The 2009 draft was a blessing or a curse for a number of clubs, as stunning selections and unlucky injuries would soon write as a major theme for many draftees.
A year Demon fans will try to forget for most parts, the club was gifted the first two selections of the crop. After two season their prized No.1 selection had departed and eventually their trusty number two would be plagued with injuries, leaving the club after just 86 games across eight seasons. However, an early third-round selection would soon turn those sour fans.
For many others however, they left draft night not knowing they had found a star they were soon to call their own. Many selections outside of the first round went on to become Brownlow medalists, premiership players and All-Australians - leaving many clubs to wonder "what if?".
Across the entire field, the 17-man first-round shapes very differently when given the chance of a do-over, and that's exactly what we've done.
*Certain player movements were negotiated in this draft (eg. Luke Ball to Collingwood, Matt Maguire to Brisbane), these players who arranged moves were not included in our list.
Let's begin...
Melbourne
Pick 1. Dustin Martin
What could've been Melbourne fans...Fyfe AND Dusty!?
It was damn tough separating the star duo, but we went with the once-in-a-generation type talent. The face of this Tigers dynasty, Martin is close to winning every accolade a midfielder could dream of.
The three-time Norm Smith, three-time premier and three-time Gary Ayres medallist knows when to show up. September.
That's not to say he hasn't performed as consistently in the home and away season, as Martin broke the record for most Brownlow votes in a season with 36 in 2017.
Martin hasn't played less than 20 games or dropped below an average of 20 disposals a game in each of his 10 seasons with Richmond, stacking up to 5,707 touches and 251 goals from his 225 game career. Dusty is our pick of the 2009 AFL draft.
