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.

Back
Next

Fremantle

Aaron Sandilands (Rookie selection)

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 9: Aaron Sandilands of the Dockers contests a boundary throw in against Nic Naitanui of the Eagles during the 2016 AFL Round 03 match between the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers at Domain Stadium, Perth on April 9, 2016. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Media/Getty Images)

Freo nailed this speculative selection when targeting big man Aaron Sandilands. A mountain who became one of the best ruckman the AFL has seen, Sandi proved incredible value.

Going on to play over 270 games for the Dockers, Sandilands' career was also hit hard by injuries, sadly costing him the chance to play 300 games.

However this doesn't diminish his achievements, winning two B&F's and becoming a four time All-Australian over his illustrious career.

Honourable mentions: Lachie Neale (pick 58), Michael Walters (pick 54), Michael Barlow (Rookie selection)

Back
Next