1979 Phantom Draft

[footyfan1978]

Same task as previously posted retro-drafts here for 1975 year and onwards.
Simply a fun task to look back in retrospect of all players that would have turned 18 in 1979 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 the 1980's you will have some memory of how good some of these footballers were. For this particular draft pool of players born in 1961 I am making one exception for a player that never played in the VFL in his career. Michael Aish who played in SANFL and represented his state with distinction but never came over at any stage to play like most players of his era that had the clear class to be expected to be a quality player.

Here is the retrospective draft pool of 18 year olds in year 1979:

1961 Born players (retrospective 1979 Draft)
Weideman, Mark
Halas, Shane
Lamb, Dwayne
Lovett, Wally
Royal, Brian
Jackson, Darren
Huntley, Peter
Semmens, Robert
Morwood, Shane
Melesso, Peter
Thomson, Michael
Mitchell, Michael
Fitzgerald, John
Williams, David
Jones, Bob
Burton, Chris
McLaine, Darren
Maddock, Phillip
Ablett, Gary
Wilson, Brian
Lovell, Noel
Daicos, Peter
Meehan, Simon
Gorozidis, Con
Todd, Ian
Thomas, Keith
Tossol, John
Beddison, Wayne
ODwyer, Des
Witts, Andrew
Robertson, Rohan
Oaten, Michael
Gilmore, Mick
Alderdice, Craig
Harrison, Phil
Burke, Rohan
Watson, Tim
McLean, Glenn
Baxter, Peter
Lindner, Bruce
Duthy, Chris
Thornton, Ron
Malaxos, Stephen
Annear, John
McGuire, Kevin
Williams, Stephen
Dugdale, Glenn
Madden, Justin
Clark, Steven
Poynton, Michael
Veal, Andrew
De Konning, Terry
Mew, Chris
Glascott, David
Castles, Trevor
OBrien, Paul
Demetriou, Andrew
Cross, Andrew
Gilmore, Daryl
Lucas, Jack
McKenna, Michael
Eaves, Mark
Dickson, Russell
Dreher, Mark
McKenzie, Stuart
Chiron, Dean
Waterson, Chris
Pirrie, Stephen
Bogunovich, Ramsay
Pirrie, Stephen
Hawker, Glenn
Knight, Steven
Cowie, Darryl
Fidler, Geoff
Collins, Jon
Naley, Mark
Woodhall, Dale
Fellowes, Wes
Wright, Stephen
Balme, Craig
Healy, Gerard
Eather, Stephen
Vane, Matt
Twomey, David
Stephens, Brett
McAdam, Greg
Ironmonger, John
Daniher, Neale
Burgess, Tony
Coleman, Glenn
Hoiles, John
Keene, Laurie
Mickan, Mark
Narkle, Phil
Cox, Darryl
Davis, Michael
Merryweather, Andrew
Shand, Wayne
Scott, Phil
Grbac, Anton
Cordy, Brian
Russell, Anthony
Coates, Michael
Aish, Michael (SANFL champion player, captained his state and represented his state 15 times)

This pool of players is clearly a quality one in comparison to previous pool of players born previous two years. You will find a clear champion deep in the top ten for sure.



Previous Retro-Draft Polls
1975 retro-draft
1976 retro-draft
1977 retro-draft
1978 retro-draft

 

[Procrastinator35]

Ablett...No contest.

 

[footyfan1978]

Ablett...No contest.

Agreed, but wow, pick number 2 is an impressive choice of players like Healy and Watson.
Quality options in top ten for this year.

 

[Procrastinator35]

Agreed, but wow, pick number 2 is an impressive choice of players like Healy and Watson.
Quality options in top ten for this year.

I wouldn't be mentioning Healy in the same context as Watson....Daicos yeah....Their the next 2 behind Ablett.

Hell....Even Neale Daniher & Mew are ahead of Healy.

 

[footyfan1978]

I wouldn't be mentioning Healy in the same context as Watson....Daicos yeah....Their the next 2 behind Ablett.

Hell....Even Neale Daniher & Mew are ahead of Healy.

Healy you underestimate.
He was an excellent ruck rover. He also kicked 70 goals one season, as a forward is his early years. You do not achieve those things and a Brownlow Medal for nothing. Good state player for Big V from memory too.

 

[Procrastinator35]

Healy you underestimate.
He was an excellent ruck rover. He also kicked 70 goals one season, as a forward is his early years. You do not achieve those things and a Brownlow Medal for nothing. Good state player for Big V from memory too.

And yet Still not in the same league as the 5 blokes mentioned.

Brownlows are way overrated: Proof....All of Matthews, Carey & Ablett Snr have 0 between them....That's the best 3 players in the past 50 years.

In the meantime : Woewodin, Healy & Wilson have won it!...3 players who stood out in a single season in very poor teams, with no one taking votes off them....Such are the foibles inherent within it's methodology....It has the prestige factor, but it lacks credibility.

 

[gandaal]

If you were a recruiter with the number 1 pick without the benefit of hindsight Neale Daniher would be the one selected. Ablett too great a risk of giving it all up. You wouldn't know about Neale's injury troubles ahead.

 

[footyfan1978]

If you were a recruiter with the number 1 pick without the benefit of hindsight Neale Daniher would be the one selected. Ablett too great a risk of giving it all up. You wouldn't know about Neale's injury troubles ahead.

Possibly.
I'm not sure a recruiter back then would have picked Neale Daniher before Tim Watson. Given Watson actually made his senior debut before he even turned 16, just imagine how good as a teenage player he must have been in his day.
I reckon without hindsight Watson would have been the pick 1 of these 18 year olds if we had an actual draft back in those times.
Brian Wilson and Michael Aish must have been rated high too along with Daicos and Healy as teenagers.
Neale Daniher no doubt would have been the young tall a recruiter would have gone for if not needing a midfielder.
It would have been interesting where an 18 year old Ablett was rated. His brother Geoff Ablett was a pacy winger so I would think the recruiters would have not expected what he would become in his mid twenties as a player.
It is only with hindsight we'd all grab Ablett at pick one.

Interesting fact I found having a look at some stats. Gerard Healy only played 19 more games after winning Brownlow in 1988 so injuries really look like the stole a few years from his career. Given his mate Greg Williams played in 1995 grand final , it could have been as much as 4 or 5 years taken from what should have been a longer career. I think it was a serious hand injured that forced him to retire early.
Neale Daniher was the real unlucky guy from this group of players born in 1961 though.
Real shame we never saw much of Neale Daniher. Think he would have been even better than his brother.