The National Draft has thrown up plenty of hits and misses over the years.
In many cases, top selections may not have fulfilled expectations while buried beneath the first and second rounds buried treasure has been unearthed.
Then there’s the Preseason Draft, of which the Sydney Swans have been experts in polishing recycled or overlooked players into absolute gems.
As the 2015 National and Preseason lotteries draw near, sydneyswans.com.au takes a look at some drafts of the past to see what worked and what didn’t.
1998
The Swans were busy ahead of the 1998 National Draft, offloading a number of players to secure a couple of prize picks.
Mark Orchard and Paul Licuria made way, offloaded together for Collingwood’s Pick 3 while Brett O’Farrell found a new home at Hawthorn in exchange for Pick 4.
Orchard, who played 53 games at Collingwood and Sydney before the move back, added a further dozen games to the tally while Licuria went on to enjoy a stellar career with the Magpies.
Mark Orchard (left) and Paul Licuria (right) wore the red and white for only a short time before moving on to the Magpies.
O’Farrell managed eight games in his two seasons with the Swans before playing another 13 under Ken Judge at the Hawks.
Already with Pick 8, the Swans had set themselves up nicely after finishing sixth on the ladder at the conclusion of the home and away season.
The Swans chose Nic Fosdike with Pick 3.
Fosdike, recruited from Norwood in the South Australia National Football League, was a hard-running midfielder who debuted the following season before putting together a career spanning 164 matches.
He was a player who was described by Paul Roos at the time of his retirement in 2009 as, “always giving 100% who gained the respect of his peers, coaches and opposition”.
He was one of the best on ground in the 2005 Premiership after gathering 26 disposals against the Eagles, the most of any Swan that afternoon at the MCG.
Fosdike called time after succumbing to a knee injury.
Nic Fosdike was a no-fuss midfielder who played a vital role in the Swans' 2005 Premiership triumph.
The next youngster to arrive was a tall forward named Ryan Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald burst onto the scene by kicking five goals on debut in 2000 and winning the Sydney Swans’ Rising Star Award on the back of 10 games.
Unfortunately, Fitzgerald injured his knee at the beginning of 2001 and underwent a knee reconstruction which sidelined him for entire season.
It bought an end to his time in Sydney. Fitzgerald, originally from South Australia, was traded to Adelaide where he managed another eight games before the injury curse struck again.
He retired from the game in 2002.
The Swans’ work wasn’t finished however, using Pick 8 on Calder Cannons midfielder Jude Bolton.
Three hundred and fifty two games later, Bolton stands as one of the most revered players to have ever donned the red and white.
He was headstrong, talented and the ultimate clubman who was lucky enough to win two premierships – one of only four Swans to do so.
Jude Bolton became a stalwart of the Sydney Swans Football Club.
Heath James was next in line.
Son of South Melbourne’s Max James, Heath arrived via father-son selection (Pick 28 overall) from SANFL club Port Adelaide.
An unfortunate run of injuries plagued his time in Sydney, with the backman de-listed and redrafted twice over five seasons to manage just 18 matches.
1998 National Draft
Pick 3 – Nic Fosdike (Norwood)
Pick 4 – Ryan Fitzgerald (South Adelaide)
Pick 8 – Jude Bolton (Calder U18)
Pick 28 – Heath James (Port Adelaide)
Pick 52 – Ryan O’Connor (Essendon)
Pick 59 – Dwayne Simpson (East Fremantle)
Pick 71 – Simon Feast (Sturt)
Pick 82 – Pass
Trades
IN: Andrew Bomford (Essendon) OUT: Pick 36
Rookie Elevation
Jason McPherson (Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong)
