1986 Phantom Draft

[footyfan1978]

This is the 12th post in a series of retrospective draft pools I've posted here starting with players turning 18 during the year 1975 and each subsequent year the next batch of 18 year olds. This is just a fun task to look back in the time that I been watching football in this league and wondering the quality of players that can be found retrospectively, as if drafts were done the same as they are now. Obviously in the past, drafts as we know them now, did not exist. The late 1970's and 80's before the league expanded progressively from 12 to 16 clubs there were clubs having under 19's and no real restriction on ages to play seniors and later the early drafts of league had different rules regarding birth date eligibility to be in some draft pools. This series is to look back at each batch of players from same birth year and wonder whom would be the top draft picks and how deep in quality each yearly draft pool could have been.

If you watched football in the league from late 80's and during the 90's feel free to add your own thoughts on players you felt would have been number 1 in such retro-drafts.
This particular one of players born in 1968 it has a lot of depth in key position players much like the batch of players born the year before. Stoneham, Allen Jakovich, Loewe, Sumich, Hodges, Dunkley, Martyn , Lynch and Champion is a lot of depth in key position types that you might take a midfielder with pick one knowing you could still pick up a very decent key position player if you had another pick not far behind your first pick of draft.

Here is the retrospective draft pool of 18 year olds in year 1986:

1968 Born players (retrospective 1986 Draft)
McLeod, Mark
Atkins, Simon
Atkins, Paul
Hogg, Matthew
Viney, Jay
Wolf, Clinton
Mahoney, Mathew
Pyke, Don
Gloury, Brett
Sexton, Damian
Noonan, Danny
Barlow, Paul
Schwass, Wayne
Mrakov, John
Dwyer, Mick
McRae, Dean
Greig, Dean
Stockdale, Mark
Thorpe, Alan
Allan, Ben
Hocking, Garry
Lambert, Craig
Clarkson, Justin
Wearne, Stephen
Arnol, Jody
Worsfold, John
Somerville, Craig
Taylor, Jason
Cullen, Mark
Considine, Ed
Waterman, Chris
Crosisca, Gavin
Wright, Cameron
Board, Terry
Bourke, Matthew
Pickering, Liam
Mildenhall, Neil
Spalding, Scott
Martyn, Mick
Hepburn, Mark
Carafa, Tony
Baldwin, Peter
Edwards, Scott
McKinnon, Andrew
Phillips, Garry
Gale, Brendon
Lister, Christian
Bryce, Paul
Somerville, Peter
Peter-Budge, John
Dunkley, Andrew
Higgins, Leon
Hamilton, Greg
Lynch, Alastair
Tasker, Sean
Wright, Graham
MacKenzie, Brett
Schwerdt, Steven
Allison, Brett
Loewe, Stewart
Bartholomaeus, Grant
Umbers, Richard
Morrish, Paul
Poursanidis, Phillip
Kickett, Dale
Lynn, Tony
Clarkson, Alastair
Hodges, Scott
Malakellis, Spiro
OSullivan, Chris
Majerczak, Mark
Ugle, Troy
Gurrie, Michael
Champion, Richard
Powell, Tim
Lamb, Jamie
Russell, Kym
McGovern, Andrew
Merriman, Russell
Cooper, Paul
Parker, Geoffrey
OSullivan, Luke
Langdon, Karl
Denneman, Darren
Jakovich, Allen
Orval, Mark
Rice, Dean
Strooper, David
Edwards, Bradley
Gladman, Rodney
Del-Re, Danny
Stoneham, Barry
Leys, Brian
Peos, Paul
Bower, Darren
Anderson, Stephen
Croall, Jason
Sumich, Peter
Willis, David


Previous Retro-Draft Polls
1975 retro-draft
1976 retro-draft
1977 retro-draft
1978 retro-draft
1979 retro-draft
1980 retro-draft
1981 retro-draft
1982 retro-draft
1983 retro-draft
1984 retro-draft
1985 retro-draft

 

[footyfan1978]

I think a lot of people forget just how a good a player Lynch was before he suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome.
Never really was same player again after that but still very handy for Brisbane in twilight years. His lost the power he had at Fitzroy though.
A mark of year in his youth was typical of his early years at Fitzroy. Serious talent back then.