In the lead-up to the 2011 AFL pre-season draft on Tuesday, December 13, Tony Greenberg takes a look at Richmond’s history of pre-season picks . . .

Darren Gaspar ranks as the standout selection by Richmond since the pre-season Draft’s inception in 1989.

Gaspar, originally from WA club South Fremantle, was a teenager, with two years AFL experience under his belt at the Sydney Swans (21 games), when the Tigers swooped and snared him with their first pick (No. 3 overall) in the 1996 pre-season draft.

The wiry key defender would go on to have a stellar career at Tigerland, playing 207 games from 1996-07, winning the Jack Dyer Medal in the Club’s 2001 finals year, and earning All-Australian selection twice.

Another interstate player, who pulled on the famous Yellow and Black colors, following a stint at a rival league club, is the second-best performed of Richmond’s pre-season picks.

Chris Bond had played senior football in Tasmania with the Wynyard and North Hobart clubs, before crossing Bass Strait to play for Carlton.

Bond spent three seasons with the Blues, for a total of 22 senior games, and then moved to Richmond, where he maximised his opportunities, thriving at his new football home in his role as an on-ball tagger.

He won the Jack Dyer Medal in 1994 and played a pivotal role in the Tigers’ finals campaign the following year.

All-up, Bond played 100 games for Richmond, providing the Club with fine service throughout his five-season career at Punt Road.

Of all the players Richmond (or any other club for that matter) has picked up via the pre-season draft, none have created anywhere near the media frenzy that West Coast premiership player, Brownlow Medallist and former captain, Ben Cousins, did when he was drafted by the Tigers in mid-December 2009.

Cousins spent just two seasons at Tigerland (32 games), but had a profound impact due to his total professionalism and top-class football skills, even in the twilight of his illustrious league career.

The full list of Richmond’s pre-season draft selections since 1989 is:

1989
No. 5 - Jeremy Crough, from West Coast, 0 games.
No. 19 - Matt Richardson, from West Coast, 0 games.
No. 33 - Stuart Griffiths, from Old Melburnians, 17 games.

1990
No. 1 - David Cloke, from Collingwood, 21 games this draft.
No. 7 - David Williams, from Melbourne, 0 games.
No. 21 - Chris Martin, from Hawthorn, 0 games.
No. 35 - David Sullivan, from Camberwell, 0 games.

1991
No. 4 - Mark Trewella, from Fitzroy, 4 games.
No. 10 - Andrew Underwood, from Essendon, 12 games.
No. 27 - John Mrakov, from Collingwood, 8 games.
No. 41 - David Cloke from Richmond, 22 games this draft.

1992
No. 3 - Mark McQueen, from Richmond, 29 games this draft.
No. 17 - David Honybun, from Richmond, 16 games this draft.
No. 31 - Brad Gwilliam, from West Coast, 4 games.
No. 44 - Simon Dennis, from Richmond, 2 games.
No. 52 - Adam Jones, from Xavier College, 0 games.

1993
No. 7 - Stuart Steele, from Hawthorn, 2 games.
No. 23 - Chris Bond, from Carlton, 100 games.
No. 37 - Simon Verbeek, from Carlton, 0 games.
No. 51 - Simon Eishold, from Melbourne, 5 games.
No. 63 - Tim Livingstone, from Richmond, 6 games this draft.
No. 72 - Adam Jones, from Richmond, 0 games.

1994
No. 3 - Jamie Elliott, from Fitzroy, 9 games.
No. 7 - Haydn Robins, from Melbourne, 4 games.
No. 23 - Adam Slater, from Richmond, 3 games.

1995
No. 9 - Stuart Wigney, from Adelaide, 14 games.
No. 23 - Mark McQueen, from Woodville-West Torrens, 0 games this draft.

1996
No. 3 - Darren Gaspar, from Sydney, 207 games.

1997
No. 6 - Brett Evans, from Springvale, 28 games.

1998
Nil

1999
No. 6 - Clay Sampson, from Adelaide, 27 games.

2000
Nil

2001
Nil

2002
Nil

2003
Nil

2004
No. 4 - Ben Marsh, from Adelaide, 7 games.

2005
No. 1 - Trent Knobel, from St Kilda, 21 games.

2006
No. 5 - Matt White, from Calder Cannons, 82 games.

2007
No. 6 - Kent Kingsley, from Geelong, 3 games.

2008
No. 1 - David Gourdis, from Subiaco, 0 games this draft.

2009
No. 6 - Ben Cousins, from West Coast, 32 games.

2010
No. 2 - Dylan Grimes, from Northern Knights, 8 games.

2011
No. 3 - Bachar Houli, from Essendon, 22 games.blog comments powered by Disqus