Top 10 Biggest AFL Draft Busts Since 2000 

Yeah good point I had many thoughts of having someone else 2. But yeah had him 1 cause of a very high pick and the stuff he did off the field. Glad you enjoyed man.

@@RilesMacca He was certainly a massive waste of talent. I saw him kick 6 from half forward in a game the Suns got smashed in. It looked like he was playing a different game to everyone else.

He would be at like 250 games already and at least a best and fairest award without injuries and off field drama

Yeah, good call. Morabito could really play

Yeah that was injury rather than being a flake

@@itookallthenames you can't call someone a bust due to injury when they were an obvious gun

always believed in him

always believed in his early retirement@@albertmiller2electricbooga897

Now he is gone

Facts

Still a bust. The pick was a bust not saying the player sucks

Yeah he is a bust, I was thinking of having him in but it’s cause he’s a pick 10. The other players in this video are a higher pick and most of them played less games than Gorringe too. Glad you enjoyed the vid mate.

He was a hack

Tambling had talent and was a good player he played in a dud side he was very good on his day not his fault buddy went 5 and Richmond picked him

Maybe, but Fremantle took Chris Groom and passed on Andrew McLeod

And the Crows took Ken McGregor instead of Matthew Pavlich

@@wayneperry7413 Every club took someone other than Pav, he was overlooked in that years draft, It took another year of SANFL for his talent to become clear and then went early in the next years draft before Adelaide had any chance to get him.

@@wayneperry7413 Richmond took Aaron Fiora before Pav as well iirc

True man, this video should nearly be titled be people that didn’t reach their potential because got injured. Not a very catchy RU-vid title but

That one should be top

also Jarrad Oakley Nicholls

Nobody wants to talk about big flop #1 Jack Watts

Watts played too many games. He may have still been a bust but he played over 150 games

@@Chuckakhan good point.. however many of these guys suffered injury setback and mental issues... Watts was just not good enough for number 1 and would have been dropped sooner.

Watts was actually a pretty decent place who played some good footy. Agreed a bit disappointing for a number one pick but pretty tough to dominate in the terrible environment he ended up in. How would he have ended up playing in what the demons are now. Should Melbourne have taken Nic Nat instead? Maybe. He would have just gone home anyway. Melbourne had Mark Jamar rucking at the time and he was all Australian the next year. They also had a young bloke on the rookie list who had multiple knee injuries. If they take Nic Nat they certainly move that kid on. His name is Max Gawn. When they finally trade Watts he goes to Port Adelaide for pick 31. They use that pick on Fritsch who goes on to kick 6 in a premiership team and be an excellent player. A closer look shows the pick of Watts as not the bust the Ignorant might think

From another big hawks fan, spot on.... Clarko & Wright/Buckenara didn't get much wrong, but those 2 picks were bad. Especially when Selwood was after Thorpe.

Thorp was stuck behind Franklin, Roughead and Williams. A tough forward line to break into. Even though the Hawks midfield was strong in that era, a number 6 pick should find himself a way to earn a game.

and fake E's at that!

@@harrisfrankou2368 How do you know they were fake? Unless you were there of course....

Amazing that some people can take drugs and still perform on a sports field. I can’t even have a cup of tea before light exercise without my ability being adversely affected.

He just wasted his talent by making wrong decisions that’s why I have him on there.

@@RilesMacca would you call DeGoey a bust if he wasn't given a million chances by Collingwood? Certain clubs will tolerate things more while others wont. Bennell proved worthy of the pick talent wise. McCartin is far more deserving of the bust label than Harley.

@@nathjohn3158 De goey is still playing first off and he has had a much better career than Bennell so I wouldn’t call de goey a bust at all. McCartin yes I would call him a bust, but he doesn’t meet the criteria of the video cause he’s still actively playing. It’s a very controversial number 1 choice I know that’s why I chose him.

@@RilesMacca sorry I didnt hear that part of the criteria, my bad I would have had Jack Martin and Schache over Bennell as a bust also despite them still playing. I just think we just define bust differently , a lot of these guys shouldn't have been picked as high as they were, thats what I define it as, where with Bennell I saw why he was. Remember the game vs Geelong when playing for the GC, something like 28 possies and 6 goals. Looked a top 3 player in the COMP that night.

