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In an open draft he actually went pick 7. None of the four clubs with earlier picks were interested, otherwise they would have called his name.
At best you could argue that he might have gone pick 6 because when Melbourne bid on mills and the swans matched, it moved everyone back one place.
But "could have gone #2" is absolute rubbish, you could also say he could have gone #1 - but that too would be rubbish, because the basic reality of the situation is that he didn't.
If he wasn't an academy selection. #1 & #2 he was never going to be selected because those clubs need to use these new players as a beacon of hope and you can't do that if you nominate a kid that you don't get. It's well known that around that time there was questions as to why those 2 kids didn't get nominated earlier.
If they weren't academy, they'd have gone higher.
My opinion is just this. He hasn't done anything wrong, he's getting games in a top side. His draft value hasn't dropped. He and Mills were universally seen as the best mids in that crop. Oliver was a bolter and Parish was behind Kennedy and Hopper.



