1996 Phantom Draft

[footyfan1978]

Whilst waiting for International Rules game to start I got around to add another retro-draft to this series.
This is the 21st 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've been done since 2009, which is to have no players younger than 18 at end of that year able to be drafted. In essence this means the pool of players new to league since 2009 is mainly 18 year olds which is the focus now to draft new talent into all clubs. Obviously in the some of these past decades, the national drafts as we know them now, did not exist, either in this format or at all before the late 1980's when traditional VFL club recruiting zones with an under 19's team was the major pathway. 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 at least from the later 1990's feel free to add your own thoughts on players you felt would have been number 1 in the 1996 retro-draft and the following years.

This particular one of players born in 1978 for a retro-draft of 1996 still has one player going around again in season 2016. His name is Brent Harvey. Also Ben Cousins, Warren Tredrea and Matthew Lloyd were seriously talented youngsters. All have become household names during the late 1990's and the turn of the century. All premierships players too. Fair to say one of these I would expect to be most people's choice as a retrospective pick number one pick of players born in 1978.

Concessions to expansion clubs in WA, SA, NSW and Queensland were still in effect. This meant the pool of players still has these conditions existing that effect the pools of the actual national draft of this time. Compromised draft pools was the norm in this mid to late 1990's as transitional period of Fremantle getting established, the AFL trying to create Brisbane with a stronger footing and Fitzroy soon to be left with no option but to basically merge with Brisbane and open up space for Port Adelaide to become the 16th AFL club which was the situation going into season 1997 of the AFL. As a result much talent already removed from the draft pools of the national drafts in this period. Matthew Lloyd and Warren Tredrea are good examples of players never in draft pools from those conditions in play.

Also being drafted at 17 was allowed in these times so quite a few players drafted earlier than year they turned 18.
The pathway of all teenagers of similar age competing together in a truly national draft was still a few years from being established as the only pathway into all AFL clubs.

Here is the retrospective draft pool of 18 year olds in year 1996:

1978 Born players (retrospective 1996 Draft)
Evans, Paul
Carr, Matthew
Tredrea, Warren
Brogan, Dean
Welsh, Scott
Wirth, Derek
Mathews, Ben
Merrington, Andrew
Robertson, Russell
Ukovic, Andrew
King, Steven
Bradshaw, Daniel
Wooden, Josh
Piltz, Brent
Eagleton, Nathan
Gilligan, Tom
Clayton, Shane
Notting, Tim
Sangster, Will
Bassett, Scott
Brosnan, Steven
Thompson, Ben
Lamaro, Hayden
Lock, Damien
Kingsley, Kent
Godden, Luke
Cicolella, Justin
Roberts, Cameron
Sinclair, Jess
Bown, Stuart
McAlister, Daniel
Motlop, Shannon
Fletcher, Simon
Beams, Ben
Miles, Dion
Fuller, Brad
Plunkett, Jim
Pugsley, Andrew
Koops, Steven
Brockman, Leigh
Cochrane, Stuart
Harley, Tom
Simmonds, Troy
Hewitt, Evan
Lockwood, Bowen
Cousins, Ben
Round, David
Bowden, Joel
McKee, Steven
Carr, Tom
Stevens, Linden
Johnson, Mark
Freeborn, Scott
Rioli, Dean
Harvey, Brent
Knowles, Brett
Burton, Brett
Carter, Nick
Carroll, Trent
Byrne, James
Bevan, Jason
Lloyd, Matthew
Harwood, Mark
Houlihan, Adam
Fleming, Tim
Smoker, Craig
Cockatoo-Collins, Don
Cockatoo-Collins, David
Clark, Michael
Morrison, Chad
King, Clinton
Braun, Michael
Gardiner, Michael
Clucas, Matthew
Johnson, Kane
Crouch, Jared
Nicholson, Alistair
Voss, Brett
Culpitt, Heath
Thompson, Nathan
Williams, Brent
Dennis, Matthew
Brown, Nathan
Trask, Nick
Prestigiacomo, Simon
Burgoyne, Peter
Anstey, Jacob
Johnson, Jason
Hollands, Ben
Licuria, Paul
O'Farrell, Brett



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
1988 retro-draft
1989 retro-draft
1990 retro-draft
1991 retro-draft
1992 retro-draft
1993 retro-draft
1994 retro-draft
1995 retro-draft

 

[footyfan1978]

Wow.
How did Benny Cousins slip out of the top two here ?