2009 Draft Review

[2Fat2Old]

27 Callum Bartlett
Midfielder/Small Forward. 179cm, 75kg

Why they made this pick:
The midfield can use some youth for the future, while a small forward or two is needed now. Bartlett may be able to help in both spots.

Other options the club had at this selection:
Luke Ball was there if they could afford him. Mitchell Duncan could have been a useful medium forward for them.

Players picked in this spot in previous drafts:
Sam Wright, Andy Otten, Brad Howard


47 Ryan Harwood
Midfielder. 183cm, 81kg

Why they made this pick:
Coach Voss knows that when Brisbane won they did it with physical strength, that is something Harwood has.

Other options the club had at this selection:
Jesse Crichton, J W Smith could have been a good selection here.

Players picked in this spot in previous drafts:
Rhys Stanley, Tobias Thoolen, Kyle Reimers


73 Jesse O’Brien
Midfielder. 184cm, 71kg

Why they made this pick:
If the earlier picks were inside midfielders, then this one is an outside midfielder.

Other options the club had at this selection:
Josh Thomas might have been someone they looked at.

Players picked in this spot in previous drafts:
Leigh Brown, Andrew Collins


84 Bryce Retzlaff
Tall Forward/Defender. 195cm, 86kg

Why they made this pick:
It was important to find some height in this draft. He is a project player to work with.

Other options the club had at this selection:
Simon Buckley, Luke Ablett, Daniel Harris, there were plenty of veteran players to also consider.


91 Matt Maguire
Tall Defender. 192cm, 100kg

Why they made this pick:
When Merrett was out of the side with injury last year, some of the options to play in his spot were Henderson, Roe, Macdonald, Tyler, Notting and Clouston. Those players are not in the team now, so another big defender who could play in 2010 was something they needed.

Other options the club had at this selection:
They could have waited for the preseason draft by passing on this pick.



How it works with recent drafts by the club:
There are certainly similarities to last year, going with hard onballers first and then adding a project tall late. The Lions also drafted Cornelius last year, a tall forward. Getting midfielders in the last two drafts does in some ways balance with drafting Henderson and Collier before that, and ruckman Leuenberger in 2006.

[Kangamagic]

Nice work Fat again !!!

I feel that the draft wasnt that shallow this year - I thought there was alot of good players in the draft - and some didnt even get picked up by a club.
Be interesting to see with the rookie draft in a couple of weeks if those guys get selected. i.e andrew hooper