Redo the 2001 Draft - The Greatest of All

[Watson_my_mind]

There is no proper way you can do this. So many guns and stars that would be number 1 in other drafts dont even make the top ten of this one.

I'm not doing this by needs, I'm doing this by best player/career achieved in the 11 years after it.

1) Chris Judd
2) Gary Ablett
3) Sam Mitchell
4) Dane Swan
5) Steve Johnson
6) Aaron Sandilands
7) James Bartel
8) Luke Hodge
9) Nick Dal Santo
10) Matthew Boyd
11) James Kelly
12) Luke Ball
13) Nathan Bock
14) Brian Lake
15) Ben Rutten
16) Quinten Lynch
17) Lewis Roberts-Thompson
18) Leigh Montagna
19) Jason Gram
20) Paul Medhurst
21) Mark Jamar
22) Brent Reilly
23) David Hale
24) Adam Schneider
25) Campbell Brown
26) Bret Thornton
27) David Rodan
28) Rick Ladson
29) Xavier Clarker
30) Mark Seaby
31) Jarrad Waite
32) Matt Maguire

 

[KissKiss]

I know Ablett took a bit longer get to get going than Judd. Judd really was incredible from pretty early in his career. But these days I'd think Ablett would get the top spot

 

[Watson_my_mind]

I know Ablett took a bit longer get to get going than Judd. Judd really was incredible from pretty early in his career. But these days I'd think Ablett would get the top spot

The combination of Chris Judd from superstar outside glamour midfielder to absolute gun inside mid just does it for me.

I think Judd's outside game from 2002 - 2007 is better than Ablett's outside game currently, and Judd's inside game from 2008 - 2011 is better than Ablett's inside game currently as well.

What Ablett does remarkably is he has an outstanding combination of inside/outside. If he produced like a high quality mid from the get go he would be number 1, but he was a gun small forward instead, which puts him number 2 on the list.

 

[Watson_my_mind]

Ablett kicked 44 goals in 2010 while averaging 33 disposals a game. Clearly better than all bar Judd.

 

[Rustin Cohle]

1. Ablett
2. Judd
3. Swan
4. Bartel
5. Mitchell
6. Johnson
7. Hodge
8. Dal Santo
9. Sandilands
10. Lake
11. Rutten
12. Boyd
13. Kelly
14. Ball
15. Bock


Some of these players weren't even taken in the 2001 draft...

 

[Watson_my_mind]

1. Ablett
2. Judd
3. Swan
4. Bartel
5. Mitchell
6. Johnson
7. Hodge
8. Dal Santo
9. Sandilands
10. Lake
11. Rutten
12. Boyd
13. Kelly
14. Ball
15. Bock


Some of these players weren't even taken in the 2001 draft...

Name which ones? I have rookie draft selections in there as well.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

No draft will ever beat the 2001 draft.

A draft full of current superstars and, in Judd and Ablett Jr's case, future Hall Of Famers.

 

[Lensen]

26) Bret Thornton
28) Rick Ladson
29) Xavier Clarker
30) Mark Seaby



31) Jarrad Waite

wat

 

[aussierulesrules]

That was the draft that could have won us at least a couple of flags, but our injury management back then was apparently lacking in a huge way (I heard the other day that some of those on our list were sent to local physios for their treatment! ) and injury ended up derailing the careers of all of Luke Ball (OP mainly), Xavier Clarke (constant hamstrings and calves) and Matt MaGuire (shocking leg break- although that is harder to treat than the other injuries), two of which were of course taken in the top 5 of that amazing draft.

Xavier gets a bad wrap these days because most only remember how he finished his career, after soft tissue injury after soft tissue injury left him shadow of his former self, but he actually got off to one of the fastest and best starts of anyone from that draft and certainly of anyone we picked up (including Dal Santo and Montagna).

He was a bit like Jeremy Howe is now (although not as good at it, or as getting as high) in that he seemed to have a mark of the week contender every couple of weeks and he was only 19 or at most 20 at the time. He was also capable of kicking goals up forward or playing very well off half-back, or wing. Luke Ball pretty much hit the ground running at the start of his second year (he was still at school in his first year on our list), but of all the others we picked up, Xavier got off to the best start and was looking like he'd be the best or second best of them, after Ball. If he'd had a decent run with injuries throughout his career I doubt we've have ever regretted taking him at no.5, going by what he was doing for us before his hammies started going repeatedly on him.

