Heat on for draft stars
By Matthew Richardson
The Age
July 31, 2005
I reckon the national drafts of 2000 and 2001 have a lot to answer for. Consider the names that went with the top picks in those years: Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke (2000), Luke Hodge, Luke Ball and Chris Judd (2001).
They were all taken with priority picks and each of these players had an immediate impact in their first 20 or 30 games with their club. In fact, at the start of this season, you could easily have mounted an argument that Riewoldt (at age 22, with 75 games behind him) and Judd (21 and 68 games) were possibly the two best footballers in the competition.
These five footballers looked so comfortable at AFL level straight away - looked so ready-made for senior football - that I think they raised the already high expectations on top draft picks.
Anyone who gets selected among the first few selections in the draft has always had a burden of expectation, but since 2000-01, that burden seems heavier than ever. Now football fans expect to get a player who will not only walk straight into the seniors, but be a leading player.
The pressure is even more intense on the young guys taken with priority picks because, obviously, such a club has really struggled the season before. Its supporters are searching for someone who can make that impact straight away - they don't necessarily want to wait on a kid who will develop into a top player in a few seasons - which is often what is required with taller players.
That was the sort of pressure Richmond was under last year when we had the No. 1 pick for the first time in my time at Punt Road. We knew in the last few rounds of 2004 that we would be getting a high draft selection, and much of the talk around the club was about who that would be. The club's position going into the draft was simply to take the best available players. Unconditionally.
Brett Deledio and Richard Tambling were often mentioned as the best players available, so when we managed to get both at selections one and four, it gave the whole place a lift. It also put pressure on both of those players before they'd even rocked up to a training session. They had everyone's eyes, including the Richmond players, on them on the track over summer, trying to assess the various aspects of their games.
Thankfully, there was plenty to like. They also proved in tests that they were probably the two fastest footballers at the club.
The expectations were even higher by the time the practice matches rolled around. Everyone you spoke to seemed to want to know if these kids were the real deal. The fact that they came into the team and injected talent and excitement also gave the older guys a lift in enthusiasm and expectation for the season ahead.
Now that we're three-quarters of the way through the season, I don't think you could have hoped for any more from Deledio. He has shown that he is a strong mark for his size, has excellent disposal on both sides, and his attitude is spot on. He has played every game thus far and improved as the year has gone on. I reckon he'd have to be a really strong chance to win the AFL's Rising Star award. Tambling has also shown glimpses in the matches he's played: he's elusive, has goalkicking nous, is a handy mark and also has an excellent attitude. Unfortunately, he's as disappointed as anyone that injury has interrupted his season.
But this is where people need to keep a lid on their expectations for instant results.
Richard will be an excellent AFL footballer once his body gets used to the physical demands, but 2005 is probably step one in what should be a 10-plus-year career. Remember that Luke Ball managed just one VFL match in his first season after being drafted by St Kilda.
Ultimately, all this stuff about trying to judge whether the drafting order matches up with a ranking of the same players in order of their ability is pointless. It just doesn't matter a stuff.
Who cares whether No. 3 in the draft ends up being the third-best player out of those who were available that year. Particularly when you're trying to make those calls early in players' careers.
The fact is that the top half-a-dozen selections each year are so close in ability and attitude that it's stupid trying to rank them against each other all the time. Especially when you consider the only time this happens is in the first few years of a player's career anyway, so what you're really judging is who makes the best start to his career. Often, perceptions change dramatically as the years go on anyway, and at various stages over a decade or so, opinions fluctuate on which guys you'd rate ahead of one another. And that's what they are - opinions. Realistically, the only time you can attempt any kind of judgement is at the end of players' careers, and even then, there are so many variables.
Last year, some critics were pretty keen to question whether the Western Bulldogs' Adam Cooney deserved to be a No. 1 pick in 2003.
That began to ease in the final few rounds of the season, and this year it is not even an issue because he has begun to impress at AFL level.
And it's worth remembering that for every Chris Judd, who blitzes in his first 50 matches, there are another 10 players who take a few seasons to find their feet, but in the end become as important to their team. Look at Shane Tuck for Richmond. He was delisted at Hawthorn, spent time in the SANFL and now in his first full season, at age 23, is probably in the top few in the Tigers' best-and-fairest count.
Dean Cox had to wait for his chance at the Eagles and has gradually progressed to the point where he is a crucial player for them, could be the All-Australian ruckman, and is likely to poll well in this year's Brownlow Medal.
So, when it comes to draft time in November and you're looking at who your club takes with its first selection, just remember that the recruiters mostly get it right. It just might require a little patience from the supporters. Particularly when you consider how much pressure these kids are placed under straight away these days.
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