The biggest AFL draft steals ever: Incredible story of how Geelong stumbled upon generational defender
The biggest AFL draft steals in history
While the top of the AFL draft is always packed with starpower, some of the league's best players have been an afterthought.
Adam Goodes, James Hird and Gary Ablett are all examples of why every single draft pick holds value.
Here is a look at some of the best steals in the history of the AFL draft.
Tom Stewart: Pick 40, 2016
Geelong struck gold with the 40th pick in the 2016 draft, picking up Tom Stewart, who has become one of the AFL's best defenders.
Stewart has notched five All-Australian appearances in his first six seasons and was incredibly discovered by another man on this list: Geelong legend Matthew Scarlett.
Scarlett came across a talented but immature Stewart while he was a player-coach at South Barwon in 2013.
"I remember one of his first sessions down at the local footy I just paired myself up on this guy," he recalled.
"I could see that he was pretty happy with himself. We had 15 or 20 one-on-ones.
"I managed to beat him in probably all of them except one. I just reminded him that he still had a fair bit of work to go."
The pair struck a bond and Scarlett helped guide Stewart from obscurity to Geelong's VFL program and eventually their AFL team.
Adam Goodes: Pick 43, 1997
Arguably one of the most influential players of all time, Sydney's Adam Goodes was quick to make his mark on the competition.
One of only 16 multiple Brownlow medal winners (2003 and 2006), Goodes embodied everything good about being a Sydney player, competing with the true 'Bloods' culture at the forefront of his mind.
Playing 272 games, he was a 2005 and 2012 premiership player.
Most impressively, Goodes helped his side overcome Hawthorn in the 2012 grand final, carrying a debilitating knee injury, but still starring on the day.
Goodes is a four-time All-Australian and a three-time winner of the Bob Skilton club best and fairest.
Surprisingly, he played soccer growing up and never dreamed of an AFL career but became one of the most important parts of the modern game.
"I grew up playing soccer and it's definitely my first love," Goodes told The Guardian in 2020.
Gary Ablett: Pick 40, 2001 (F/S)
Geelong counted themselves lucky in the 2001 draft, able to take superstar Gary Ablett Junior at pick 40, thanks to the father/son rule.
Ablett was a generational talent, going on to win two premierships with Geelong (2007, 2009) and become a dual Brownlow medallist (2009 with Geelong, 2013 with Gold Coast).
His move to the Suns at the start of the 2011 season raised eyebrows, but the son of Gary Ablett Senior would go on to win four Gold Coast best and fairest despite shoulder injuries plaguing his time up north.
Ablett returned home to the Cattery in 2019, retiring after an astounding 357 games at the end of 2020.
Brent Harvey: Pick 47, 1995
Brent Harvey holds the all-time V/AFL games record, with 432 to his name.
The complete champion, 'Boomer' won a premiership with the North Melbourne in 1999, as well as four All-Australians and five Syd Barker best and fairests.
AFL champion Barry Hall described Harvey as "someone you hate to play against".
"That's a mark of a great player," he added.
Pretty impressive for the 175cm jet and a champion of not only the Kangaroos but the entire league.
Dane Swan: Pick 58, 2001
Collingwood's Dane Swan became a champion in the black and white, but not many would have believed so when he was selected with pick 58 back in 2001.
He would go on to play a whopping 258 games and kick 211 goals, while also being named All-Australian five times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013).
Swan went on the win the 2011 Brownlow, alongside a premiership in 2010.
Not bad for pick 58!
James Hird: Pick 79, 1990
Essendon found a gem in James Hird, selecting him with pick 79 in the 1990 draft.
The young Bomber would go on to earn five All-Australian blazers (1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2003), on top of the 1996 Brownlow.
Most importantly, he went on to become a two-time premiership player for Essendon in 1993 and 2000.
Alastair Lynch: Pick 50, 1986
Alastair Lynch became a Fitzroy, Brisbane Bears and Lions champion, who played 306 games and booted 633 goals.
A bull key forward, Lynch combined the tradition tall goal kicker with a ferocious, unforgiving modern twist.
He was part of the Lions' three premierships (2001, 2002, 2003) and was an All-Australian in 1993.
His most impressive achievement however was overcoming a chronic fatigue syndrome diagnosis at the height of his career, to become one of the champion forwards of the game.
Cameron Mooney: Pick 56, 1996
Drafted by North Melbourne, where he would play just 11 games, but also feature in their 1999 premiership, Cameron Mooney was the steal of his draft class.
After moving to Geelong in 2000, he would go on to star in the forward line in the Cats' 2007 and 2009 premierships.
The 2007 All-Australian would never hold back on the field, but made up a crucial Cats' forward line, booting 297 goals across his career.
Lining up next to Geelong greats like Paul Chapman and Steve Johnson, Mooney completed a star-studded forward line in the Cats' golden era.
Brian Lake: Pick 71, 2001
Drafted originally to the Western Bulldogs, Brian Lake carried all the traits of the old-school defender.
He played 251 games, but his most important came in the 2013 grand final for his new side, Hawthorn, where he went on to claim the Norm Smith medal.
In his three years in the brown and gold, he won three flags, a pretty impressive achievement for the 71st pick!
He is also a two-time All-Australian (2009, 2010).
