Re-drafting the first round of the 2016 AFL Draft

With three years of development under their belt, we look back at who your club should have recruited in the first round of the 2016 AFL national draft.

Here is Zero Hanger’s re-drafted first round of the 2016 AFL national draft:

Jake Waterman (GWS)

Waterman is one of the biggest movers in our reordered draft. The forward was selected with the last pick in the 2016 national draft. But with Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling both suffering injuries in 2018, Waterman was called into the team.

The 20-year-old played 16 games and kicked 13 goals in an impressive debut season and has continued to deliver ever since as a future hallmark for the club's forward line.

 

Ben Ronke (Western Bulldogs)

Another of Sydney's impressive talents from the 2016 draft. Ronke was taken with pick 17 in the rookie draft and failed to play a game in his first season. In 2018, Ronke established himself as a senior player, kicking 24 goals in 18 games.

Ronke will long be remembered for his third game when he kicked seven goals against Hawthorn at the MCG. Ronke's pace is crucial to the Swans' forward setup.

Ben Ainsworth (Port Adelaide)

Ainsworth was selected with pick four in the 2016 national draft. He made his debut in a two-point loss against the Brisbane Lions in the opening round of the 2017 season.

Ainsworth played 13 games and kicked 14 goals in his first season. He then played 16 games and kicked six goals in his second season and continued to show improvement in year three.

 

 

 

Sam Powell-Pepper (Brisbane)

A year ago, Sam Powell-Pepper would have been in the top handful of players from this draft. However, off-field incidents and a lack of form have seen him slide. The big-bodied midfielder has the capacity to be the next Dustin Martin.

In his first season, he formed a successful partnership with Ollie Wines in the midfield. But he has since failed to back up his impressive rookie campaign, being dropped to the SANFL on several occasions. Alas, he remains a bright prospect for Port's future.

 

Shai Bolton (Port Adelaide)

The Western Australian became a regular in Richmond's best 22 last year during their injury crisis. And once all the regulars returned he held his spot, providing flare, leg speed and energy through the midfield and forward line.

The 21-year old is now a premiership player and figures to be a key piece for Damien Hardwick's side moving forward.

 

Jy Simpkin (Adelaide)

Simpkin is slowly developing into the player North Melbourne hoped he would be when they selected him with pick 12 in the 2016 national draft. A shoulder injury curtailed him to 13 games in his debut season.

Simpkin showed star potential in his third year without consistently delivering, averaging 18.6 disposals, 3.6 tackles and 3.7 clearances per game. He looks set to take major strides forward in 2020 as a full time midfielder.

 

Mitch Lewis (GWS)

The Hawks prodigy went one pick before Waterman in the original draft, sliding all the way to 76.

After playing just two games over the first two years of his career, Lewis finally cracked into the Hawks' best 22 last year, booting 20 goals from just 12 games.

In a draft littered with midfielders, Lewis is our number one key forward. And he could be the Hawks' long-needed replacement for Buddy Franklin and Jarryd Roughead.

Zac Fisher (West Coast)

Though short in stature, Fisher's blistering agility and superb kicking efficiency make him one of Carlton's classiest midfielders.

Fisher has shown improvement every season and you feel like the penny could drop for him in 2020 to breakout as one of the genuine guns of the competition.

Originally taken with pick 27, but in our reorder he falls just outside the top 10.

Jack Graham (North Melbourne)

Has anyone had a better start to their career than Jack Graham?

The young Tiger played a major role in Richmond's drought-breaking 2017 premiership, kicking three goals in only his fifth game of senior football. Graham is a big-bodied midfielder who averages career 6.6 tackles per game.

Graham finally established himself as a regular in the Tigers' engine room last season before suffering a shoulder injury in the preliminary final and missed the grand final.

Will Hayward (Sydney)

Hayward impressed in his debut season, booting 22 goals in 17 games. The forward was again in the thick of the goals in 2018, kicking 28 goals in 23 games.

Unfortunately, injuries hampered the forward's 2019 campaign, restricting him to just 13 games. But look for him to bounce back and have a bog 2020.

