The 2020 National Draft took place on Tuesday night with another crop of players fulfilling their AFL dreams.
To mark that, we have gone through each club’s last five drafts to determine your club’s best selection.
This could be the best player they’ve drafted or the best value pick-up, depending on the club.
Obviously, we have left out the players selected this year.
See our thoughts below:
Tom Doedee
Pick 17, 2015
It took Tom Doedee until 2018 to debut but it was worth the wait as he produced a stellar first season at the elite level, playing 20 games, finishing sixth in the best and fairest and gaining a spot in the 22Under22 side.
Doedee missed almost all of 2019 with an ACL before he was restricted to just nine games in 2020 because of a hamstring tendon injury, but not before he captained the Crows while Rory Sloane was sidelined.
It is rare for a player with less than 50 games’ experience to skipper an AFL team and it shows how highly he is rated internally at the Crows.
Wayne Milera (Pick 11, 2015) comes in a close second.
Andrew Slevison
Hugh McCluggage
Pick 3, 2016
Hugh McCluggage may have been an obvious choice at pick three in 2016, but that does not devalue the decision.
He has quickly turned himself into one of the star wingmen of the competition and has been unlucky to miss All-Australian selection in successive years.
McCluggage has been a key part of the Lions’ rise up the ladder through the midfield and has another gear to get to once he sorts out his kicking for goal, given he kicked 8.21 in 2020.
Nic Negrepontis
Charlie Curnow
Pick 12, 2015
Carlton has had their fair share of top draft picks since 2015, with the likes of Jacob Weitering and Sam Walsh the obvious picks at the top of their respective drafts.
However, they took a punt on Charlie Curnow at pick 12 despite a disciplinary issue and in a draft loaded with key forward prospects.
It’s easy to forget he was the fourth key forward off the board, after Josh Schache, Sam Weideman and teammate Harry McKay, with Eric Hipwood and Harry Himmelberg taken afterwards.
Curnow’s 2020 was derailed by knee injuries, but he has separated himself as potentially the generational key forward talent from that draft class.
Nic Negrepontis
Josh Daicos
Pick 57, 2016
The Pies haven’t been big players at the top of the draft in the last five years, instead shrewdly opting to pursue talent via Father-Son and Next Generation Academy selections.
While not garnering a rival bid, the Pies saw enough in Josh Daicos to use their final selection in the 2016 draft to add him to their list.
After a slow start to his career, Daicos paid the Pies back in 2020, with a move to the wing seeing him to blossom into a future star of the competition.
A steal at pick 57, expect Daicos to take another step in his development in 2021.
Lachlan Geleit
Andrew McGrath
Pick 1, 2016
It may see the obvious choice, but Essendon picked up more than a player with pick one in the 2016 draft – they picked up what many believe is a future captain of the club.
The 22-year-old started off his career at half-back, but last season became a fully-fledged midfielder and is now one of Essendon’s most important players.
Despite suffering a nasty syndesmosis injury in the latter part of the 2020 season, McGrath is already back in training and primed for a big 2021.
Darcy Parish with pick five in the 2015 National Draft should also get an honourable mention here, slotting in seamlessly in the five years he’s been playing at AFL level.
Laurence Rosen
Luke Ryan
Pick 66, 2016
Justin Longmuir’s brand of defence-first football is well established after an impressive first season at the helm and one of Fremantle’s key defensive cogs is Luke Ryan.
Taken with pick 66 in 2016, Ryan has quickly established himself in Fremantle’s best side and has played 66 games since being drafted.
After landing at the club as a mature-aged player out of the VFL, Ryan has gone from strength to strength and was crowned the club’s best and fairest last season, while claiming his maiden All-Australian blazer.
Young midfield guns Andrew Brayshaw (pick 2) and Adam Cerra (pick 5) from the 2017 are worth mentioning too, after completing career-best seasons in 2020.
Laurence Rosen
Tim Kelly
Pick 24, 2017
Geelong hit the jackpot when nabbing Tim Kelly with a second-round selection.
Recruited from WAFL club South Fremantle, Kelly starred in his two years at the Cats after being overlooked by several clubs in the draft.
The gun midfielder took the AFL by storm, finishing runner-up twice in Geelong's best and fairest and was named All-Australian in just his second season.
The 26-year-old moved to West Coast at the end of 2019 with Geelong receiving a huge draft haul in exchange, including three first-round picks.
Alex Zaia
Matt Rowell
Pick 1, 2019
Matt Rowell has only played five games, but he already has the makings of a future Brownlow Medallist.
Rowell was on track for a record-breaking debut AFL season before a dislocated shoulder prematurely ended his campaign.
The midfielder started the year like a house on fire, polling nine votes in last season’s Brownlow Medal, including three best on grounds in the first four rounds.
The young Sun is destined for big things and is sure to captain the club down the track.
Jack Lukosius (Pick 2, 2018) and Ben King (Pick 6, 2018) have taken significent strides in their two seasons at the Suns.
Alex Zaia
Tim Taranto
Pick 2, 2016
Tim Taranto is a fairly obvious choice for the Giants.
The 22-year-old already has a club best and fairest (in 2019) to his name and has become one of GWS’ prime movers in midfield alongside the likes of Stephen Coniglio, Josh Kelly and Lachie Whitfield.
