Back in July, I reordered the top ten of the 1997 draft based off what we know of these players. Now I am reordering picks 11 to 20.
Top ten
Pick 1 – Simon Black – Melbourne (Originally Travis Johnstone)
Pick 2 – Adam Goodes – Richmond (Originally Brad Ottens)
Pick 3 – Matthew Scarlett – Hawthorn (Originally Trent Croad)
Pick 4 – Luke Power – Essendon (Originally Mark Bolton)
Pick 5 – Chad Cornes – Brisbane (Originally Luke Power)
Pick 6 – Brad Ottens – Fremantle (Originally James Walker)
Pick 7 – Nathan Thompson – Carlton (Originally Kris Massie)
Pick 8 – Chris Tarrant – Collingwood (Originally Chris Tarrant)
Pick 9 – Nick Stevens – Port Adelaide (Originally Chad Cornes)
Pick 10 – Tarkyn Lockyer – Brisbane (Originally Shane O’Bree)
Pick 11 – Trent Croad – Sydney (Originally Jason Saddington)
Croad was a fantastic swingman throughout his career. He is most known for the deal that got Hawthorn the first pick of the 2001 draft from Fremantle, which ended up becoming future captain and legend of the game Luke Hodge.
Croad was originally drafted with pick 3, playing 222 games – 184 for Hawthorn and 38 for Fremantle – and kicking 189 goals – 129 for Hawthorn and 60 for Fremantle. He is a one-time premiership player, one-time All-Australian, and one-time club leading goalkicker.
Pick 12 – Shane O’Bree – West Coast (Originally Jaxon Crabb)
O’Bree was a strong, ball winning midfielder for the Lions and Pies. He was originally taken with pick 10, playing 246 games – 19 for Brisbane and 227 for Collingwood – and kicking 87 goals – 3 for Brisbane and 84 for Collingwood.
Pick 13 – Travis Johnstone – West Coast (Originally Callum Chambers)
Three years in a row of players not living up to expectations of the first pick!
Johnstone was originally selected with pick 1, playing 209 games – 160 for Melbourne and 49 for Brisbane – and kicking 135 goals – 111 for Melbourne and 24 for Brisbane. He is a one-time club best and fairest.
Pick 14 – Jason Saddington – North Melbourne (Originally Shannon Watt)
Saddington was a solid defender despite missing the 2005 premiership triumph by the Swans. He was originally drafted with pick 11, playing 162 games – 142 for Sydney and 20 for Carlton – and kicking 47 goals – 41 for Sydney and 6 for Carlton.
Pick 15 – Dean Solomon – Geelong (Originally Joel McKay)
Solomon was a tough mid-forward over 12 seasons. He was originally taken with pick 20, playing 209 games – 158 for Essendon and 51 for Fremantle – and kicking 78 goals – 56 for Essendon and 22 for Fremantle. He is a one-time premiership player.
[latest_videos_strip category=”afl” name=”AFL”]
Pick 16 – Chad Fletcher – St Kilda (Originally Ben Walton)
Fletcher was a fantastic midfielder for the Eagles, playing alongside Chris Judd, Ben Cousins, and Daniel Kerr throughout his career.
He was originally selected with pick 28 in the rookie draft, playing 179 games and kicking 74 goals. He is a two-time Ross Glendinning Medallist, one-time All-Australian, and one-time premiership player.
Pick 17 – Mark Johnson – Adelaide (Originally Lance Picioane)
Johnson was a terrific midfielder across 9 years. He was originally drafted with pick 67 in the rookie draft, playing 208 games – 194 for Essendon and 14 for Fremantle – and kicking 100 goals – 92 for Essendon and 8 for Fremantle.
He is a one-time premiership player and one-time club best and fairest.
Pick 18 – Andrew Kellaway – Western Bulldogs (Originally Mark Alvey)
Kellaway was a solid key defender for the Tigers. He was originally taken with pick 71, playing 172 games and kicking 30 goals.
He is a one-time club best and fairest, one-time All-Australian, one-time Jim Stynes Medallist, and two-time International Rules Representative for Australia.
Pick 19 – Matthew Carr – Hawthorn (Originally Chris Obst)
Carr was a terrific defender after being selected with pick 7 in the pre-season draft. He played 162 games – 28 for St Kilda and 134 for Fremantle – and kicked 66 goals – 2 for St Kilda and 64 for Fremantle.
He is a one-time International Rules Representative for Australia.
Pick 20 – Richie Vandenberg – Essendon (Originally Dean Solomon)
Vandenberg was a solid, aggressive, inside midfielder with plenty of strength to burn. He was originally drafted with pick 78, playing 145 games and kicking 64 goals.
He was the Hawthorn Football Club captain for three years, which was also the last three years of his career.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Jack Ziebell was playing his first match for Avondale Heights when he was yellow-carded for headbutting an opponent during a scuffle following a late…
"It looked like it was gonna go for miles - and then it went nowhere!"
Footy's getting closer and closer to taking over the US!
What on earth was this question from BT!?!
Mitch Georgiades' mates have no chill!
On the scoreboard, it looks like a creditable St Kilda performance. A loss to a Port Adelaide outfit many see as a premiership contender…
