With all the praise being thrown at the top prospects ahead of next month's National Draft, it’s important to remember that draft position coupled with expectations don't always result in success.
For every home-run first-rounder, there’s always a few that flounder in obscurity and disappointment, the players that are neither stars nor serviceable options for their sides' best 22.
A 'draft bust' can be defined as; A highly touted prospect taken in the early stages of a draft that miserably fails to reach their perceived potential, and has a career outcome at or below their worst-case evaluation.
Players may ‘bust’ for a number of reasons, which is why the following list will be divided into three sections; no chance, injury-plagued and those that showed flashes.
Here’s a look at the biggest draft busts in AFL history.
No chance
Laurence Angwin: #7 (2000) Adelaide
As a top 10 selection, Angwin managed 0 games for Adelaide and was delisted after a single season at the club. He is most known for turning up to a training session with Carlton while under the influence of recreational drugs, for which he was later let go.
Lucas Cook: #12 (2010) Melbourne
After an impressive showing at the Draft Combine, where he finished in the top 10 for both the 3km time trial and kicking accuracy, Cook appeared to be a hot commodity.
However, he was delisted after two seasons, as he failed to play a senior game and even fought to hold his spot in the VFL at times.
Glenn Gorman: #4 (1993) Sydney
After failing to play a game for the Swans in 1994, Gorman headed home to Victoria as he was picked up by North Melbourne in the 1995 pre-season draft.
The only memorable thing in Gorman's two-game career was the fact that he played in the same game Roos legend Wayne Carey kicked a career-high 11 goals.
Mark Kinnear: #4 (1996) Sydney
Kinnear managed six games for the Swans in two seasons before deciding to sit out in 1999. Shortly after being traded to Collingwood in 2000, he decided to call time on footy altogether.
David Trotter: #9 (2003) North Melbourne
A disappointing player from a disappointing draft. Trotter managed just seven games in four years on Kangaroos' list and his lone highlight remains almost kicking the game-winning goal in his debut.
Injury-plagued
Scott Gumbleton: #2 (2006) Essendon
Gumbleton had all the tools to be a dominant footballer in the AFL, between his intangibles and size he appeared to be a match-up nightmare for the foreseeable future.
Five games in his first three seasons summed up what was to come for the luckless youngster as he only managed 35 games between 2007-13 before calling time on his career in 2014.
Paddy McCartin: #1 (2014) StKida
McCartin, like Gumbleton, had the physical capabilities to dominate up forward. Unfortunately, like the former, McCartin was also hampered by his own injury bug throughout his time with the Saints and never really had a chance to build any form of sustained momentum.
Concussions were ultimately the unfortunate undoing of McCartin's promising young career prior at Moorabbin. The former No.1 pick rekindled his career in the league after joining Sydney ahead of the 2022 season as a Supplemental Selection Period.
Luke Molan: #9 (2001) Melbourne
Molan falls into an awkward 'draft bust' position here, given he was taken in the infamous 'super draft'. On one hand, If Melbourne selected literally anyone else they would've been fine, but the severity of Molan's early injuries (broken leg, cartilage damage and broken clavicle) never helped his case.
Molan managed 0 games and was delisted twice by the Demons, first at the end of the 2003 season then again at the end of the 2004 season.
Mitch Thorp: #6 (2006) Hawthorn
Two games in three seasons, Thorp's poor form and injury drama sum up the tale of the highly touted tall as he never delivered on the hype.
What has made matters worse for the Hawks, Joel Selwood was picked the next selection after Thorp.
Tim Walsh: #4 (2002) Western Bulldogs
Walsh managed just one game between 2003-2007 before being delisted by the Dogs. He possessed all the tools to succeed as a key forward in the league but could never get on the field.
The biggest shame here was that he looked like a developing young forward in the one game he did play, but ultimately nothing came of his years in the league.
Showed flashes
Todd Breman: #2 (1988) West Coast
Breman won consecutive Bernie Naylor Medals as he booted 187 goals for Subiaco between the 1987-88 WAFL seasons.
The undersized forward had high expectations upon entering the league given his propensity to score between the big sticks and punish the opposition with his infamous booming kick.
Once dubbed by Kevin Sheedy as “the best player outside of the AFL”, Breman managed just 48 games during his tenure in the league.
Breman averaged 12.9 disposals, 0.8 goals, 3.1 marks and 0.6 tackles between his time with West Coast and Richmond.
He had the tools to be a successful player but unfortunately was displaced in an era where key forwards were bigger and taller, in many ways he epitomises the modern-day centre-half-forward.
Caydn Beetham: #9 (1999) St Kilda
Beetham was taken by the Saints as he exhibited match-breaking ferocity around the contest and was viewed by many at the Saints as the next coming of club legend Robert Harvey.
After an injury-riddled first season, Beetham impressed in 2001 as he finished the year fourth in disposals for St Kilda, before succumbing to injury and disinterest in 2002.
His career can be summed up by discipline problems around partying, motivation and professionalism.
This is best exemplified in an article by The Age, where they reported on an infamous meeting Beetham had with club officials about his future.
“He arrived at this meeting sporting a black eye, a broken nose and a stomp mark on his head - all courtesy of a disagreement the night before at a pub."
Richard Lounder: #1 (1987) Richmond
Expectations were high for the big boy out of South Australia as his sheer size and athleticism were the thing of football mythology during this period in the league.
Lounder booted four majors in his debut and looked every bit as dangerous as the Tigers' faithful had dreamed. However, this illusion didn't last much longer as three games later he failed to continue his hot start and was subsequently dropped.
He concluded his V/AFL career having accumulated 12 disposals, five goals and five hit-outs in four games.
At the end of the season, Richmond was again picking first in the draft and Lounder had left to return back home to Adelaide.
Harley Bennell: #2 (2010) Gold Coast
Unfortunately, this has to be the biggest disappointing losses of talent ever seen in the history of the AFL.
Bennell spent the majority of his tenure in the league either hampered by injury or facing disciplinary issues. He was a silky smooth operator with the footy and had a knack for kicking goals and breaking the lines.
The fact that he could dominate a game and obliterate the opposition while either carrying a niggling injury or being preoccupied with off-field indiscretions speaks to his pure football acumen.
As an attacking midfielder, Bennell averaged 21.4 disposals, 1.1 goals, 3.5 marks and 2.3 tackles over his 86 games between Gold Coast, Fremantle and, Melbourne.
Verdict
While players may appear to be can't-miss prospects' as they begin to enter the league, there is no certainty that their mind and body will be able to withstand the lived pressures that come with being a professional athlete.
Players may fail to live up to their predetermined value for many reasons, some due to their own doing and others for factors outside their control.
Let us know of any other 'draft busts' that may have fallen through the cracks in the comments below 👇