While the Giants invested pick 2 on Taranto, it has already paid dividends. He has notched 74 games, is averaging almost 22 touches and has played in six finals, including a Grand Final.
Jacob Hopper (pick 7, 2015) and Harry Himmelberg (pick 16, 2015) have also developed into quality players for the expansion outfit.
Andrew Slevison
James Worpel
Pick 45, 2017
It was a surprise when Worpel was taken so late on draft night in 2017, and it seems even more astonishing with each passing season.
After being selected midway through round three, Worpel managed 11 games in his debut season in 2018 before playing in all 22 games the year after, a season in which he become the youngest player since Leigh Matthews (1971) to win Hawthorn’s best and fairest.
The midfielder was the first of only three selections for Hawthorn in 2017, but it’s safe to say the club nailed its choice.
Brent Sternberg
Clayton Oliver
Pick 4, 2015
Oliver was seen as the big bolter of the 2015 National Draft, so much so that the Demons jumped at pick four and took a shot on the big-bodied midfielder. Many called it a big risk at the time given his body size, speed and endurance issues.
Obviously, it has worked out swimmingly for the Demons with Oliver now the leader of their midfield.
He averaged 25 disposals, 6.5 clearances and five tackles in 2020 per game and has put up incredible numbers consistently since his breakout second season.
Nic Negrepontis
Cam Zurhaar
Rookie Pick 11, 2016
North Melbourne had an outstanding 2016 National Draft, landing Jy Simpkin at pick 12, Nick Larkey at pick 73 and Cam Zurhaar in the rookie draft. All three could have a claim to being the Roos’ best pick of the last five years.
Zurhaar gets the nod given he slipped through to pick 11 in the rookie draft.
The forward has game-changing talent inside 50 and has shown the ability to kick a bag of goals. With greater consistency and a bigger tank, Zurhaar could yet be anything.
Nic Negrepontis
Connor Rozee
Pick 5, 2018
One part of Port Adelaide’s draft trident in 2018, Connor Rozee has the potential to become a bona fide star of the competition.
Rozee burst onto the scene in his first season, finishing second in the Rising Star, placing fourth in the best and fairest and taking out the Power’s goalkicking award.
The 20-year-old had a quieter 2020 but his talented remains undeniable. Will hope to push into the midfield in 2021 after playing mostly as a forward.
Zak Butters (Pick 12, 2018) is also a player of immense promise.
Alex Zaia
Daniel Rioli
Pick 15, 2015
The Tigers have a number of quality candidates for this category, but Daniel Rioli is the one who lands narrowly on top of the pile.
With 95 games and 80 goals, plus three premierships, it’s safe to say that Rioli has been a key contributor over his five seasons to date.
Rioli has the runs on the board so is the top pick above two-time flag winners Shai Bolton (pick 29, 2016) and Jack Graham (pick 53, 2016), plus Noah Balta (pick 25, 2017) - all of whom could become better footballers than the skilful small forward.
From a pure value point of view, Liam Baker (pick 18 in the 2018 rookie draft) stands out while Nathan Broad (pick 67, 2015) has been a reliable triple premiership defender.
Andrew Slevison
Rowan Marshall
Rookie Pick 10, 2016
Rowan Marshall has proved to be an inspired rookie draft selection.
Standing at 201cm, the 25-year-old is extremely mobile and shouldered much of St Kilda’s ruck duties throughout his breakout 2019 season.
In just his third season, Marshall finished second in the best and fairest and announced himself as a dominant ruckman capable of mixing it with the best.
Paddy Ryder’s arrival saw Marshall spend more time where he showcased his strong contested marking ability. He will only get better in the coming years.
Callum Wilkie (Rookie Pick 3, 2018) has also been a wonderful acquisition by the Saints.
Alex Zaia
Tom Papley
Rookie Pick 14, 2015
The Swans are the AFL’s best at finding stars in the Rookie Draft, and Tom Papley is no exception.
After taking both Dane Rampe and Jake Lloyd as Rookies in 2012, the Swans struck gold again with the selection of Papley in 2016.
The plumber turned pocket-rocket forward has claimed Sydney’s goalkicking honours for the past two seasons, and now sits comfortably alongside the competition’s best in his position.
Lachlan Geleit
Liam Ryan
Pick 26, 2017
One of the most exciting players in the league when in form, the Eagles selected Liam Ryan as a 21-year old out of the WAFL with its second selection in 2017.
Ryan has booted 76 goals in 55 games for the Eagles while playing a big role in West Coast’s premiership triumph in 2018. The small forward was also rewarded for his mercurial efforts in 2020 with an All-Australian nod.
Arguably the best small forward in the game, 'Flyin’ Ryan' was a gem of a selection for the Eagles in 2017.
Brent Sternberg
Bailey Williams
Pick 48, 2015
The Dogs have drafted well at the top of late. Josh Dunkley was weeks ago the subject of a trade stand-off with Essendon, Tim English will ruck in the hoops for a decade to come, Aaron Naughton’s marking has earned him a uniquely cosmic moniker, and Bailey Smith hasn’t missed a game in his two years.
Bailey Williams represents the best bang for the Bulldogs’ buck, however.
Plucked from the depths of the third round in 2015, the South Australian defender has long shown glimpses of his read on the play, intercept marking and powerful, composed kicking.
In 2020 he pieced it all together, notching 18 games and a fifth-place finish in the best and fairest.
Nathan John