10 best draft hauls that have bought success.

[Faulky63]

Try matching our draft hands against these though if it was not for a tie-poke and a bounce of a ball the conversations would have been different!


From AFL site...
THE GREAT premiership teams can almost always pinpoint one draft that changed the course of their club's history.

Geelong's and Hawthorn's dynasties were built on the back of some amazing draft hauls, while Richmond's 2009 intake helped turn the Tigers into a premiership force.

But which haul is the best? We've gone back through every draft since 2000 to rank the top 10 based on the culture-shaping impact of the players taken.


10. WESTERN BULLDOGS 2012
Draft picks: Jake Stringer (No.5, 89 games), Jack Macrae (No.6, 185 games), Nathan Hrovat (No.21, 30 games), Lachie Hunter (No.49, 163 games), Josh Prudden (No.50, 4 games), Brett Goodes (Rookie No.4, 22 games)

NET ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE BULLDOGS
Premierships: 3
Brownlow Medals: Nil
Norm Smiths: Nil
All-Australians: 4
Best & Fairests: 1

The Dogs' incredible run to the 2016 flag was built on successful drafts and it's hard to top 2012 with three stars arriving at the Kennel. Stringer has since departed to join the Bombers, but there's no doubting the impact he, Macrae and Hunter had on ending the club's premiership drought.



9. MELBOURNE 2014
Draft picks: Christian Petracca (No.2, 127 games), Angus Brayshaw (No.3, 119), Alex Neal-Bullen (No.40, 105 games), Billy Stretch (No.42, 47 games), Oscar McDonald (No.53, 81 games), Aaron vandenBerg (Rookie No.2, 49 games), Mitchell White (Rookie No.20, 4 games)

NET ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE DEMONS
Premierships: 3
Brownlow Medals: Nil
Norm Smiths: 1
All-Australians: 2
Best & Fairests: 1

After so many draft failures, the Demons finally struck gold in 2014 with Petracca elevating himself to be one the game's most dominant players. Brayshaw and Neal-Bullen were also key contributors in the club's drought-ending premiership this year. If Petracca keeps up his form, and the Dees win another flag or two, then expect this haul rapidly to climb up the ranks.



8. PORT ADELAIDE 2000
Draft picks: Shaun Burgoyne (No.12, 157 games), Kane Cornes (No.20, 300 games), Allan Murray (No.35, 1 game), Domenic Cassisi (No.50, 228 games), Chris Hall (Rookie No.3, 2 games), Ben Hollands (Rookie No.19), Steven Brosnan (Rookie No.34, one game)

NET ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE POWER
Premierships: 3
Brownlow Medals: Nil
Norm Smiths: Nil
All-Australians: 3
Best & Fairests: 4
Captains: 1

In the years following this draft haul, the Power finished top three in four consecutive years and finally broke through for their maiden AFL flag in 2004. Cornes and Cassisi will go down as club greats, while Burgoyne forged a remarkable 407-game career after joining Hawthorn.



7. WEST COAST 2010
Draft picks: Andrew Gaff (No.4, 236 games), Jack Darling (No.26, 236 games), Scott Lycett (No.29, 75 games), Jacob Brennan (No.62, 28 games), Anton Hamp (Rookie No.27), Jeremy McGovern (Rookie No.44, 153 games)

NET ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE EAGLES
Premierships: 3
Brownlow Medals: Nil
Norm Smiths: Nil
All-Australians: 7
Best & Fairests: 1

An underrated haul that played a key part in the club's 2018 premiership triumph. While the ultra-consistent Gaff missed that Grand Final through suspension, Darling, Lycett and McGovern were all key members. Lycett has since departed to Port Adelaide. This group gets the nod ahead of Port through weight of All-Australian gongs.



6. SYDNEY 2002
Draft picks: Jarrad McVeigh (No.5, 325 games), Sean Dempster (No.34, 54 games), Josh Thewlis (No.50, 2 games), Nick Malceski (No.64, 176 games), Craig Bolton (PSD No.3, 170 games), Heath James (Rookie No.6, 13 games), Paul Bevan (Rookie No.64, 129 games), James Meiklejohn (Rookie No.71, six games), Ryan Crawford (Rookie No.69), Declan O'Mahoney (Rookie No.73)

NET ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE SWANS
Premierships: 5
Brownlow Medals: Nil
Norm Smiths: Nil
All-Australians: 3
Best & Fairests: 2
Captains: 2

An unheralded haul that yielded five premiership players. McVeigh is a club great, a captain, and culture-driving leader, while Malceski wrote his name into Swans folklore with his incredible goal in the final quarter of the 2012 Grand Final. Dempster played in the 2005 flag before joining St Kilda where he was an All-Australian. While the names here may look a touch blue-collar, they put cups in the cabinet in two separate campaigns seven years apart - that's what you call 'a draft that just keeps giving'.



