Jono_Hain97
All Australian
- Dec 25, 2014
- 813
- 3,150
- AFL Club
- Richmond
A player’s success depends very often depends on the club he is drafted to, rather than the other way around. During the lost years, we saw a lot of promising players who didn’t quite make it. Here is a list of Richmond players who if they were drafted today, would likely have long and successul careers:
1. Jay Schultz- He showed what he could do when he kicked 6 goals against Brisbane, in one of his first ever games, but injuries and inconsistency meant that we never saw the best of him. While he went on to have a respectable career at port adelaide, one cannot help but wonder how he would go in the current Richmond lineup. With our fast ball movement and quality medical staff, Schultz would likely be fit and firing in our already star studed forward line
2. Andrew Collins- He had some flashes of brilliance, but like so many others he only played a handful of great games before struggling to have an impact at senior level. At his best he was lethal around the goals, and in our current team, he would get plenty of opportunity to hit the scorebord
3. Jeremy Weberley- A classy outside player with good foot skills, who showed a lot of potential in his first season. He would slot nicely into Brandon Ellis’ old position, and with Cotchin, Martin and Prestia around him, he would likely be a very good outside midfielder for a long time to come
4. Richard Tambling- Was the decision to take Richard Tambling one pick before Buddy Franklin the biggest blunder of the 21st century? Without question. But he was by no means a terrible footballer. He had pace to burn and pretty good foot skills as well. Unfortunately for Tambling, he was drafted during a very weak era, where we had virtually no quality senior players, to fill the void. As a result, him and Brett Deledio were left to shoulder the load in the midfield from day one, and while the latter thrived under these conditions, being an undersized starting midfielder from the getgo was a bit much for Tambling. As a result, we never really saw him string a consistent season together. But with Martin and co doing a majority of thr heavy lifting, Tambling would likely be a very handy player in our starting lineup.
5. Ben Nason- He looks a bit like Gyran Miers and is first year, was very plesurable to watch. He averaged almost a goal a game and played with plenty of spirit and enthusiasm. But just one year later he was delisted. Nason was very small, but with Lynch and Jack bringing the ball to ground as often as they do, Nason would feel right at home with our other small crumbing forwards at their feet
6. Daniel Connors- He was an absolute steal in the 2006 draft, as Champion data rated him a top 10 player. But he slipped all the way to us at pick 50. Unforuantely despite his tremendous talent, he got himself sacked due to disciplinary reasons. Given the fact we were lacking in senior leaders at the time, Connors quickly found himself out the door. But with Cotchin at the helm as skipper, we could likely see this troubled youngster turn his life around- in the same way as Martin and Pickett and have a successful onfield career.
7. Troy Taylor- The sky was the limit for this talented kid when he walked through our doors, but due to mental health reasons, he soon left the club and returned home after just one season. With the AFL doing more to raise awareness for mental health and show compassion and support to players battling depression, we cannot help but wonder what would happen if Troy Taylor was drafted today. He would likely be talked about as the next Dustin Martin and if he could find peace with in himself mentally, his potential would have been limitless
8. Matt White- He was often a whipping boy during the Terry Wallace days, but just as he was starting to find consistency, Port Adelaide made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. However, the opportunity to play in a premiership, may have been enough to sway him if he was still playing today. His pace and ability to kick a long goal, would perfectly compliment our high pressure game plan
9. Matthew Arnot- Despite his massive build, Arnot struggled to break into our starting lineup. He is very much in the Jack Graham mould- as he doesn’t get a lot of the ball, but has a strong body and is a tackling machine. These atteibutes would likely earn him a spot in our midfield, and with quality onballers around him, he likely would have developed into a fine contested player
10. Jake Bachelor- He wasn’t quite tall enough to play as a key position defender, but due to a lack of quality talls during his era, this is exactly where he played. I still remember him getting towelled up by Jarrad Waite in the 2015 elimination final, which likely cost us the match. However, with Grimes, Broad and Asbury around him, Bachelor would now be able to play on forwards more suited to his build and with his good foot skills and ability to take an intercept mark, he would likely have gone on to have a long and successful career, if he were to be drafted today
