Hindsight, in all it's gloriousness, is 20/20.
In seasons gone by, hits, steals and misses on AFL draft night has oft been a topic of discussion. While the early first round picks get all the fame and glory, others slide under the radar and are forced to wait idly by to hear their name read out on draft night.
Let's look into players league-wide who were chosen with later draft picks, who have turned out to be bargain pickups.
2016
Tom Stewart (Geelong) - pick 40
A genuine surprised packet for the Cats in both 2017 and 2018, the first two years for this mature aged recruit have been phenomenal. Unearthed by assistant coach and legendary club defender Matthew Scarlett at South Barwon, where Stewart played in two premierships, and slotted into the Cats' backline as a general. His size lends itself to great versatility, allowing him to play on all sizes. 2017 saw the first year Cat win the Club's best young player award, and saw him place 5th in the club's best and fairest.
Jack Graham (Richmond) - pick 53
Powerfully built inside midfielder Graham grinded his way back from a serious injury and the disturbance of having the second-biggest draftee free fall in a decade by a Larke Medallist - an award given to the best division one player at the under-18 championships. A product of SANFL club North Adelaide, he slipped to 53 in the national draft after eight of the previous 10 Larke Medallists had been selected in the top four.
Graham, a natural leader on and off the field, was frustrated, but knew that the waiting game was all just formality of the process.
“It was pretty frustrating and a bit disappointing at the time but you just never know with the draft"
“My draft number never gets mentioned at Richmond. I’m just a Richmond player who is motivated to help our team get a result each week.’’
