1976 Phantom Draft

[footyfan1978]

Same task as 1975 one I did in another post here.
Simply a fun task to look back in retrospect of all players that would have turned 18 in 1976 that ended up playing in the league then or later (some obviously earlier as there was no actual draft or restrictions of players under 18 not being able to play)

If you followed and watched the VFL in early 1980's you will have some memory or how good some of these footballers were.

Here is the retrospective draft pool of 18 year olds in year 1976:

1958 Born players (retrospective 1976 Draft)
Moir, Phillip
Tempany, Bruce
Flanegan, Greg
Sartori, Ian
Young, Michael
Wallace, Terry
Dinatale, Jack
Byrne, Michael
Lawrie, Grant
Barham, Ricky
Loveless, Shane
Cooke, Gary
Good, Kerry
Harris, Leon
Byrachevski, Matt
Serafini, Laurie
Purser, Andrew
Kruse, Max
Brown, Peter
Krakouer, Jim
Roach, Michael
Peart, Neil
Evans, Wayne
Bruns, Neville
Kiel, Peter
Payne, Glenn
Taylor, Kevin
Mansfield, Ken
Strachan, Greg
Edmond, Jim
Stanlake, Warren
Montgomery, Allan
Plumb, Phillip
Williams, Mark
McConville, Peter
Mace, Robert
Heard, Shane
Fox, Tony
Lenaghan, Michael
Henderson, Darryl
Palm, David
Marcou, Alex
Demetriou, Andy
Buckenara, Gary
Bradbury, Peter
Martin, Geoff
Roach, Stephen
Schodde, Graham
Gilmore, Shane
Giles, Peter
Lugg, Gary
McCann, Stephen
McMillan, Geoff
Lee, Warren
Seddon, Michael
Hassell, Allan
Howell, Scott
Foster, Dale
DiPierdomenico, Robert
Cahill, Terry
Hewitt, Darryl
Fletcher, Don
Hartney, Brendan
Riley, John
Thompson, Paul
Podolczak, Roger
Scott, Malcolm
Eade, Rodney
Young, Gary
Tarpey, Howard
Ablett, Kevin
Carroll, Wayne
Dunell, Frank
Canfield, Jim
Vander Haar, Paul
Neagle, Merv
Polkinghorne, Robert
Wilton, Nick
Burns, Greg
Conlan, Mick
Egan, Mick
Thomas, Grant
Bright, Terry
Reed, Malcolm
Graham, Colin
Francis, Peter
Judge, Ken
Horsburgh, Mike
Carlson, Leigh
Emery, Steve
Halsall, Peter
Tantsis, Angelo
McGlashan, Dave

A browse of the pool I come up with a nominal possible draft order of players I can remember seeing. Do not take my order as gospel. Just a rough estimate from what I remember of the time.
Interesting to see an Andy Demetriou in this age group and another Ablett, Kevin.

Feel free to vote in the poll what you think should have been number one pick if there was a draft of these players back then.

1. Gary Buckenara
2. Micky Conlan
3. Merv Neagle
4. Paul Vander Haar
5. Terry Wallace
6. Michael Roach
7. Jim Krakouer
8. Robert Dipierdomenico
9. Ken Judge
10. Mark Williams
11. Ricky Barham
12. Shane Heard
13. Laurie Serafini
14. Leon Harris
15. Rodney Eade
16. Terry Bright
17. Grant Lawrie
18. Neville Bruns
19. Greg Burns
20. Jim Edmond
21. Wayne Carroll
22. Max Kruse
23. Peter Francis
24. Stephen McCann
25. Michael Byrne
26. Andrew Purser
27. Leigh Carlson
28. Alex Marcou
29. Kerry Good
30. Peter McConville
31. Robert Mace
32. Peter Giles


Previous Retro-Draft Poll
1975 retro-draft

 

[footyfan1978]

Just imagine if you were Carlton with picks 1, 8, 11 and 19 in a draft pool of this type of talent but with our current very poor list.
If you had our list you know our key forward stocks are so bad would you take a Michael Roach or Vanderhaar at pick 1 rather than a Buckenara or other mid type?
With pick 8 you would think Roach may not last that long so taking a risk to assume you can get him still with pick 8 is the real issues clubs deal with on draft day. But if you take Roach with pick one you can say goodbye to getting a Buckenara or Micky Conlan or Merv Neagle type as you could surely not expect them to still be there when pick 8 comes around.

