Who are the biggest busts in VFL/AFL history?

[Deadly Darcy]

Stringer has never got over his injury as a junior. I think it’s more mental than physical but It definately affects his ability to give more than 70 percent in training and on the field. Plus “the package” is also very much a “lad” who seems somehow bemused he’s not an automatic top 10 player of the game. If he hadn’t done that leg though - he could have been absolutely anything. Legend status by the end of his career I suspect. He was the most amazing junior talent.

For those playing along at home

 

[VinnieB]

I think there are a few different categories.

Busts because their careers were ruined by injury, like Gumbleton.

Busts because of behaviour/lack of commitment - Tarryn Thomas

OR busts because they were just plain spuds - Where does one start?

Just to clarify, Toumpas was the 3rd option.

 

[raymond35]

View attachment 1913721

He's carrying a lot of baggage up there.
Yep, top floor.

 

[Piggy Smalls]

Jon Patton pretty shit value for a number 1 pick.

 

[BigVic]

Jon Patton pretty s**t value for a number 1 pick.

What an dud selection

 

[Orange crush]

Jon Patton pretty s**t value for a number 1 pick.

He kicked 90 goals in his 2 injury unaffected years in 16 and 17 …. He was ruined by knee problems and the loose morals at hawthorn, the family club

 

[maskmcgee]

Paddy Mccartin

 

[Foreign Legion]

Going back a bit:

'Diamond Jim" Tilbrook to Melbourne

John Pitura to Richmond

 

[My_Username]

Mitch Thorp (2 games) over Joel Selwood is hard to top.
Prob cost Hawthorn 2 additional flags

Thorp also puts the Tambling over Buddy 'disaster' in perspective.

If Buddy (and Roughhead) were such obvious champions from the get go, why did Hawthorn spend their first pick 2 years later on a key forward? Clearly even after 2 years Hawthorn had doubts about how things were going to play out.

The other odd part of that selection is that even if they were set on going for a Key forward (over Selwood), then every time they watched Thorp they would have seen another guy who played juniors with him...Jack Reiwoldt, who went pick 13.

 

[Engimal v3]

I don't know if you can consider a near 200 gamer a bust, but FMD has Luke McDonald been bog average for a #7 pick.

 

[My_Username]

Richard Lounder.

Pick 1 in 1987 (2nd draft ever).

203cm 116Kg FF from SA, kicked 4 goals on debut, but then other clubs worked him out and he ended up playing a total of 4 games and kicked 5 goals.

What did they work out about him?
Well, he was described as being "built like a brick shithouse, and almost as mobile."

He was a huge unit, but that was it...He'd pretty much just stand in one spot and if you stopped him marking it, you had him beat.

Sure, the 1987 draft wasn't that serious in terms of scouting, etc. but still, pick 1 on a guy with such obvious flaws is a pretty major 'bust'.

 

[SSSSSS]

I'm amazed at how quickly Hopper has transformed from young inside bull to a complete spud in the space of 18 months at Richmond. Only a preseason match but he was woeful tonight (and he was pretty piss poor in 2023). I don't think he even hit a Richmond target.

GWS walked out of this like bandits.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Sometimes you simply end up at the wrong club, Watts had of ended up at the Hawks for example may of ended up a champ.
Kids for the most part are dart board picks

 

[My_Username]

Sometimes you simply end up at the wrong club, Watts had of ended up at the Hawks for example may of ended up a champ.
Kids for the most part are dart board picks

Drafting is often a probability equation.

In the Buddy draft...Buddy was a wildcard. Everyone knew he could be something special, but there was also a significant chance he'd flame out....so he dropped to 5. Deledio on the other hand was a 'sure thing' (95%+) to be a good (top 10 in the club) player, with a real chance of being significantly better than that...So he went #1.

Same thing with Dustin Martin....Everyone knew he had a lot of upside, but the question marks over him meant Scully and Trengove went before him...and both were good players (until injuries anyway), so with what was known at the time, they weren't bad calls.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing....but it's not available to those at the draft table.

 

[Atomboy]

Bucks as a coach courtesy of Eddie McChins pursuing his own boyhood infatuation.

 

[GhostofJimJess]

I'm amazed at how quickly Hopper has transformed from young inside bull to a complete spud in the space of 18 months at Richmond. Only a preseason match but he was woeful tonight (and he was pretty piss poor in 2023). I don't think he even hit a Richmond target.

GWS walked out of this like bandits.

He was very good last week against Melbourne though. Probably our best.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Sometimes you simply end up at the wrong club, Watts had of ended up at the Hawks for example may of ended up a champ.
Kids for the most part are dart board picks

Yeah this is a big factor. Essendon has been appalling at developing players for so long, I think it’s our biggest failure as a club.

You look at some of the draftees we “could” have had but you think… if they came to Essendon, there’s no way they end up as good.

Selwood is a good example. We could have picked him. He got drafted to a club that was incredibly stable and well run for his entire career. His early years he was surrounded by champion players and leaders, and great coaches at a club with very good administrators. He was able to grow and flourish at a perfect rate, never having to deal with any instability or issues at club level. He had two senior coaches in his career, both long-term coaches with multiple premierships.