1. Jay Schultz- He showed what he could do when he kicked 6 goals against Brisbane, in one of his first ever games, but injuries and inconsistency meant that we never saw the best of him. While he went on to have a respectable career at port adelaide, one cannot help but wonder how he would go in the current Richmond lineup. With our fast ball movement and quality medical staff, Schultz would likely be fit and firing in our already star studed forward line
2. Andrew Collins- He had some flashes of brilliance, but like so many others he only played a handful of great games before struggling to have an impact at senior level. At his best he was lethal around the goals, and in our current team, he would get plenty of opportunity to hit the scorebord
3. Jeremy Weberley- A classy outside player with good foot skills, who showed a lot of potential in his first season. He would slot nicely into Brandon Ellis’ old position, and with Cotchin, Martin and Prestia around him, he would likely be a very good outside midfielder for a long time to come
4. Richard Tambling- Was the decision to take Richard Tambling one pick before Buddy Franklin the biggest blunder of the 21st century? Without question. But he was by no means a terrible footballer. He had pace to burn and pretty good foot skills as well. Unfortunately for Tambling, he was drafted during a very weak era, where we had virtually no quality senior players, to fill the void. As a result, him and Brett Deledio were left to shoulder the load in the midfield from day one, and while the latter thrived under these conditions, being an undersized starting midfielder from the getgo was a bit much for Tambling. As a result, we never really saw him string a consistent season together. But with Martin and co doing a majority of thr heavy lifting, Tambling would likely be a very handy player in our starting lineup.
5. Ben Nason- He looks a bit like Gyran Miers and is first year, was very plesurable to watch. He averaged almost a goal a game and played with plenty of spirit and enthusiasm. But just one year later he was delisted. Nason was very small, but with Lynch and Jack bringing the ball to ground as often as they do, Nason would feel right at home with our other small crumbing forwards at their feet
6. Daniel Connors- He was an absolute steal in the 2006 draft, as Champion data rated him a top 10 player. But he slipped all the way to us at pick 50. Unforuantely despite his tremendous talent, he got himself sacked due to disciplinary reasons. Given the fact we were lacking in senior leaders at the time, Connors quickly found himself out the door. But with Cotchin at the helm as skipper, we could likely see this troubled youngster turn his life around- in the same way as Martin and Pickett and have a successful onfield career.
7. Troy Taylor- The sky was the limit for this talented kid when he walked through our doors, but due to mental health reasons, he soon left the club and returned home after just one season. With the AFL doing more to raise awareness for mental health and show compassion and support to players battling depression, we cannot help but wonder what would happen if Troy Taylor was drafted today. He would likely be talked about as the next Dustin Martin and if he could find peace with in himself mentally, his potential would have been limitless
8. Matt White- He was often a whipping boy during the Terry Wallace days, but just as he was starting to find consistency, Port Adelaide made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. However, the opportunity to play in a premiership, may have been enough to sway him if he was still playing today. His pace and ability to kick a long goal, would perfectly compliment our high pressure game plan
9. Matthew Arnot- Despite his massive build, Arnot struggled to break into our starting lineup. He is very much in the Jack Graham mould- as he doesn’t get a lot of the ball, but has a strong body and is a tackling machine. These atteibutes would likely earn him a spot in our midfield, and with quality onballers around him, he likely would have developed into a fine contested player
10. Jake Bachelor- He wasn’t quite tall enough to play as a key position defender, but due to a lack of quality talls during his era, this is exactly where he played. I still remember him getting towelled up by Jarrad Waite in the 2015 elimination final, which likely cost us the match. However, with Grimes, Broad and Asbury around him, Bachelor would now be able to play on forwards more suited to his build and with his good foot skills and ability to take an intercept mark, he would likely have gone on to have a long and successful career, if he were to be drafted today