 

[xplo]

I think a dominant key forward like Disco Roach would be hard to pass up. I was primary school aged then, but I got the impression that Roach came on pretty quickly for a KPF - was a key part of their 80 flag.

Buckenara is like the Jake Stringer of the group. A great mark but not big enough for key forward-a great kick but not a huge tank to get him to the ball. Exciting but probably hard to figure out exactly what he is as a 17 year old. I reckon he'd slip.

Interesting idea this. Nice one.

 

[Predator35]

Disco Roach first played at the Tigers as a wingman and then became a forward.

 

[dazzledavey36]

Well thats 2 mins of my life i wint get back.

 

[Procrastinator35]

I think a dominant key forward like Disco Roach would be hard to pass up. I was primary school aged then, but I got the impression that Roach came on pretty quickly for a KPF - was a key part of their 80 flag.

Buckenara is like the Jake Stringer of the group. A great mark but not big enough for key forward-a great kick but not a huge tank to get him to the ball. Exciting but probably hard to figure out exactly what he is as a 17 year old. I reckon he'd slip.

Interesting idea this. Nice one.

Buckenara was equally adept in the center as he was on the forward line....Once Wallace left at the end of 1986, that's where he predominantly played.

As good as Roach was for about a 5 year period, it's difficult to go past Dipper's 5 premierships, brownlow medal & phenomenal big-game finals performances....He was close to best on in the 1978 Premiership & his playing on with busted ribs & a punctured lung in the 1989 Premiership, is the stuff of legend.

 

[footyfan1978]

I think a dominant key forward like Disco Roach would be hard to pass up. I was primary school aged then, but I got the impression that Roach came on pretty quickly for a KPF - was a key part of their 80 flag.

Buckenara is like the Jake Stringer of the group. A great mark but not big enough for key forward-a great kick but not a huge tank to get him to the ball. Exciting but probably hard to figure out exactly what he is as a 17 year old. I reckon he'd slip.

Interesting idea this. Nice one.

Buckenara -Stringer comparison I like.
Must say I am surprised at early poll results. I would have thought Buckenara would poll a lot better than Dipper for example.
Bucky was a great kick. Similar to Bernie Quinlan. I think you are selling Buckenera short. His style of play in current footy terms would be called a high half forward player that would play far and wide but his best asset was his ability to hit the scoreboard from a long way out. Certainly was not a stay at home forward by any stretch.
I remember Buckenera doing his knee in one of the grand finals. Can't remember which one. Was a bit sad to see such a wonderful player go down in such a big game.

Yeah, Roach was excellent for Richmond for a few years. Strangely I cannot remember him so much from later 80's. I'm not sure if his form dropped off or he retired early. Come to think of it, I am not ever sure he played against us in 1982 grand final.

BTW, love your Ron Alexander footy card on avatar. Looks like one from 1978 set.

 

[xplo]

Buckenara -Stringer comparison I like.
Must say I am surprised at early poll results. I would have thought Buckenara would poll a lot better than Dipper for example.
Bucky was a great kick. Similar to Bernie Quinlan. I think you are selling Buckenera short. His style of play in current footy terms would be called a high half forward player that would play far and wide but his best asset was his ability to hit the scoreboard from a long way out. Certainly was not a stay at home forward by any stretch.
I remember Buckenera doing his knee in one of the grand finals. Can't remember which one. Was a bit sad to see such a wonderful player go down in such a big game.

Yeah, Roach was excellent for Richmond for a few years. Strangely I cannot remember him so much from later 80's. I'm not sure if his form dropped off or he retired early. Come to think of it, I am not ever sure he played against us in 1982 grand final.

BTW, love your Ron Alexander footy card on avatar. Looks like one from 1978 set.

Yeah all fair points. I was 8 in 1978 and A Fitzroy boy, so I my memories of Bucky aren't flawless, but I remember the beautiful long kicks and floating-in marks more than the on-the-ball stuff. I guess that the stuff that gets replayed the most.

As good as Roach was for about a 5 year period, it's difficult to go past Dipper's 5 premierships, brownlow medal & phenomenal big-game finals performances....He was close to best on in the 1978 Premiership & his playing on with busted ribs & a punctured lung in the 1989 Premiership, is the stuff of legend.

Totally agree that Dipper was better value in retrospect. I was trying to imagine looking at a 17 year old Dipper, Roach and Buckenara and trying to guess what you have. Even if he started on a wing, at 193cm with a great leap, (the Royce Hart tassie comparisons would have been easy) I could imagine recruiters getting pretty worked up about the potential of Roach.

