For some people, the off-season proves to be more exciting than any of the 27 weeks of the fixtured year.
Player movements and rumours get everyone excited – us included – as they offer clean slates, new leaves, and a myriad of other clichés for fans and footballers alike.
Every club will contemporarily claim that their trade and draft hauls are of an elite standard, however, time and statistics are the true revealers of quality.
Although some teams are notoriously poor drafters and have a penchant for purchasing players well beyond their use by date, you won't find any of them on this list.
With many thanks to the statistical records of Draftguru, here are, by year, the top ten best recruitment class from clubs in the AFL era based off averaged games played across respective crops.
For example, Hawthorn's 2004 crop of Lance Franklin, Jarryd Roughead and Jordan Lewis is weighed down by five players from the same draft class playing a combined five matches.
5. Western Bulldogs (1999)
| Number of Players Recruited | Combined Games Played | Average Games |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1502 | 107 |
With a bevvy of household names brought in over the summer, 1999 stands as the Western Bulldogs' annus mirabilis.
The additions of Robert Murphy (312 games), Daniel Giansiracusa (265), Nathan Eagleton (221), Lindsay Gilbee (206), Ryan Hargrave (203) and Mitch Hahn (181) have the Dogs sitting half way up our list.
However, the inability of Patrick Bowden (50), Trent Bartlett (42), Patrick Wiggins (12) and journeyman Andrew Wills (10) to kick on at the Kennel sees them rise now further than fifth.
Also, of the 14 new names in their team photo, four failed to debut - Matthieu Lucas, Luke Donaldson, Brad Fuller and Justin Wood.
