In the last uncompromised draft before GC17 invades, clubs were apparently still not afraid to pick up some recycled players from other clubs. So who were these lucky souls?
Player Name: Luke Ball.
Old Club: St Kilda.
New Club: Collingwood.
Pick Used: 30.
Summary: Luke Ball requested to be traded to the Pies during the 2009 trade week, but when a deal could not be struck he was stuck at St Kilda. The Saints consequently withdrew their contract renewal offer and Ball then walked away from the club and nominated for the 2009 AFL Draft. His wish was granted come pick 30 when, after being overlooked by Melbourne, Essendon, and Brisbane; Collingwood read out his name and he became a Pie. He should bring some extra grunt into the Pies midfield and allow the likes of Leon Davis to spend a little more time up forward. More on Luke Ball…
Player Name: Rhan Hooper.
Old Club: Brisbane.
New Club: Hawthorn.
Pick Used: 58.
Summary: Rahn Hooper spent the first four seasons of his career with Brisbane after being drafted in 2005 at pick 41, and managed 48 games in that time. After a series of off field indiscretions in 2009, Hooper was put up for trade during the 2009 trade week but there were no takers for the 21 year old utility. At Hawthorn he will slot into an already strong forward structure that contains the likes of Lance Franklin, Jarryd Roughead, and Cyril Rioli. It will be interesting to see how much of the ball he can find given how Franklin orientated the Hawks can be when going forward.
Player Name: Jesse Smith.
Old Club: North Melbourne.
New Club: St Kilda.
Pick Used: 60.
Summary: Jesse Smith is one who has offered so much potential in his time at North Melbourne but has never really had the chance to reach it thanks to a horror run of injuries. He indicated his desire to leave the club at the conclusion of the 2009 season, citing the lack of adequate facilities at Arden Street. He was offered up for trade during the 2009 trade week but a home was not found so he took his chances and walked away from the Roos. He nominated for the 2009 AFL Draft and his punt paid off with 2009 Grand Finalists St Kilda picking him up at pick 60. I honestly don’t know where he will fit into a team that dominated most teams during the 2009 season, but if he can get fit and find a way in it could be exciting times for the still young player.
Player Name: Adam Pattison.
Old Club: Richmond.
New Club: St Kilda.
Pick Used: 64.
Summary: Adam Pattison was drafted by Richmond in 2004 at pick 16 and played with them from 2005 until 2009. He managed just 8 games in 2009 for Richmond, a time when they struggled to make an impact in any game, and upon the conclusion of the 2009 season he was delisted by the club. After nominating for the 2009 AFL draft, he was offered a lifeline by 2009 Grand Finalists St Kilda when they selected him at pick 64. Interestingly this was St Kilda’s second pick in a row that they used to pick up a recycled player, opting for an experience approach rather than a youth approach at the draft.
Player Name: Simon Buckley.
Old Club: Melbourne.
New Club: Collingwood.
Pick Used: 85.
Summary: Simon Buckley was originally drafted to Melbourne in the 2005 AFL Draft at pick 53, and although he didn’t debut until the 2007 season he has shown excellent potential as a hard running midfielder. During 2008 he averaged 21 disposals and 6 marks, and had multiple 30+ possession games late in the season. His 2009 season was hampered by injury and consequently he only managed one senior appearance. The Demons delisted him so he nominated for the AFL draft, where he was thrown a lifeline by Collingwood late in the draft at pick 85. He will be hoping he can make a successful return to senior football and repay the faith shown in him by his new club.
Player Name: Matt Maguire.
Old Club: St Kilda.
New Club: Brisbane.
Pick Used: 91.
Summary: Where do I start with Matt Maguire? He was drafted to St Kilda at pick 21 in the 2001 AFL Draft, debuted in his first season, and established himself as one of the leading centre half backs in the competition by 2005. From there a series of injuries, including a horror leg break has all but halted his progress. It all started with osteitis pubis, then he suffered a broken leg where both his tibia and fibula broke, this was followed by compartment syndrome and he required a further 8 operations to fix his leg. He recovered and made a comeback in round 1 of 2007 but not long after was diagnosed with stress fractures in his foot, and they haunted him all the way through until the end of 2008. He was fit to play during the 2009 season but was unable to find a way into the juggernaut side that was St Kilda at the time, and was consequently delisted by the club come the end of the year. He nominated for the 2009 AFL Draft and endured an agonising wait, having to wait until the fifth last pick to hear his name. He will now go to Brisbane after spending all year stranded on 99 AFL games and will hopefully reach his milestone of 100 games in round 1 of 2010. More on Matt Maguire…
Tags: Adam Pattison, Jesse W Smith, Luke Ball, Matthew Maguire, Rhan Hooper, Simon Buckley
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