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The sweet and sour of the AFL drafts: Adelaide Crows

22nd May, 2015
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Roar Guru
22nd May, 2015
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Booms and busts. Hits and misses. Highs and lows. Treasure and trash. We’ve heard every combination of the absolute steals and the absolute disasters that have come before us in the phenomenon that is the AFL Draft.

If you’ve read some of my past work, you’ll know that I am a draft nut who loves to look back (in hindsight of course) and see where clubs went right and where they went wrong each year.

I’ve revisited each draft from 2001-2010, redrafting the top 10 players in each draft class. This series of articles will delve that little deeper into each club’s draft history since 2001.

We’ll look at the oh so sweet, and the oh so sour draft selections that each club has made since the ‘super draft’ of 2001.

The draft selections below will be labeled either sweet or sour depending on how that player’s career turned out. This could include asking for a trade, playing 250 games, captaining the side or being delisted after two games.

First up, the Adelaide Crows.

The top five sweets

1. Patrick Dangerfield
The Adelaide Crows used their first selection (#10) in the 2007 National Draft to select Patrick Dangerfield. Looking at the 2007 draft in its entirety, Dangerfield is arguably the best player to come from the class. This pick couldn’t be sweeter for the Crows as Danger has gone on to play 138 games, kicking 151 goals, and has become one of the most explosive goal kicking midfielders in the league.

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He’s a two-time All-Australian, he wears the much-respected #32 jumper for the Crows and is a flat out superstar. Let’s hope for Crows fans that he doesn’t move into the sour section in the upcoming off-season as Geelong and other Victorian clubs seem to be swirling.

2. Taylor Walker
Taken with the final pick (#75) in the 2007 National Draft, Adelaide scooped up the NSW scholarship player, Taylor Walker. And what a sweet scoop it has turned out to be. Taylor Walker, known as Tex, the captain, the mullet and the star, has played 91 games and kicked 218 goals. He has become one of the most intimidating, powerful forwards in the AFL.

Walker has dealt with season-ending injuries and poor patches of form, but none of that will trump his newly appointed title as captain of the Adelaide Football Club. If you had told me that the last pick in this draft would go on to be a club captain and leading goal kicker, well, I wouldn’t of believed you. Simple.

3. Ben Rutten
Unless you’re an Adelaide fan there is no way that anyone could guess what number Ben Rutten was drafted without looking. No way. Ok, pick 40. Rookie Draft. 2001. Let that sink in. Rutten, the 229-gamer, All-Australian full back and the Crows’ backline pillar for 11 years was originally drafted with the 40th pick in the 2001 Rookie Draft. Sensational.

Rutten started his career as a forward, and Adelaide would be thrilled with his transition into defence. After all, he became one the best one-on-one defenders in the AFL, would pick up the opposition’s best forward and was very rarely humiliated by his player. He was essential in the development of Adelaide’s next sweetest draft pick, Daniel Talia.

4. Daniel Talia
2009 was a good drafting year for the Adelaide Crows. But no draft selection was better than their 13th pick, Daniel Talia. As mentioned above, Rutten played a crucial role in the development of Adelaide’s next breakout key defender.

He’s played only 83 games, but Talia is the best fullback in the game. He’s rarely beaten, rarely gives away a free kick and goes about his business just the way Rutten did, in a modest, quiet-achieving manner. Not even 100 games in, Talia can put Rising Star winner, Adelaide B&F winner (2014) and All-Australian (2014) on his resume. Well done Adelaide, well done.

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5. Rory Sloane
Adelaide drafted Rory Sloane with the 44th pick in the 2008 National Draft. Underrated. Rory Sloane has always been underrated, until this year, where his value has finally been appreciated by those other than South Australians. His 106 games and 65 goals do not explain his toughness, his tackling, his contested ball winning, his hard running and his courage.

Sloane was the co-captain for the Crows last year, the ‘runner-up’ to being named captain this year and is surely on the verge of a B&F and All-Australian selection. He can play mid, he can halfback. Sloane is a young, exciting player who was an absolute steal for the Crows back in ’08.

