One of the great exercises when talking footy is to debate your club's best draft steals. Sure, high draft picks are great, but everyone knows it's much easier to hit a winner with a top 10 selection than it is with a pick in the 50's. Or in the Rookie Draft for that matter.

So we've decided to put together something for you to refer to next time the debate springs up over a couple of beers.

For the purposes of this exercise, anyone drafted before pick 40 is ineligible and we've decided to keep it in the AFL era. This is by no means a complete list, every year tosses up several gems and sadly, we can't include them all.

So without further distraction, here are our biggest draft steals for every club in the competition.

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Essendon

James Hird (pick 79)

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 25: Kevin Sheedy coach of the Bombers and James Hird captain and Anzac Day Medallist hold the Anzac Day Cup after winning the round five AFL Anzac Day match between the Collingwood Magpies and the Essendon Bombers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground April 25 2004 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)
*** Local Caption *** Kevin Sheedy;James Hird

Another no brainer, James Hird is perhaps the greatest steal in AFL draft history. Being taken at pick 79, he quickly went about putting together one of the most glittering careers in the modern game.

Starting his career as a forward capable of hitting the scoreboard, Hird quickly developed into an elite midfielder with almost no weaknesses. An elite work rate coupled with sublime skill, he became an AFL icon.

His accomplishments are staggering. A two time premiership player (once as captain), he won the Norm Smith Medal in 2000. On top of that, he won the Brownlow Medal in 1996,ย  was a five time All-Australian and Essendon B&F winner while he staggeringly also won the leading goalkicker award at the Bombers, twice!

Honourable mentions: Cale Hooker (Pick 54), Orazio Fantasia (pick 55), Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (Rookie selection)

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