Helping The Melbourne Football Club Week: Recent Drafting Results
One problem the Melbourne Football Club had after getting to their last Grand Final was that their spot on the ladder fluctuated so much in recent years. In the finals one year, close to the bottom the next. The best Victorian team one year, fighting for the wooden spoon the next. In the trade periods they could never figure out if they were a buyer or a seller, whether they needed to blow it all up to start over or if they needed to add a few players for a run at the premiership.
Except for 2003, which was a problem draft for Melbourne, they have not been among the highest picks and best prospects until last season. For a team to rebuild effectively, they need to acquire a future core with draft picks and trades over two or three seasons. Right now, Melbourne are in year 1 of that process.
The 2008 AFL draft should be a day of great success for the Demons, but as you can see below the reason they are in their current predicament is that they missed with a lot of their draft picks in the past. Here are their recent draft picks and an occasional mention of a better player that was still available when Melbourne selected.
2000
16 Scott Thompson
62 Daniel Breese
(Could have been Graham Johncock)
73 Ross Funcke
80 Mitchell Craig
2001
9 Luke Molan
(Could have been Nick Dal Santo)
25 Steven Armstrong
26 Aaron Rogers
(Could have been Sam Mitchell)
55 Brad Miller
(Could have been Dane Swan)
2002
14 Daniel Bell
(Could have been Troy Selwood)
15 Nicholas Smith
(Could have been Adam Selwood)
26 Jared Rivers
39 Gary Moorcroft
(Could have been Tim Boyle)
54 Cameron Hunter
(Could have been Nick Malceski)
66 Ryan Ferguson
(Could have been Brad Fisher)
2003
3 Colin Sylvia
(Could have been Beau Waters)
5 Brock McLean
36 Christopher Johnson
2004
13 Matthew Bate
15 Lynden Dunn
(Could have been Cameron Wood)
43 Michael Newton
2005
12 Nathan Jones
53 Simon Buckley
60 Clint Bartram
68 Heath Neville
2006
12 James Frawley
(Could have been Jack Riewoldt)
30 Ricky Petterd
46 Colin Garland
62 Isaac Weetra
(Could have been Tyson Goldsack)
2007
4 Cale Morton
14 Jack Grimes
21 Addam Maric
53 Kyle Cheney
66 Tom McNamara
2008 ?
1 Key Position Player
17 Fast Medium-sized Midfielder
18 Ruckman
34 Key Position Player
50 Key Position Player
66 Fast Small Forward
Except for 2003, which was a problem draft for Melbourne, they have not been among the highest picks and best prospects until last season. For a team to rebuild effectively, they need to acquire a future core with draft picks and trades over two or three seasons. Right now, Melbourne are in year 1 of that process.
The 2008 AFL draft should be a day of great success for the Demons, but as you can see below the reason they are in their current predicament is that they missed with a lot of their draft picks in the past. Here are their recent draft picks and an occasional mention of a better player that was still available when Melbourne selected.
2000
16 Scott Thompson
62 Daniel Breese
(Could have been Graham Johncock)
73 Ross Funcke
80 Mitchell Craig
2001
9 Luke Molan
(Could have been Nick Dal Santo)
25 Steven Armstrong
26 Aaron Rogers
(Could have been Sam Mitchell)
55 Brad Miller
(Could have been Dane Swan)
2002
14 Daniel Bell
(Could have been Troy Selwood)
15 Nicholas Smith
(Could have been Adam Selwood)
26 Jared Rivers
39 Gary Moorcroft
(Could have been Tim Boyle)
54 Cameron Hunter
(Could have been Nick Malceski)
66 Ryan Ferguson
(Could have been Brad Fisher)
2003
3 Colin Sylvia
(Could have been Beau Waters)
5 Brock McLean
36 Christopher Johnson
2004
13 Matthew Bate
15 Lynden Dunn
(Could have been Cameron Wood)
43 Michael Newton
2005
12 Nathan Jones
53 Simon Buckley
60 Clint Bartram
68 Heath Neville
2006
12 James Frawley
(Could have been Jack Riewoldt)
30 Ricky Petterd
46 Colin Garland
62 Isaac Weetra
(Could have been Tyson Goldsack)
2007
4 Cale Morton
14 Jack Grimes
21 Addam Maric
53 Kyle Cheney
66 Tom McNamara
2008 ?
1 Key Position Player
17 Fast Medium-sized Midfielder
18 Ruckman
34 Key Position Player
50 Key Position Player
66 Fast Small Forward
