of his size is phenomenal.

2) Matthew Boyd (Pick 12, 2002 Rookie Draft – Western Bulldogs)
Boyd is a much-loved player at the Western Bulldogs, where he has gone on to play 241 games after being rookie listed in 2002. Boyd is a ball-winning midfielder.

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He’s tough, he’s consistent and you very rarely see him have a bad day. In his career to date, he’s a two-time All-Australian, three-time Best and Fairest winner and was the Bulldogs captain from 2011-2013.

He is undoubtedly been the heart and soul of the Western Bulldogs in the last decade. He puts his body on the line, plays selflessly and with a great, fair spirit. His leadership and influence on games often go unnoticed. Boyd’s career average of 25 disposals, 5 marks and 4 tackles a game wouldn’t often be boasted, but that’s why Bulldogs fans love Matthew Boyd.

3) Nick Maxwell (Pick 15, 2002 Rookie Draft – Collingwood)
Maxwell has always been a polarising figure, but he is one the most successful stories to come out of the rookie draft. After starting out with the Geelong Falcons, and playing in the VFL early on, Maxwell was rookie listed by the Pies in 2002.

After working his way up, Maxwell became captain in 2009, the year he was also named All-Australian. Maxwell played 208 games, was premiership captain in 2010. He captained the Pies for five years. He retired last year due to injury, but will always be remembered as a tough, courageous half back defender who read the play second to none and was an inspired leader of his football club.

4) Matt Priddis (Pick 31, 2006 Rookie Draft – West Coast)
Like Boyd, Priddis has become one of the quietest-achieving, ball-winning midfielders in the AFL. He has averaged 26 disposals, 3 marks and 6 tackles a game, over his 175 game-career. He is a hard-working, reliable, ball-magnet.

He was the Best and Fairest winner at West Coast in 2013, as well as being runner up in three other seasons. He was stiffed not to make All-Australian in 2014, but he was rewarded in another pretty sensational way when he was named Brownlow Medalist.

If Priddis played for a Victorian club, the media would be labeling him as one of the best midfielders in the AFL, but I get the feeling he likes the lack of attention in the West.

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5) Brad Sewell (Pick 7, 2003 Rookie Draft – Hawthorn)
Brad Sewell played 200 games for the Hawks, in a career that was in hindsight, over shadowed by Hawthorn’s up and coming talent at the time. I’m talking about Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell, Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead.

Sewell played a vital role in Hawthorn’s midfield throughout his career, as the tough inside midfielder who would win his team the ball. Sewell played with the ‘see ball, get ball’ mentality and was courageous in doing so.

He had a great career – averaging 21 disposals, 5 tackles and 4 marks a game. He leaves the game as a dual premiership player and a best and fairest winner at Hawthorn in 2007.

6) Kieran Jack (Pick 58, 2006 Rookie Draft – Sydney)
Captain Jack, as they call him in Sydney, has had an illustrious career so far after growing up with a rugby league background. In 165 games, Jack has stamped his footprints all over the competition, elevating himself to become one of the most elite, attacking, hard ball getting midfielders in the AFL.

To name just a few of his accomplishments, he was the Best and Fairest winner in 2010, became a premiership player in 2012, was named All-Australian in 2013 and has been co-captain of the Swans since 2013. Jack loves the contest and knows how to find and use the ball. He’s transformed himself into a goalkicking mid, kicking 122 goals in his career so far. He also averaged 20 disposals and 5 tackles a game. He’s in his prime and Jack has some great years ahead of him.

7) James Podisadly (Pick 50, 2009 Rookie Draft – Geelong)
You could write a novel on Podsiadly’s path to the AFL. He was rookie drafted twice before 2009 and was promoted onto the senior list at Geelong in 2010, becoming a household name. Podsiadly is the best story to come out of the rookie draft.

He never gave up and has been rewarded with a stunning career. Let’s cut to the chase – in four seasons at the Cattery, J-Pod played 83 games and kicked 169 goals. In that time, he won a premiership and was Geelong’s leading goalkicker in 2011.

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Since then, he has moved on to Adelaide where he has played in his 100th game. During his time at Geelong, he was one the best marking targets, accurate shots at goal and most consistent players in the competition. With his best probably behind him, Podsiadly has a lot to be proud of.

8) Shane Mumford (Pick 57, 2008 Rookie Draft – Geelong)
Mumford started out at Geelong, but has since made a name for himself during his time at Sydney and now at GWS. Mumford is the toughest ruckman in the AFL, and has often been suspended in his career for hard hits, spear tackles and other acts which you don’t normally see ruckman involved in.

At Sydney, he played 79 games and was a part of their 2012 premiership side. In 2014, he crossed to GWS after Sydney signed Lance Franklin. Mumford is a leader; he sets standards and plays his role very well. He is an elite ruckman who provides great service to his midfield.

In 2014, he won GWS’ Best and Fairest and would be loving the number one role at the Giants. He’s a hitout machine, he’s averaged 27 a game over his 119 game career, and also averages 11 disposals and 5 tackles a game. The only knock on Mumford is that he needs to kick more goals.

9) Luke Breust (Pick 47, 2009 Rookie Draft – Hawthorn)
In just 93 games, Breust is arguably the best small forward in the game. In a star-studded Hawthorn forward line for his whole career, Breust has let his footy do the talking. He’s kicked 179 goals, with a career high 57 last season.

He is an incredibly reliable forward, he an accurate set shot, can kick them on the run or around his body for a snap. Breust can also play as a lead-up forward, often finding and making his own space in the best forward 50 in the AFL.

He uses the ball very well, has surprising pace and his confidence is just starting to show. He was named All-Australian in 2014 and already is a two-time premiership player. The crowd loves Breuuuuuuuuuuust.

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10) Josh Gibson (Pick 7, 2005 Rookie Draft – North Melbourne)
After playing 65 games with the Kangaroos, Gibson crossed to Hawthorn in 2010 and has since become one of the most consistent defenders, as well as Hawthorn’s general in defence.

Gibson is one of the premier spoilers in the AFL. He plays the third-man up role as good as anyone in the competition, and plays his role like Nick Maxwell did.

Gibson reads the play well – he is able to crash the packs, mark the ball, spoil the ball, rebound off the defensive 50 and even attack occasionally. He has played 166 games, has become a two-time premiership player and won Hawthorn’s and fairest in 2013.

A 36-disposal game against Collingwood last year put Gibson’s best on display.

There it is. My best 10 players from the 2001 rookie draft to today. Some honourable mentions: Heritier Lumumba, Ben Rutten, Ryan Crowley, Heath Grundy, Dale Morris, Sam Jacobs and others who I obviously couldn’t fit in.

Did I get this right? Who would you have in your top 10 rookie drafted players from 2001 to 2015?

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