Imagine if he went to Essendon? FMD.

 

[Sentinel]

Yeah this is a big factor. Essendon has been appalling at developing players for so long, I think it’s our biggest failure as a club.

You look at some of the draftees we “could” have had but you think… if they came to Essendon, there’s no way they end up as good.

Selwood is a good example. We could have picked him. He got drafted to a club that was incredibly stable and well run for his entire career. His early years he was surrounded by champion players and leaders, and great coaches at a club with very good administrators. He was able to grow and flourish at a perfect rate, never having to deal with any instability or issues at club level. He had two senior coaches in his career, both long-term coaches with multiple premierships.

Imagine if he went to Essendon? FMD.

There's a great episode of Dyl and Friends which just came out with Isaac Smith who talks about speaking to clubs about their stability from the board down during his initial draft interviews as a mature ager. Was very interesting, and I'd say the benefit of being drafted a few years later rather than as an 18 year old kid who generally wouldn't even consider such a thing and would be happy to go anywhere (as much as where a player ends up is mostly out of their hands anyway).

 

[raymond35]

Going back a bit:

'Diamond Jim" Tilbrook to Melbourne

John Pitura to Richmond

Tilbrook was apparently playing for Melbourne reserves by the mid 70s, when Melbourne were hopeless. Amazing for a guy rated so highly.

 

[Makeshft_Mauler]

doesnt matter how many games david cunningham plays

chris yarran played 0 for richmond

 

[Guardian Hawk]

Thorp also puts the Tambling over Buddy 'disaster' in perspective.

If Buddy (and Roughhead) were such obvious champions from the get go, why did Hawthorn spend their first pick 2 years later on a key forward? Clearly even after 2 years Hawthorn had doubts about how things were going to play out.

The other odd part of that selection is that even if they were set on going for a Key forward (over Selwood), then every time they watched Thorp they would have seen another guy who played juniors with him...Jack Reiwoldt, who went pick 13.

There were no doubts whatsoever over Franklin and Roughead at that stage.

Franklin missed the first half of '06 with an injury but kicked 30 goals between Rounds 12-22, including 2 bags of 6, as a 19 year old. He looked a superstar already and came out the next season and kicked 73 goals.

Roughead was holding down CHB (as an 18 and 19 year old) and looked great in the role. So much so that (annoying) Hawthorn supporters were calling for him to play CHB every season for the rest of his career, even when he was winning Coleman's and AA's as a ruck/forward.

When it came to that draft, Hawthorn were simply interested in best available at the early part of the draft (and felt Thorp could be key forward and Roughie CHB if it worked out that way). The decision was down to Thorp vs Selwood with the room split as some felt Selwood was the slight better player but Thorp ended up being chosen as there were question marks over Selwood's injury (had badly hurt his shoulder) and Hawthorn had used the same high pick the year before to select Beau Dowler who had slid due to serious injury. Riewoldt was never in the mix at that pick - not for Hawthorn or anyone else (and everyone had Thorp a top 6-7 talent).

As it turned out, Selwood (whilst having it tightly strapped through most of his career) was never really hampered by his injury whilst Dowler's basically ended his career.

 

[Nugett]

Like Hodge. Pick 1. Missed out on Luke Ball, Chris Judd and Gary Ablett jnr. And Xav Clarke. Mike Sheenan thought that GAJ deserved the Norm Smith Medal in 2008. Wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted GAJ to win the Norm again in 2010…

In all seriousness the only bust from the 2001 superdraft would have been Daniel Elstone with pick 20 who was delisted 2 years later never having played a game due to injuries and tight competition for spots.

 

[Nugett]

There were no doubts whatsoever over Franklin and Roughead at that stage.

Franklin missed the first half of '06 with an injury but kicked 30 goals between Rounds 12-22, including 2 bags of 6, as a 19 year old. He looked a superstar already and came out the next season and kicked 73 goals.

Roughead was holding down CHB (as an 18 and 19 year old) and looked great in the role. So much so that (annoying) Hawthorn supporters were calling for him to play CHB every season for the rest of his career, even when he was winning Coleman's and AA's as a ruck/forward.

When it came to that draft, Hawthorn were simply interested in best available at the early part of the draft (and felt Thorp could be key forward and Roughie CHB if it worked out that way). The decision was down to Thorp vs Selwood with the room split as some felt Selwood was the slight better player but Thorp ended up being chosen as there were question marks over Selwood's injury (had badly hurt his shoulder) and Hawthorn had used the same high pick the year before to select Beau Dowler who had slid due to serious injury. Riewoldt was never in the mix at that pick - not for Hawthorn or anyone else (and everyone had Thorp a top 6-7 talent).

As it turned out, Selwood (whilst having it tightly strapped through most of his career) was never really hampered by his injury whilst Dowler's basically ended his career.

Wasn’t there also doubts about Mark Williams and suffering an injury in 2007. Remember Williams missing most of 2007, due to injury.

 

[Mofra]

The decision by the swans back in the day to give North both Carey and Longmire for very very little.

 

[RUNVS]

Paddy Mccartin

The shame about Paddy is if his body had held out he was easily a 250 game player. He and his brother were a great defensive duo in 2022.