The most outstanding debut season by a gifted gun…at your club.

[Shane Heard]

I’ve seen them all ..at my club. Namely 18 year olds blitzing at league level in their debut season. ..but they are few and far between when you narrow it down over decades.

The absolute guns who can handle the speed and pressure and violence of League footy.


For me at Essendon ..there’s only Tim Watson at 16/17, Mark Mercuri

Mark Mercuri

Age

51

Ht

178cm

Wt

77kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.7

5star

K

10.6

4star

HB

8.1

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

1.7

4star

G

1.2

4star

No current season stats available

D

17.2

5star

K

9.4

4star

HB

7.8

5star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.0

3star

G

0.8

4star

, Ricky Olarenshaw, Mark Harvey, Dustin Fletcher

Dustin Fletcher

Age

50

Ht

198cm

Wt

92kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.0

4star

K

12.3

5star

HB

3.7

3star

M

4.7

4star

T

1.2

3star

MG

301.6

4star

No current season stats available

D

14.2

4star

K

11.4

4star

HB

2.8

3star

M

4.8

5star

T

1.4

4star

, Rama..Micheal Long and the best of them all ..Gavin Wanganeen.

From other teams I’ve witnessed…I’ve seen Voss, Milane, Buckley, Hodge and Jimmy Bartel as the stand outs.

 

[PerthBoy86]

Ben Cousins

 

[archereleven]

McAdam and Sheezel

 

[Cleric]

Probably Ben Hart

Ben Hart

Age

51

Ht

190cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.0

4star

K

10.2

4star

HB

3.8

3star

M

3.8

4star

T

1.6

4star

No current season stats available

D

14.0

4star

K

9.6

4star

HB

4.4

4star

M

2.2

3star

T

0.8

3star

. Its pretty hard to beat two AAs in your first two seasons (he was 17 years old in his first season).

 

[largebus]

Saying Wanganeen "debuted" at Essendon when he came off winning a flag at Port as a standout rookie, when there were still no SA sides in the AFL is like saying Kevin Sheedy discovered aboriginal players.

Or that footy didn't exist in SA before the Crows

 

[Blues177]

Ken Sheldon at 17 years old. Kicked 6 goals in his 3rd game.

 

[Wojcinski]

Joel Selwood was a winner from day 1. Tim Kelly

11

Tim Kelly

Age

31

Ht

184cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

23.6

5star

K

13.5

5star

HB

10.1

5star

M

3.4

3star

T

4.0

5star

CL

4.9

5star

D

19.9

5star

K

12.3

5star

HB

7.6

4star

M

3.1

3star

T

4.7

5star

CL

3.6

4star

D

21.6

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

11.2

5star

M

2.8

3star

T

3.8

5star

CL

3.8

5star

and J-Pod being mature agers we're also excellent once their AFL careers got off the ground

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

With Ben Cousins and Chris Judd we really had the top 2 of all time surely ?

 

[Mr Cheese]

Murphy "****ing" Reid.

 

[iGNITER]

Nick

 

[Rod Stroker]

McAdam with 7 goals on debut is hard to top.
Backed it up with 10 more the next week.
6 more the following week.
No one has kicked more goals in their first 3 games.
68 goals for the year in 17 games.

 

[Lingsface]

Joel Selwood was a winner from day 1. Tim Kelly and J-Pod being mature agers we're also excellent once their AFL careers got off the ground

I would say Selwood number 1, Harry Taylor very close as well played in 21 games including the grand final we lost, the top team and played all over the ground and a huge QF as well. He was 22 but came in and filled a massive hole that was left by Matthew Egan. O'Sullivan is having an equal type year to De Keoning in pretty much his first year winning the premiership, that was a huge role he held down and won a premiership btw.

If we are going back though did Bairstow win a best and fairest in his first year in 87 at the cats? I'm not sure how old he was and it was very different with it being the first year that WA had a side in the AFL I think. Actually just researched it he was All Aus first year, his timeline was.
84- Lake Grace (Home of Nat Fyfe, Liam Baker, Morton brothers)- League best and fairest
85- South Fremantle 3rd in the Sandover, 2nd to Wally Matera in the b and f.
86- South Fremantle captain, won the Sandover and b and f.
87- Geelong All Australian
89- 3rd most disposals in the league and 89 grand final.
90- Moved back to the farm
91- Came back to Geelong All Australian
92- All Australian and grand final
94- All Australian grand final
95- Delisted by Gary Ayers.

 

[JP2]

For Melbourne, would easily be Allen Jackovich: 71 goals in 14 games in his debut season.

 

[RCAB]

Paul Hudson

Paul Hudson

Age

55

Ht

185cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.0

3star

K

8.9

3star

HB

4.0

3star

M

4.2

4star

T

1.0

3star

G

2.0

5star

No current season stats available

D

13.4

4star

K

8.2

4star

HB

5.2

4star

M

3.8

4star

T

0.6

3star

G

0.2

3star

in his first season as 21 year old finished second in the Coleman, and kicked 57 goals in 17 games (kicked 125 the second season).


That I've seen... Rioli and it's not even close... (although Watson for a small forward broke the record for shots in his first season, and scored 7 goals in two finals, outstanding for a first year player.)

 

[Lingsface]

John Coleman 100 in 21 games and 12 on debut for ever will be the winner, he also kicked his 100th in a winning grand final against Carlton. Who wrote this script!

 

[Orfullrules]

Remember when

 

[bobs head soup]

The two best at the Dogs would be;

- Brad Hardie, who won a Brownlow from the back pocket in his debut season, and

- Chris Grant, who was the youngest player ever to kick 50 goals in a season as a skinny 17 year old, great return from a draft pick 105.

 

[Hobbes]

Probably Ben Hart. Its pretty hard to beat two AAs in your first two seasons (he was 17 years old in his first season).

Talia puts up a good fight.

 

[Orange crush]

Toby F%#*ing Greene …. Was dynamic on his first year in the midfield

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Judd and Daicos probably the best two first seasons I’ve seen.

For Essendon, Merrett was very good from Day 1. Lloyd was an extremely good key forward playing senior footy at 18yo… he kicked a bag of 7 in about his tenth game and looked at home. By 20yo he was wrestling with and overpowering the biggest gorilla key backs in the game.

 

[LeeCarvallo]

Jaeger O'Meara

2

Jaeger O'meara

Age

31

Ht

184cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

22.9

5star

K

12.4

5star

HB

10.6

5star

M

3.7

4star

T

5.5

5star

CL

4.8

5star

D

20.9

5star

K

13.0

5star

HB

7.9

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

4.0

5star

CL

5.0

5star

D

19.4

5star

K

11.4

4star

HB

8.0

5star

M

4.0

4star

T

4.0

5star

CL

4.6

5star

.

A genuine shame for the competition he had such horrible luck with his knees. Looked like a generational midfield prospect in his rising star year.

 

[budge27]

Paul Hudson in his first season as 21 year old finished second in the Coleman, and kicked 57 goals in 17 games (kicked 125 the second season).

I think you mean Peter Hudson.

 

[CharacterFirst]

Senior was handy in his first season.

So was Greg Williams.

 

[Tiger Snake]

Phil Carmen 1975 at Collingwood was great...

 

[garlic munchers]

With Ben Cousins and Chris Judd we really had the top 2 of all time surely ?

You forgot