In the lead-up to the 2011 AFL rookie draft, Tony Greenberg examines the history of Richmond’s rookie drafting . . .

Greg Tivendale, Nathan Foley, Kelvin Moore, Will Thursfield, Jake King, and Robbie Nahas have been Richmond’s biggest rookie draft success stories since the draft’s inception in 1997.

The loping, left-footed Tivendale played 188 games for Richmond from 1998-08, producing a standout season in 2001, when the Tigers last played finals football, appearing in all 25 games and polling nine Brownlow Medal votes.

Foley made the rise from rookie list to senior league ranks on the same night Nathan Brown suffered his broken leg, against Melbourne at Etihad Stadium, in Round 10 of the 2005 season.  He has gone on to become one of Richmond’s most important players, due to his pace and ball-winning ability in the midfield.  In the 2011 season, Foley made a welcome return from a horror injury run, playing all 22 games and reaching the 100-game milestone in the process.

Moore developed into the Tigers’ most reliable and versatile defender, before a serious hip injury sidelined him for the entire 2011 season.  He finished eighth in the Club’s Best and Fairest in 2010, underlining his capacity to nullify his opponents first and then create on the rebound.

Thursfield, who announced his retirement from AFL football at the end of the 2011 season, had an instant impact in the Tiger backline after winning promotion from the rookie list in 2005.  He displayed disciplined defensive skills, to negate both tall and small opposition forwards, before injuries and a lack of continuity with his football took a toll on his league career. 

King’s game has come on in leaps and bounds over the past couple of years.  Initially, after making the transition from the rookie list to senior player, he struggled to cement himself as a regular in the Richmond side.  But the move to a defensive small forward role has worked like a charm for King, and he’s become a key member of the Tiger team with his aggression and goalkicking capacity.

Nahas, elevated from the rookie list in 2009, enjoyed the best year of his three-season AFL career in 2011 on the back of a big pre-season training regime.  He kicked 29 goals, finished equal sixth in the Jack Dyer Medal, and reached the 50-game milestone along the way.

The full list of Richmond rookie draft selections since 1997 is:

1997
No. 7 - Justin Plapp, Burnie (TAS), 18 games all-up at RFC.
No. 22 - Jason Ramsey, Fitzroy, 2 games all-up at RFC.

1998
No. 4 - Chris Bossong, St Kevin’s OB, 0 games.
No. 20 - Greg Tivendale, Gippsland Power, 188 games.
No. 36 - Ben Hollands, North Albury (NSW), 8 games.

1999
No. 8 - Robbie Taylor, Richmond reserves, 0 games.
No. 23 - Teghan Henderson, Calder Cannons, 0 games.

2000
No. 5 - Ben Haynes, Western Jets, 5 games at RFC.
No. 21 - Royce Vardy, Devon-Welshpool-Wron Wron-Woodside, 34 games.
No. 37 - Robbie Taylor, Richmond reserves, 0 games.
No. 51 - Teghan Henderson, Richmond reserves, 0 games.
No. 61 - Troy Kirwen, Collingwood reserves, 0 games.

2001
No. 8 - Garth Taylor, Fremantle Dockers, 0 games.
No. 24 - Adrian Burgiel, Richmond reserves, 0 games.
No. 39 - Michael Barker, Dandenong Stingrays, 0 games.
No. 52 - Craig Ednie, Murray Bushrangers, 7 games.

2002
No. 14 - Kristian De Pasquale, Coburg, 0 games.
No. 30 - Brad D. Miller, Western Jets, 0 games.
No. 45 - Matt King, Dandenong Stingrays, 0 games.
No. 56 - Simon Hart, Coburg, 0 games.

2003
No. 3 - Kelvin Moore, Yarra Valley OB, 84 games.
No. 19 - Matthew Shir, Adelaide Crows, 0 games.
No. 35 - Adam Pickering, Carlton, 0 games.

2004
No. 4 - Nathan Foley, Geelong Falcons, 110 games.
No. 20 - Marc Dragicevic, Richmond, 2 games this draft (48 all-up).

2005
No. 1 - Will Thursfield, Sandringham Dragons, 77 games.

2006
No. 5 - Angus Graham, Calder Cannons, 47 games.
No. 21 - Jeremy Humm, West Coast Eagles, 1 game.
No. 36 - Cam Howat, Box Hill Hawks, 20 games this draft.

2007
No. 8 - Tas Clingan, North Ballarat Rebels, 0 games.
No. 24 - Jake King, Coburg, 75 games.

2008
No. 1 - Clayton Collard, Fremantle Dockers, 0 games.
No. 17 - Jarrod Silvester, Coburg, 5 games.
No. 33 - Tristan Cartledge, Essendon, 2 games.
No. 47 - Cam Howat, Richmond, 1 game this draft.

2009
No. 8 - Robin Nahas, Port Melbourne, 55 games.
No. 24 - David Gourdis, Richmond, 4 games.
No. 39 - Andrew Browne, Murray Bushrangers, 12 games.
No. 53 - Alroy Gilligan, Claremont (WA), 0 games.

2010
No. 7 - Robbie Hicks, Calder Cannons, 3 games.
No. 23 - Pat Contin, Glenelg (SA), 0 games.
No. 38 - Relton Roberts, Wanderers (NT), 2 games.
No. 51 - Nick Westhoff, West Adelaide, 0 games.
No 62 - Graham Polak, Richmond, 3 games this draft.
No. 70 - Jamie O’Reilly, Ireland, 4 games.

2011
No. 11 - Ben Jakobi, Coburg, 0 games.
No. 28 - Brad J. Miller, Melbourne, 14 games.
No. 45 - Tom Hislop, Richmond, 0 games this draft.blog comments powered by Disqus