Duds of the Draft

Ahead of the AFL National Draft, Sebastian Hassett lists ten of the most infamous drafting bungles of recent times.

The days gone by of drafting young players being a ‘hit and miss’ process is no longer. The science of recruiting is so exact that we rarely see spectacular failures like Richard Lounder and Stephen Hooper, but – make no mistake – there’s still a few big junior fish who make no splash in the senior pond.

From every player recruited for the new millennium (since November 1999), we’ve picked our ten who offered the most but delivered the least.

1. Lawrence Angwin – Adelaide, Pick 7 (2000)
The most notorious example of a player who couldn’t make the grade, but it was hardly for lack of talent. Angwin had that and more in abundance – he just couldn’t get his head right. A sad tale of what might have been.

2. Danny Roach – Collingwood, Pick 7 (1999)
You should expect your pick seven to deliver a little more than one game and zero possessions. Roach’s Magpie career lasted long enough to see him lay one tackle before he scuttled back to Tasmania.

3. Luke Livingston – Carlton, Pick 4 (2000)
Port Adelaide held this pick before trading it to St Kilda for Daryl Wakelin, who on-traded it for Aaron Hamill. As for Carlton, they jagged the man dubbed the ‘next Stephen Silvagni’. Not.

4. Tim Walsh – Western Bulldogs, Pick 4 (2002)
Tim Walsh’s single-match career hasn’t exactly proved to be the answer to the Bulldogs’ key position woes. Looks as if he’ll only be remembered for being son of Kangaroos’ CEO, Geoff.

5. Luke Molan – Melbourne, Pick 9 (2001)
Taken from the ‘super draft’ of 2001, Molan’s 192cm frame promised plenty and delivered nothing. Nick Dal Santo, James Kelly, Matt Maguire, Steve Johnson, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, David Rodan, Andrew Welsh, Sam Mitchell, Brad Miller and Paul Medhurst all went with later picks. Ouch.

6. Billy Morrison – Collingwood, Pick 17 (2003)
Lauded for his star junior exploits, Morrison showed nothing to suggest he was capable of making it at AFL level. Is known for kicking 11 goals on debut for North Hobart as a 14-year old, but little else. Spent barely 18 months with the Magpies before being cut.

7. Cadyn Beetham – St Kilda, Pick 9 (1999)
The story of St Kilda overlooking Luke McPharlin and Robert Murphy for Cadyn Beetham at Tim Watson’s insistence has been floating around Moorabbin for a while now, but only now are they really starting to regret this one. With no pace and poor disposal, Beetham was a costly mistake.

8. Dylan Smith – Kangaroos, Pick 6 (2000)
Dylan Who? Yes, Dylan Smith. Had ability, but couldn’t do anything with it at either the Kangaroos or Fremantle, and is currently searching for a new club after the Dockers gave him the heave-ho.

9. Aaron Fiora – Richmond, Pick 3 (1999)
This is one that haunts of Richmond fans everywhere. Aaron Fiora looked like a talented, damaging midfielder with pace to burn. He proved to be inconsistent, soft and was lugged with the dreaded ‘outside’ midfielder tag. A switch to St Kilda last year has yielded only mild improvement.

10. Nick Smith – Melbourne, Pick 15 (2002)
Exactly what Nick Smith does at Melbourne these days is anyone’s guess. While he’s still on the Demons’ list, his three-game career looks unlikely to scale any great heights.

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