- Dec 17, 2006
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Geelong were so impressed by talented Woodville-West Torrens Eagles David Ugrinic that they drafted him with Pick 13 in the 1993 National Draft, the Cats' highest selection that year. They kept him on their list for three more years as Ugrinic remained in the SANFL playing for the Eagles, before he moved from Adelaide to Geelong to play for the Cats in 1997.
Players whose surnames start with U are rare in the AFL, but if one was to look at the short list of such players, then one would not see David Ugrinic's name listed among them. This is because while he played Reserves football for Geelong during two years with the team in 1997 and 1998, he was never selected to make his senior debut for the Cats. His ultimately short stint at the club was disrupted by many injuries, most on-field but also had a fall at a beach in 1998, and he departed the Cats with 0 senior AFL games and returned to South Australia.
I'm not sure of this, but Ugrinic would surely have to be one of the highest drafted players who never played a single AFL game. Geelong evidently had faith in him, keeping him on their list for three years as he remained in South Australia. There's been higher-rated players who didn't make it in the AFL, but most of them did play at least a handful of senior games before it became apparent they weren't viable long-term AFL prospects.
Players whose surnames start with U are rare in the AFL, but if one was to look at the short list of such players, then one would not see David Ugrinic's name listed among them. This is because while he played Reserves football for Geelong during two years with the team in 1997 and 1998, he was never selected to make his senior debut for the Cats. His ultimately short stint at the club was disrupted by many injuries, most on-field but also had a fall at a beach in 1998, and he departed the Cats with 0 senior AFL games and returned to South Australia.
I'm not sure of this, but Ugrinic would surely have to be one of the highest drafted players who never played a single AFL game. Geelong evidently had faith in him, keeping him on their list for three years as he remained in South Australia. There's been higher-rated players who didn't make it in the AFL, but most of them did play at least a handful of senior games before it became apparent they weren't viable long-term AFL prospects.
