While the Rookie Draft doesn’t receive the same amount of fanfare as the much-hyped National Draft, it has proven a popular pathway for young footballers to take a second chance at an AFL career.
Take the Lions for example.
A total of 26 players (listed below) have played at least one senior match with the Club since the Rookie Draft was first introduced 15 years ago. This means that, on average, almost two rookies play senior football each year.
In 2011, five former or current Lions rookies - Claye Beams (Round 1), Broc McCauley (Round 2), Mitch Golby (Round 12), Niall McKeever (Round 14) and Josh Dyson (Round 20) - made their senior AFL debut.
Pearce Hanley - another former rookie - also enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2011.
Hanley was one of only five Lions players to play in all 22 senior matches last season, and finished equal fourth in the Merrett-Murray Medal - the highest ever placing by a former rookie.
Dual premiership player Robert Copeland is the most accomplished former rookie in Club history with 143 games, while Cheynee Stiller looks set to become the second Lions rookie to reach 100 games early in 2012.
Meanwhile, Josh Drummond is the only former rookie to be part of the Lions’ Leadership Group and has been named in Queensland’s Team of the Year in every year since its inception in 2007.
But the Lions aren’t alone in producing quality senior players from rookie selections.
Some of the AFL competition's key players started out as rookies - including Western Bulldogs Captain Matthew Boyd, Collingwood Premiership Captain Nick Maxwell, West Coast ruckman Dean Cox and Fremantle giant Aaron Sandilands.
Add to that list quality players such as Darren Jolly (Collingwood), Nathan Bock (Gold Coast), Brad Sewell (Hawthorn), Dale Morris (Western Bulldogs), Matt Priddis (West Coast), Aaron Davey (Melbourne), Nathan Foley (Richmond), Jason Porplyzia (Adelaide), Ben Rutten (Adelaide), and you begin to understand how valuable rookie selections can become.
So when the Lions name their rookie selections next Tuesday, it is worth taking note because one or more of those players could ultimately go on to play a significant role in the Club’s future.
The 2011 AFL Rookie Draft will be held on Tuesday 13 December 2011 at 10:15am (Melbourne time). So keep posted to lions.com.au for the most comprehensive summary of the Club’s selections.
BRISBANE LIONS ROOKIES
The following former rookie-listed players have made a senior appearance with the Lions since the Rookie Draft was introduced in 1997 (listed by total matches played with the Lions):
Robert Copeland (143 games)
Cheynee Stiller (97 games)*
Joel Macdonald (80 games)
Josh Drummond (79 games)*
Jason Roe (50 games)
Scott Harding (48 games)
Pearce Hanley (34 games)*
Colm Begley (29 games)
Trent Knobel (13 games)
Niall McKeever (10 games)*
Mitch Golby (8 games)*
Marty Pask (8 games)
Nathan Clarke (6 games)
Marcus Allan (5 games)
Claye Beams (5 games)*
Luke Weller (4 games)
Daniel Pratt (3 games)
Will Hamill (3 games)
Broc McCauley (3 games)
Scott Clouston (2 games)
Shannon Rusca (2 games)
Travis Baird (2 games)
Darren Bradshaw (1 game)
Daniel Dzufer (1 game)
Josh Dyson (1 game)*
Leigh Ryswyk (1 game)
*Player still listed with the Club (click name to view their player profile)