Amazing draft though.

 

[1990crow]

1. Ablett
2. Judd
3. Swan
4. Mitchell
5. Bartel
6. Johnson
7. Sandilands
8. Hodge
9. Boyd
10. Bock
11. Rutten
12. DalSanto
13. Lake
14. Ball
15. Kelly
16. Montagna
17. Jamar
18. Reilly
19. Lynch
20. Gram
21. LRT
22. Brown
23. Waite
24. Hale
25. Schneider
26. Medhurst

 

[Super Hans]

1. Gary Ablett
2. Chris Judd
3. Jimmy Bartel
4. Dane Swan
5. Steve Johnson
6. Sam Mitchell
7. Nick Dal Santo
8. Brian Lake
9. Luke Hodge
10. Matthew Boyd

Geelong nailed the * out of this draft. Ablett, Bartel, Johnson, Kelly.

 

[Mister E]

1. Ablett
2. Judd
3. Swan
4. Bartel
5. Mitchell
6. Johnson
7. Dal Santo
8. Hodge
9. Sandilands
10. Boyd

 

[WWSD]

1. Gary Ablett
2. Chris Judd
3. Jimmy Bartel
4. Dane Swan
5. Steve Johnson
6. Sam Mitchell
7. Nick Dal Santo
8. Brian Lake
9. Luke Hodge
10. Matthew Boyd

Geelong nailed the **** out of this draft. Ablett, Bartel, Johnson, Kelly.

They did very well in that 01 Draft. They also nailed the 1999 Draft with getting Paul Chapman, Joel Corey, Cameron Ling, Corey Enright.

 

[Weiterbot23]

Waite should be around 15-17


Amazing draft.

Picks weren't as highly valued back then as they are now. Would love to go back in time and have a fire sale trading players for picks (would have put us under the cap aswell)

 

[Red Black and Blue]

1. Ablett
2. Judd
3. Swan
4. Mitchell
5. Hodge
6. Bartel
7. Johnson
8. Dal Santo
9. Boyd
10. Sandilands

No draft will ever beat the 2001 draft.

2008 will go close IMO. After just having a quick look there is about 40 plus players that look like reaching at least 150 games.

 

[00Stinger]

1. Ablett
2. Judd
3. Swan
4. Mitchell
5. Johnson
6. Hodge
7. Bartel
8. Sandilands
9. Dal Santo
10. Boyd

I would have had Hodge at 4 if it were not for the amount of time he has missed injured

 

[The Finger]

Dal Santo is better than Mitchell. Has been in the top group of players in the AFL for nearly a decade.

 

[Sin City]

Dal Santo is better than Mitchell. Has been in the top group of players in the AFL for nearly a decade.

So has Mitchell, only he's been even better than Dal Santo the whole time.

 

[Sin City]

Dal Santo is better than Mitchell. Has been in the top group of players in the AFL for nearly a decade.

So has Mitchell, only he's been even better than Dal Santo the whole time.

 

[The Finger]

So has Mitchell, only he's been even better than Dal Santo the whole time.

Dal Santo is criminaly underated.

 

[bradrowe#32]

Dal Santo is criminaly underated.

Agreed. Dal's been a superb player for a very, very long time. An absolute gun.

 

[bradrowe#32]

Dal Santo is criminaly underated.

Agreed. Dal's been a superb player for a very, very long time. An absolute gun.

 

[bradrowe#32]

Oops.

 

[00Stinger]

Dal Santo is criminaly underated.

Agree Dal Santo is/has been a gun. He would be top 1-3 in every draft except 2001. That says more about this draft, than his output

 

[Guardian Hawk]

Dal Santo is better than Mitchell. Has been in the top group of players in the AFL for nearly a decade.

Indeed - Dal is underratted. However, Mitchell is also underratted and has definately been in the top group of players for a decade also. In fact, he is the greatest ball winner of the last decade (i.e. #1 for possessions), the greatest clearance player of the last decade and top 3 for Brownlow votes, coaches votes, Herald sun votes, etc over that time.

In the Brownlow (for example) 2003 - 2012, it is:

1. Judd 197
2. Ablett 159
3. Mitchell 153
(7. Dal Santo 126)

There is a strong argument that Mitchell is the best behind the big 2.