As a Dees fan, great job nailing Molan and Toumpas, spot on with both, disappointed Lucas Cook missed out on a deserving spot on the list coz picked just outside the top 10 he might be the biggest bust of all Melbourne's and we have a lot of them.

The Toump was taken in the same draft that Melbourne took Jack Viney as a father son in the second round. For me when you consider who is a bust you look at who you ignored as an option. In this case surely it is Ollie Wines. The decision is even worse when you consider that Ollie and Jack Viney were great mates as kids and played Junior footy together. Unforgivable to think the Melbourne list manager was Todd Viney who surely knew the potential Ollie had. The only way this pick could be forgiven is if you think that if we got Ollie there’s a chance we don’t end up with Oliver and Petracca

@@tiborsol6376 Dees were keen on Ollie. But then saw Toump slide down the draft and took him. Toump was rated highly by everyone. I guess it's a lesson that you should go for what you see as valuable, and not necessarily what others think is good.

Or a NAB league highlight video ala Sam Blease

43 games

Yeah that’s a fair point, I still included those players anyway because a bust is a bust. It’s harsh but I still reckon If a players ruined by injury they’re still a bust.

@@RilesMacca I dont necessarily disagree that they are busts but I personally think they rank lower than somebody who was given every opportunity to perform and still didnt. With a bit of injury luck who knows how good Morabito or Gumbleton could have been? Maybe they could have been Brownlow and Coleman medalists whereas we know guys like Toumpas for whatever reason just werent very good

You are kidding yourself naming Jack Watts in this group. Are you aware he had a 174 game career? Did you ever even personally watch one of them. While obviously not among the best number one picks he had a decent footy career finishing in the top 6 in the b and f regularly. In his draft year the obvious better number one pick was Nic Nat. Having said that had they picked Nic Nat, who went pick 2, it was obvious he would have done his two years then gone home to WA. Melbourne had Mark JAMAR, who went on to be All Australian in 2010. They also had a young kid they liked and had as a rookie. If they take Nic Nat they certainly don’t keep that kid. You may have heard of him, his name is Max Gawn. Jack Watts was a good player, not great but certainly not a bust. In fairness to him look what he was thrown into. Expected as an underage recruit to come straight in and carry the team, a very weak team at that. Imagine what might have been if he came in to what a player like Luke Jackson has walked into. Still not convinced? When Melbourne finally traded Watts it was to Port for their first second round pick. Pick 31 overall. With that they took a kid from Coldstream called Bailey Fritsch. He’s just kicked Six goals in a grand final and won a flag. Come on Jayden, at least have a look and educate yourself next time so you don’t make a goose of yourself

@@tiborsol6376 ok you're clearly a Dees supporter and I've hit a nerve there. Yes I am aware Watts wouldn't have fit in the less than 100 game criteria and I am also aware he had talent which just makes him a bust all the more. Watts was potentially the most hyped no. 1 pick of all time until Rowell and never delivered on half of it. Yeah he played over 150 games at Melbourne but it's mainly cos as you rightly pointed out he was unlucky enough to be drafted to an absolute basket case of a club that didn't have any depth whatsoever to put pressure on his spot. As soon as he got to Port it was very clear he was just an ok player that had coasted through his career to that point and big shock, he did nothing at Port despite the fact he should have been in his prime and was surrounded by a better side to take the pressure off him. Yeah he was thrown in the deep end but so are lots of young players, Nick Daicos already has that same level of pressure put on him when Collingwood came out halfway through last year and said hed be getting a game with them already if they were allowed, and Matt Rowell walked into the worst team since the 09 Dees and was nearly the Brownlow favourite after 4 games. You can try and justify or defend him all you like but Jack Watts was, maybe somewhat unfortunately, the most disappointing number 1 pick of all time and a massive bust. Ps. Turning the compo pick 31 from his trade into a good player is a credit to the recruiting team at the time and has less than nothing to do with Watts himself.