Sam Petrevski-Seton (Gold Coast)

Petrevski-Seton is as classy as they come and has star potential, and like his Carlton teammate Fisher, you feel like a breakout is coming any season now.

The silky midfielder averaged 19.1 disposals, four marks, and 4.4 tackles last year and has been extremely durable, playing 20, 22 and 22 games over the last three seasons.

Oliver Florent (Gold Coast)

The third Swan to feature, Florent brought consistency to his game over the last couple of seasons.

The young Swan averaged 16.7 disposals and kicked 13 goals in 23 games in 2018. He received a Rising Star nomination in round 11 for his performance in the Swans 30-point win over Carlton.

The youngster took further steps forward, averaging 19.2 disposals from 21 games in 2019 and has the potential to be one of the stars of the league.

Jarrod Berry (Fremantle)

The rising midfielder moves forward nine spots, with Brisbane taking him with pick 17.

Berry enjoyed a breakout 2019, playing a key role for the revamped Lions, averaging 19.6 disposals, 4.5 marks and 3.8 tackles per game. He is set to be one of the key cogs of Brisbane's engine room over the next decade.

Luke Ryan (Gold Coast)

Ryan is one of the biggest bolters in our re-draft, originally getting taken by Fremantle with pick 66.

The Coburg product enjoyed a stellar 2019 campaign, averaging 20.4 disposals and 5.2 marks per contest, ranking second in the league in intercepts per game.

Now one of the best half backs in the AFL, don't be surprised if Ryan is an All Australian in the coming years.

Tim English (Carlton)

The Bulldogs ruckman was originally snapped up with pick 19 the 2016 draft as a young skinny kid out of South Fremantle.

English still has ways to go physically but is making progress as each pre-season passes. If he can put on another 5-10 kilos and maintain his athleticism, the sky is the limit for the youngster.

While he hasn't been as consistent as some of the players we had lower in the re-draft, English has the potential to be one of the best ruckman in the league.

Alex Witherden (GWS)

Alex Witherden had a breakout year in 2018, playing 21 of a possible 22 games for Brisbane and averaging 22.4 disposals per game. The 20-year-old has been a ball magnet since making his debut for the Lions in 2017.

Witherden wasn't quite as impressive in 2019, playing more of a lockdown, team-first role, but with Luke Hodge retired, look for the youngster to become the new rebounding general.

Andrew McGrath (Gold Coast)

The number one pick in the 2016 national draft didn’t look out of place in his first season of football, playing 21 games and winning the Rising Star award. He played a further 20 games in his second season and spent more time in midfield.

McGrath has not yet taken his game into the elite ranks, but he is the ideal player for the Bombers, providing run and carry off half back and is now set to grow in the midfield.

Hugh McCluggage (Brisbane)

The third Lion in both the original draft and ours, McCluggage remains the third overall pick coming off a massive third-year breakout in 2019, playing a key role in Brisbane's meteoric rise into the top four.

The young gun averaged 22.6 disposals and four marks per game to become one of the elite wingmen of the competition and was named in the All Australian squad for his efforts.

McCluggage is set to be one of the key pieces for the Lions over the next decade for Chris Fagan's revamped lineup.

Tim Taranto (GWS)

Consistency is key for Taranto, who has not put a foot wrong since making his AFL debut.

The Giant enjoyed a career-best year last season, averaging 27.7 disposals, 6.3 tackles and 5.3 clearances per game, cementing himself in the club's midfield amidst an injury crisis.

The gun midfielder goes at pick 2 in our re-draft, which is where the Giants originally grabbed him.

Tom Stewart (Essendon)

The 26-year-old defender burst onto the scene after winning two premierships at South Barwon. Stewart is a no-nonsense defender, who can play on the tall or small forward and has fast developed into one of the game's genuinely elite players.

A favourite down at the Cattery, Stewart is already a two-time All-Australian and one of their most important players. He skyrockets from pick 40 all the way up number one in our re-draft!