Worthy mentions
Nathan Van Berlo (#24, 2004 National Draft), Matthew Jaensch and Matthew Wright (both selected in 2010 Rookie Draft), Brodie Smith (#14, 2010 National Draft), Brent Reilly (#12, 2001 National Draft), Jason Porplyzia (#29, 2003 Rookie Draft) and Richard Douglas (#16, 2005 National Draft).

The top five sours

1. Phil Davis
Davis was Adelaide’s 10th draft selection for consecutive years in 2008. Dangerfield was taken at the same selection the year before. Top 10 draft picks aren’t taken lightly, so Adelaide would’ve been fuming when Davis walked out on them to join Greater Western Sydney in 2012.

Before Talia came along, Davis was Adelaide’s up and coming key defender who had great size, great abilities and a great attitude. Davis decided a co-captaincy and a nice contract from the Giants sounded good, so off he went. You couldn’t blame him could you? Adelaide fans, maybe don’t answer that one.

2. John Meesen
Adelaide have had three top 10 draft picks since 2001. Dangerfield, Davis and… John Meesen. Adelaide drafted the ruckman with their eighth overall pick in the 2004 National Draft. No disrespect to Meesen, but this is a sour one. He did struggle for opportunities at Adelaide, but Meesen went on to play only six AFL games, two at Adelaide and four at Melbourne.

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3. Kurt Tippett
Things were sweet while Tippett was at the Crows, but it definitely turned sour once he decided he wanted to leave. Adelaide invested the 32nd pick for Tippett in the 2006 National Draft. He played 104 games and kicked 188 goals for the Crows, and was the big, powerful forward the Crows needed.

Warning: sour part will be spoken of now.

In 2012, Tippett asked for a trade to the Swans. There was anger, there was disbelief and there was betrayal. But that was nothing compared to when it was revealed that Tippett’s contract with Adelaide had breached AFL rules. He was being paid outside the club’s salary cap. The punishment? Adelaide were fined, they lost their first two draft picks for the 2012/2013 National Drafts and lost their key forward for nothing.

Tippett was suspended for the first 11 matches of 2013 and eventually made his way to the Swans via the pre-season draft. Happy ever… oh wait.

4. Jack Gunston
It seems a theme was recurring at the Adelaide Football Club. Key position players start their careers well, they’d get the Crows’ fans hopes up, and then request a trade. No different for Jack Gunston, who Adelaide drafted with their #29th pick in 2009.

Gunston was an exciting, young forward who spent two years at Adelaide before requesting a trade back to Victoria due to homesickness. He is now a key forward, deadly set shot and two-time premiership player with the Hawks. Sour grapes…

5. James Sellar
Adelaide used their 14th pick in the 2006 National Draft on James Sellar. There was a lot of hype around Sellar, and many considered him a steal at pick 14 at the time. Unfortunately, after four years and 21 games with the Crows, he was delisted. He went on to play 23 games at Melbourne before he was delisted again. He now plays in the WAFL. A bad miss with a high selection in the draft.

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(Not) worthy mentions
Fergus Watts (#14, 2003 National Draft – 5 games), Darren Pfieffer (#17, 2005 National Draft – 0 games), Nathan Bock (#25, 2002 Rookie Draft – moved to GC after 113 games), Bernie Vince (#32, 2005 National Draft – moved to MEL after 129 games) and Ivan Maric (#40, 2004 National Draft – moved to Richmond after 77 games) .

Obviously, not every draft pick since 2001 is mentioned here, but some of the most notable and not so notable draft selections have been highlighted. Adelaide’s 2007-2009 drafting was incredible – the likes of Dangerfield, Walker, Sloane and Talia emerged from solid recruiting.

Cameron Ellis-Yolmen, Brad Crouch and Charlie Cameron are the next wave of great players coming through the recent draft pools.

Adelaide has been burnt badly by key position players asking for trades. However, they’ve picked out absolute gems from tough draft spots and have used the rookie draft to their advantage.

Adelaide have definitely had their sweet and sour drafting moments since 2001.

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