The 2018 AFL NAB National Draft kicks off its two-day affair this year with the first round selected on Thursday November 22nd and the rest of the draft completed on Friday November 23rd.
In the lead up to the draft, Sporting News will bring you the history of each pick - including who got it right (or wrong) through the years.
Pick 9: GWS GIANTS
(From Essendon in the trade for Dylan Shiel)
Who will the Giants be likely to draft?
GWS holds pick nine and 11, so they will be hopeful of having some control over who they take with both this and the later pick.
The Giants’ most pressing need is a ruckman, but with the 19th and 25th selections also up their sleeves that can wait. These early choices will be used on ‘the best available and least likely to leave in two years’ time’.
Ben King (VIC): 202cm, 85kg
Depending on the draft-day strategies of Carlton and Gold Coast, there’s a chance King could slip through to GWS’ selection. He can play forward or back and is an exciting prospect.
Connor Rozee (SA): 185cm, 71kg
It’s doubtful the gun South Australian will get past Adelaide’s pick at 8, but if the Crows package a couple of picks to move higher in pursuit of Jack Lukosius or Izak Rankine, then Rozee will be a Giant.
History of AFL draft pick 9
Most games played:
255 Chad Cornes (Port Adelaide 1997)
Least games played:
0 Luke Molan (Melbourne 2001)
Molan is the only top-10 selection this century to fail to take the field in an AFL game.
Games by players selected with pick 9
Average: 93.8
Games played in completed careers
0-49: 7
50-99: 4
100-149: 6
150-199: 1
200+: 3
The best pick 9s
Martin Pike (Melbourne 1992): 247 games (24 at Melbourne, 36 at Fitzroy, 81 at North Melbourne, 106 at Brisbane), four-time premiership player (1999 North Melbourne, 2001, 2002, 2003 Brisbane)
Chad Cornes (Port Adelaide 1997): 255 games (239 at Port Adelaide, 16 at GWS), premiership player (2004)
Ben McEvoy (St Kilda 2007): 187 games (91 at St Kilda, 96 at Hawthorn), two-time premiership player (2014, 2015)
Something to tell the boys at the pub
Despite having only one player who never played an AFL game at senior level, and just seven that failed to reach 50, pick nine has never produced a best and fairest winner. The selection has also only had five premiership players for a total of nine flags, four from the enigmatic Martin Pike. The others to salute on the last day in September are Ben McEvoy (2014, 2015), Chad Cornes (2004), and Nick Vlastuin and Dion Prestia (both in 2017).