Not sure what you would have made of Dipper at 17 (not knowing where he finishes).

 

[Procrastinator35]

I would have thought Buckenara would poll a lot better than Dipper for example.
Bucky was a great kick. Similar to Bernie Quinlan. I think you are selling Buckenera short. His style of play in current footy terms would be called a high half forward player that would play far and wide but his best asset was his ability to hit the scoreboard from a long way out. Certainly was not a stay at home forward by any stretch.
I remember Buckenera doing his knee in one of the grand finals. Can't remember which one. Was a bit sad to see such a wonderful player go down in such a big game.

First quarter of the 1983 Grand Final....Missed all of 1984 & most of 1985....Back to his best in 1986.

Like Tony Hall & Darren Jarman after him; Buckenara was highly skilled & was as good in the middle of the ground as he was up forward....All-round footballer was Bucky.

 

[footyfan1978]

The class of 76


Backs: R Eade, L Serafini, McConville
Half Backs: S Heard, P Giles, G Lawrie
Centreline: R Barham, Neagle, Dipper
Half Forwards: M Conlan, Van deer haar, Buckenara
Forwards: J Edmond, M Roach, K Judge
Followers: Purser, M Williams, J Krakoeur
Interchange: Wallace, L Harris, G Burns, McCann

Emergencies: N Bruns, T Bright, L Carlson

Some seriously deep talent from this group all born in same year and the retrospective draft class of 1976.

Kevin Taylor, Marcou and Wayne Carroll testament to that depth as unlucky not to get even on my emergency list for this group of players. Backline options a bit light on but still very handy.
Hopefully tonight's batch of new draftees runs as deep in talent.

As a Carlton supporter, I would love to have a pick 3 and 10 from a group this good to draft from.

 

[Listclogger]

The class of 76


Backs: R Eade, L Serafini, McConville
Half Backs: S Heard, P Giles, G Lawrie
Centreline: R Barham, Neagle, Dipper
Half Forwards: M Conlan, Van deer haar, Buckenara
Forwards: J Edmond, M Roach, K Judge
Followers: Purser, M Williams, J Krakoeur
Interchange: Wallace, L Harris, G Burns, McCann

Emergencies: N Bruns, T Bright, L Carlson

That could easily be an AA forward line - not bad from one year.

 

[Procrastinator35]

The class of 76


Backs: R Eade, L Serafini, McConville
Half Backs: S Heard, P Giles, G Lawrie
Centreline: R Barham, Neagle, Dipper
Half Forwards: M Conlan, Van deer haar, Buckenara
Forwards: J Edmond, M Roach, K Judge
Followers: Purser, M Williams, J Krakoeur
Interchange: Wallace, L Harris, G Burns, McCann

Emergencies: N Bruns, T Bright, L Carlson

Some seriously deep talent from this group all born in same year and the retrospective draft class of 1976.

Kevin Taylor, Marcou and Wayne Carroll testament to that depth as unlucky not to get even on my emergency list for this group of players. Backline options a bit light on but still very handy.
Hopefully tonight's batch of new draftees runs as deep in talent.

As a Carlton supporter, I would love to have a pick 3 and 10 from a group this good to draft from.

Terry Wallace in the middle mate....4 time B& F winner at 2 clubs, including in a premiership year & 3 time premiership centre-man. A position he dominated for over a decade.

McCann ahead of Giles at CHB also....Swap Neagle for Heard, who goes to the bench & swap Judge with Leon Harris.

 

[footyfan1978]

Terry Wallace in the middle mate....4 time B& F winner at 2 clubs, including in a premiership year & 3 time premiership centre-man. A position he dominated for over a decade.

McCann ahead of Giles at CHB also....Swap Neagle for Heard, who goes to the bench & swap Judge with Leon Harris.

Could easily do all of them but fairly sure Leon Harris was more a pure rover and Ken Judge a much more pure smaller forward. Judge was a gun. Harris stiff to start on bench but would be changing roving with Jimmy Krakoeur in my set up.

 

[Procrastinator35]

Could easily do all of them but fairly sure Leon Harris was more a pure rover and Ken Judge a much more pure smaller forward. Judge was a gun. Harris stiff to start on bench but would be changing roving with Jimmy Krakoeur in my set up.

Judge was a gun & a dead-eye dick for all of 4 seasons mate.....He played 72 games for us before being shipped off to the Bad News Bears....You & I would have done well in that 80's Hawk team matey....Harris, on the other hand, was a bloody good second rover to Garry Wilson for over a decade.....Jimminy Cricket.