@@jaydenatkin7241 Mate you would have to do a fair bit to upset a Dees supporter at the moment. Probably my main point about Jack is that for those of us that actually watched a lot of his footy we know he was actually a decent enough player. He’s probably the most maligned player in history and most people who saw for themselves rather than just co opted some harsh opinions from a few journalists and past players would know that. It was always weird that people were so negative about him. I’m not saying he was any better than a bit above serviceable but assessments like worst ever number 1 are crazy stuff. I think he might have Richard Loundner, Anthony Banik, John Parker and even Pat Mccartin covered. The crap surrounding Jack has been around from very early on. Think of his first game where everyone says he just got monstered by Collingwood players the first time he went near the ball. Interesting that nobody says he contested the ball, won it, got a free for a high tackle and then kicked it inside 50 and a goal was scored, it’s obviously a better story to say he got monstered, certainly there are enough fools around to just fall into that because they don’t know any better. When we traded Jack we got Bailey Fritsch who kicked six in a GF and is a premiership player. Nic Nat who was taken at number 2 behind Jack is more of a highlight real than a consistent player and notably is not a premiership player

Yeah I was thinking of putting him in.

@@RilesMacca played too many games

@@TheCleaner76 Does that matter? He played 120 odd sub standard games and was picked a head of Lewis and Franklin.

He was playing in a very poor side. I reckon I would have got close to a game. Certainly would have put my head closer to the ball than him

Outside of Freeman, they all played over a hundred… so they don’t fit the criteria here yeah?

Watts played 174 games. Hardly a bust. And he was probably given the worst introduction to AFL in the worst possible side in the last 23 years.

Was thinking of putting him in, but since he was a pick 10, the other players in this video are a higher pick and most of them played less games than Gorringe.

@@RilesMacca yeah lol

@@RilesMacca also great vid btw

We were the champs of draft busts

say that again because your comment aged well

@@sports78443 aged quite well. Saints invested pick 1 for him and got 35 games with no draft/trade return

@@The_Tradie_Trainer he returned back 2022 and had his best season and was key in sydney swans backline and probably one of the best apart from lloyd and blakey in the defence last year but he got concussed this year without concusiions he would have at least 120 games to his name and st kilda should have got petracca 1st pick because he was projected 1st then Jarrod Pickett 2nd and Paddy Mccartin 3rd

@@sports78443 1) Sydney’s backline; not St Kilda who drafted him and got nothing in the way of players/picks from Sydney in return 2) He did get concussed though and hasn’t played 120 games As it stands St Kilda got 35(?) games out of their pick 1 (bust) while Sydney have gotten 28 games out of a rookie pick which would be considered a win. Fwiw #1 picks play an average of 157 games and Paddy has managed less than half of that in his whole career, and a quarter of that if you look at his return as a number 1 draft pick.

Yeah that’s a fair call. But in my opinion even though it’s harsh, a talented player who kept on getting injured for me is still a bust.

I don't think the term is meant as a reflection on bad picks. A 'bust' may have been an excellent pick but it's simply a reflection on how the pick worked out in the end.

Yes and no, some were just pure wastes of talents that had no injuries. It’s harsh but in my eyes a bust is still a player that kept on getting injured.

It’s hard too, but if you’re not playing cause of injury, your not playing. Sure their careers could’ve been a lot better if they weren’t injured, but they’re still technically a bust.

Both players didn’t meet the criteria.

Doesn't meet the criteria for the video

this didnt age well mate

Yeah it was an over exaggerated take haha, I don't think hes too bad either. Just that a lot of people and a few I know hate him.

Yeah nah fair point man, it is for sure a controversial choice. His injuries, drugs use and off the field dramas is why I have him pick 1.

@@RilesMacca interesting video none the less

Jonathan O'Rourke was a bigger bust than Bennell

@@scdingundaroo Fair call, Bennell had a massive amount of talent but wasted it from injuries and off the field dramas, that’s why I find him as such a significant bust. Could’ve been a great player if he didn’t make the wrong choices. That’s why I have him 1.

Yeah he did, didn't play a game for them however.

Was thinking of putting him in but I couldnt really cause he won a flag and should've won a Norm Smith.

Tambling played over 100 games

I was thinking of putting him in but he played over 100 games.

Doesn't meet the criteria for the video.

Lol How did Tambling 108 games of footy for the tiges? I did not realise that

Those players didn't meet the criteria for the video.

@@RilesMacca McCartin is in the thumbnail. Great video.

@@TomMarvan part of the clickbait mate 😉 glad you enjoyed

Yeah bit harsh on the poor fellah. Had the world at his feet just couldn't get onto the paddock

Fair enough in my opinion it is harsh but I feel they are busts.

Just beat me, damn