Until recently, no player taken at pick No.6 in the AFL draft had ever won a premiership, nor had any of them been named All-Australian, won a club best-and-fairest, or even managed 200 AFL games.
In years past, if you dug up the best players to be taken in the draft at pick No. 6, you were looking at guys like Ashley Sampi (78 games for West Coast and played in a losing grand final) or James Walker (151 games for Fremantle, the most by any pick No. 6, two-time grand final sprint winner).
Probably the only player you could argue was ever really a star, not counting those still currently in the system, is Allen Jakovich. No, not the guy who called Mike Sheahan a pubic hair – the other ‘Jacko’, who booted 201 goals for Melbourne in 47 games (and seven in seven for the Bulldogs) before recurring hamstring injuries brought his career to a premature end.
And that’s it. This top-ten pick was consistently a solid player at best and more likely a bust, year after year.
That was, until 2011. The Port Adelaide Power called out Chad Wingard’s name at the No. 6 selection. One year later, the Western Bulldogs took Jackson Macrae with that same selection. In the years that followed, the pair have broken many of those hoodoos.
Wingard became the first pick No. 6 to win All-Australian honours in 2013 in what was a memorable breakout season for both him and Port Adelaide – and then he knocked out one of the other big droughts by winning the Power’s best-and-fairest.
He’s been named All-Australian once again since, in 2015, so if mathematical patterns are anything to go by, he should be set for a big 2017.
Then on the first day of October this year, Macrae became the first player taken at pick No. 6 to ever win a premiership. I don’t need to tell you too much about that, we will all remember it pretty well for a long time.
That leaves just one more record to set – breaking the 200-game barrier.
Wingard would appear likely to be the first pick No. 6 to hit this mark – as of the end of the 2016 season, he has played 107 games in just five years of being an AFL player. The 23-year-old has ample time ahead of him in which to hit that mark.
Chris Yarran would probably be the only chance of upsetting him – Yarran has played 119 AFL games to date and so is ahead of Wingard for now, but didn’t play at all last year and is by no means a certainty to be a regular fixture at AFL level in 2017 and beyond.
Wingard and Macrae both project to be star quality players at AFL level for a long time to come. Wingard is one of the league’s most watchable talents and could win Brownlows or Colemans at his peak, while Macrae might not be the Bulldogs’ brightest light but fits perfectly into their elite midfield system.
But is the curse really broken? The selections of Wingard and Macrae in 2011 and 2012 are already proving themselves to be excellent picks, but some of those to follow haven’t been as rosy.
2013’s pick No. 6, Matthew Scharenberg, has endured two ACL injuries and played only four AFL games.
2014’s pick No. 6, Caleb Marchbank, spent the majority of this past year on the sidelines with ankle and shoulder injuries. He’s played seven AFL games.
2015’s pick No. 6, Aaron Francis, played only three games for the wooden spoon Bombers this year past, battling calf injuries and playing some VFL.
Obviously, it’s very early days for theses three and none of them should be major concerns just yet – except maybe Scharenberg – as it’s not uncommon for young players to have injuries early in their careers as their bodies adapt to the rigours of playing at AFL level.
Still, I wouldn’t declare the curse of pick No. 6 to be over just yet. And the Gold Coast Suns, who hold that selection at this year’s draft – before any bidding changes the order – might want to cross their fingers and toes when they read out their name of choice.
There's some high standards at Sydney!
Wouldn't want to be Jack Scrimshaw right now!
Jack Petruccelle gave up a 50m penalty and a goal to young Sun Will Graham, after spoiling the ball away after it had gone…
Dimma was not happy with this kick out of bounds on the full from Touk Miller!
The Southport defender clapped his hands as the kick was taken, which the umpire seemed to think was the ball hitting his hands -…
