1988 Phantom Draft

[footyfan1978]

This is the 14th 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 the very late 1980's and all of 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 1970 has what I consider not the same quality at top end as quite a few other years I posted so far in this series. If you wanted a couple of key forwards from this pool it is a bit underwhelming to consider Peter Mann might be the next one to take if you missed out on Longmire. The depth of mids is a bit better. Maybe this is the type of example of a lean draft the so called expects are expecting for the AFL draft in 2015.

Here is the retrospective draft pool of 18 year olds in year 1988:

1970 Born players (retrospective 1988 Draft)
Longmire, John
Frost, Michael
Angove, Damien
Taylor, Simon
Prymke, Paul
Murray, Damien
McGrath, Justin
Paxman, Stephen
Lennon, Bruce
Hall, Derek
Kidgell, Ian
Wheildon, Darren
James, Ron
Bunn, Mark
Allen, Tim
Welsh, Rohan
McGrath, Tim
Knights, Matthew
Dickfos, Danny
Rock, Anthony
Charles, Justin
Doyle, Greg
Bowden, Sean
Ford, Andrew
Forssman, Darren
Ahern, John
Donato, David
Mann, Peter
Hamilton, Steven
Holmes, Darren
Millar, Jason
Francis, Matthew
Beveridge, Luke
Hamilton, Shane
Brown, Fraser
Johnston, Andrew
Tingay, Stephen
Lovell, Andy
Tanner, Grant
Handley, Steven
Hudson, Paul
Howat, John
McKay, Andrew
Worsfold, Peter
White, Peter
Guard, Jeremy
Staritski, Justin
Ryan, Stephen
Kolyniuk, Steven
Jameson, Rod
McCormack, Brendan
Young, Barry
Grant, Jamie
Luhrs, Simon
Treleven, Craig
Stevenson, Shayne
Turner, Scott
Burton, Matthew
Caven, Peter
Filandia, Peter
Wearne, David
Russell, Scott
Keays, Terry
Liptak, Matthew
Kavanagh, Tom
Simpson, Sean
Alexander, Colin
Cuthbertson, Darren
Wheeler, Sanford
Mahony, Brett
Scott, Dion
Hampson, Damian
Bourke, Darren
Malakellis, Tony
Page, Glenn
Walker, Robert
Wardell-Johnson, Leigh
McCormack, Paul
Jackson, Stevan
OBrien, Craig
Cable, Shane
Jones, Greg
Holdsworth, Paul
Standfield, Barry
McDonald, Alex
Burke, Nathan
Kennedy, Matthew
Phillips, Andrew
Devonport, Craig
Wynd, Scott
Madigan, Greg
Bulluss, Paul
Barrow, Gary
McQueen, Mark
Hocking, Eddie
Hecker, Terry
Heady, Brett
Broderick, Paul
Dwyer, Anthony



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
1986 retro-draft
1987 retro-draft

 

[footyfan1978]

Pity Doc Wheildon career was so short. Certainly a talented player we did not see enough of.

 

[Monkey King]

Andy McKay was like what, a 5 time All Australian. Gets the no.1 gig for mine.

 

[footyfan1978]

Andy McKay was like what, a 5 time All Australian. Gets the no.1 gig for mine.

Loved Andy McKay but did not vote for him myself. This pool seems to be missing that absolute gun you expect to find once or twice in every draft pool.
In many other years a quality half backer like McKay you would expect to be able pick later in first round but not need to use a pick one on.

 

[mattyc75]

picked bourke,that way the eagles could still pick up heady for a ridiculously low pick

 

[Monkey King]

Loved Andy McKay but did not vote for him myself.

I just looked at it as who I would want most out of all those players and it came down to Burke or McKay. I don't care too much about which position he played and Burke spent plenty of time on a HBF later in his career too. I'd just take Macca over others on the list, but I'm admittedly biased, I think he was a total champion of a player.

 

[footyfan1978]

picked bourke,that way the eagles could still pick up heady for a ridiculously low pick

I dunno. Reckon you would need pick one and another pick in top 6 or 7 to hope to snare Heady with your second pick.