5. WEST COAST 2001
Draft picks: Chris Judd (No.3, 134 games), Ashley Sampi (No.6, 78 games), Mark Seaby (No.22, 102 games), Ashley Hansen (No.38, 78 games), Brent Tuckey (Rookie No.3, 3 games), Quinten Lynch (Rookie No.19, 209 games), Clancy Rudeforth (Rookie No.35, zero games)

NET ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE EAGLES
Premierships: 4
Brownlow Medals: 1
Norm Smiths: 1
All-Australians: 2
Best & Fairests: 2
Captains: 1
Mark of the Year: 1

While Judd gets nearly all the plaudits here, the Eagles did pick up three key talls in Seaby, Hansen and Lynch who all featured in the 2006 premiership. Judd won another Brownlow at Carlton, as well as another four All-Australians and three best and fairests. This group may not have netted the same amount of flags as the '02 Swans ... but it has one of all the all-time greats in Judd.



4. RICHMOND 2009
Draft picks: Dustin Martin (No.3, 260 games), Ben Griffiths (No.19, 63 games), David Astbury (No.35, 155 games), Matt Dea (No.44, 31 games), Troy Taylor (No.51, 4 games), Jeromey Webberley (No.67, 16 games), Ben Nason (No.71, 23 games), Dylan Grimes (PSD No.2, 192 games), Robert Hicks (Rookie No.7, 3 games), Pat Contin (Rookie No.23, zero games)

NET ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE TIGERS
Premierships: 9
Brownlow Medals: 1
Norm Smiths: 3
All-Australians: 5
Best & Fairests: 3

It's hard to think of a more significant draft pick in AFL history than the Tigers taking Dusty in 2009. The superstar is the game's greatest ever finals performer with three Norm Smith Medals and helped turn Richmond back into a powerhouse. Astbury and Grimes were also key members of the three flags with the latter also winning a best and fairest this year.



3. HAWTHORN 2001
Draft picks: Luke Hodge (No.1, 305 games), Rick Ladson (No.16, 125 games), Daniel Elstone (No.20, zero games), Campbell Brown (No.32, 159 games), Sam Mitchell (No.36, 307 games), Simon Cox (No.48, 35 games), Ben Kane (Rookie No.13, 23 games), Djaran Whyman (Rookie No.29, 3 games), Nick Stone (Rookie No.44, 20 games), Michael Georgiadis (Rookie No.55, zero games)

NET ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE HAWKS
Premierships: 10
Brownlow Medals: 1
Norm Smiths: 2
All-Australians: 7
Best & Fairests: 7
Rising Star: 1
Captains: 2

The Hawks laid the foundations for their dynasty with club legends Hodge and Mitchell arriving at Waverley. While both finished their careers at other clubs, they both served as Hawthorn captain and were key members of the four premiership teams between 2008 - 2015.



2. HAWTHORN 2004
Draft picks: Jarryd Roughead (No.2, 283 games), Lance Franklin (No.5, 182 games), Jordan Lewis (No.7, 264 games), Tom Murphy (No.21, 95 games), Matthew Little (No.26, 1 game), Simon Taylor (No.53, 85 games), Ruory Kirkby (Rookie No.2, zero games), Clinton Young (Rookie No.18, 116 games), Thomas Willday (Rookie No.34, zero games), Kristan Height (Rookie No.48, zero games)

NET ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE HAWKS
Premierships: 11
Brownlow Medals: Nil
Norm Smiths: Nil
All-Australians: 7
Best & Fairests: 1
Coleman Medals: 3

The Hawks backed up their 2001 haul with another home run three years later. Roughead and Lewis each played in four premierships, while Young was a member of the 2008 flag side. Franklin departed the Hawks after the 2013 premiership to join Sydney where he has since racked up another four All-Australian selections and two Coleman Medals.



1. GEELONG 2001
Draft picks: Jimmy Bartel (No.8, 305 games), James Kelly (No.17, 273 games), Charlie Gardiner (No.23, 51 games), Steve Johnson (No.24, 253 games), Gary Ablett (No.40, 247 games), Henry Playfair (No.41, 52 games), Matthew McCarthy (No.69, 22 games), David Johnson (No.81, 79 games), Aaron Lord (PSD No.2, 25 games), Andrew Carrazzo (Rookie No.5, zero games), Will Slade (Rookie No.21, 17 games), Adam Chatfield (Rookie No.36, zero games)

NET ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE CATS
Premierships: 11
Brownlow Medals: 2
Norm Smiths: 2
All-Australians: 10
Best & Fairests: 2

This draft, along with 1999 (Joel Corey, Paul Chapman, Cameron Ling, Corey Enright), is a massive reason why the Cats turned into a powerhouse that consistently challenges for the premiership. Bartel, Kelly and Johnson were all key parts of the club's three flags between 2007-11, while Ablett will go down as one of the game's greatest ever players. Ablett won another Brownlow, four best and fairests and was selected in another four All-Australian teams at the Suns.