AFL 2013 RE-DRAFT

By Ollie Nash

The 2013 draft was dominated by the TAC Cup, with six players, including these three, coming from the underage competition. Photo: Getty Images

The 2013 AFL Draft is littered with superstar midfield talent, and the re-draft is no different. From Marcus Bontempelli to Patrick Cripps, to a fifth string star like Dom Sheed, some of the competitions best on-ballers today came from the 2013 draft. Small forwards, key defenders, and some key role players fill out this re-draft, so continue reading to see if you agree with Ollie Nash's picks.

​PICK 1: GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY – MARCUS BONTEMPELLI (ORIGINALLY PICK FOUR – WESTERN BULLDOGS)
ORIGINAL PICK: TOM BOYD
Marcus Bontempelli and Patrick Cripps are the top two in this draft by the length of the Flemington straight … and then some more. I give the Bont the nod over Cripps, but only just, with a premiership the one thing he has over the Carlton skipper. A three-time Charles Sutton Medallist, two-time All-Australian, captain and a whole host of AFL Players and Coaches Association Awards, and he isn’t even 25. He has been great so early in his career for the club, but I am looking forward to his next chapter and watching him lead this young Bulldogs outfit for the next 10 years.
 
PICK 2: GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY – PATRICK CRIPPS (ORIGINALLY PICK 13 – CARLTON)
ORIGINAL PICK: JOSH KELLY
Like the Bont, Cripps has been the story of consistency ever since he burst onto the scene. At 6-foot-4 he’s a midfielder in a key forwards body and a contested ball beast. Averages 26 disposals through his first 109 games and over 15 contested possessions a game. He has already chalked up three John Nicholls Medals, two All-Australians and a Leigh Matthews Trophy and he’s only 25. Like Bontempelli, it’s going to be exciting to watch him lead Carlton, alongside Sam Docherty, for the next 10 years as they look to get back to the premiership winning ways the Blues were so famous for in the 1980s and 1990s.

Cripps and Bontempelli have quickly become the superstars of the 2013 draft. Photo: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

PICK 3: ST KILDA – MATT CROUCH (ORIGINALLY PICK 23 – ADELAIDE)
ORIGINAL PICK: JACK BILLINGS
Picks three to five in this draft are very even and hard to pick, with three top tier midfielders to choose from. Maybe it’s my Ballarat bias, but I’ve given Matt Crouch the nod at number three. His form this season, while still collecting a lot of the footy, has been up and down. However, during Adelaide’s contending years from 2015 to 2017, Crouch was one of their most consistent performers and it showed, winning a Showdown Medal in 2016, Adelaide’s Best and Fairest in their Grand Final season of 2017, and becoming an All-Australian in the same year. Averages 28 disposals a game throughout his career, and was collecting well over 30 for three years straight from 2017 to 2019.
 
PICK 4: WESTERN BULLDOGS – JOSH KELLY (ORIGINALLY PICK TWO – GWS)
ORIGINAL PICK: MARCUS BONTEMPELLI
Josh Kelly is pure silk when he’s out in open spaces and the GWS star slots in nicely at number four. Like Crouch, he has a Best and Fairest and an All-Australian jumper from 2017, but doesn’t quiet accumulate as much of the ball, which is why I have him here. You could say he can be more damaging than Crouch, but the inconsistency with injury and form in 2018 and 2019 didn’t help his case. In saying that, he has been in super form for the Giants this season despite their rollercoaster year to date, and will be a key player to revive them, and continue their push to a premiership in the years to come.

Kelly has been the Giants most consistent midfielder in 2020. Photo: AAP

PICK 5: GOLD COAST – ZACH MERRETT (ORIGINALLY PICK 26 – ESSENDON)
ORIGINAL PICK: KADE KOLODJASHNIJ
Like the two above him, Merrett was an All-Australian in 2017, and while he has two Best and Fairest awards, we have to take into consideration that the first came during Essendon’s drug saga year, where a whole host of the senior players were suspended for 12 months. Nevertheless, he has been one of the more consistent players from this draft, playing 136 games and averaging 25 disposals per game. Has a damaging left foot, and the ability to win the ball inside or outside. A key player for Essendon’s premiership hopes in the future.
 
PICK 6: COLLINGWOOD – BEN BROWN (ORIGINALLY PICK 47 – NORTH MELBOURNE)
ORIGINAL PICK: MATTHEW SCHARENBERG
The most consistent goal kicker of the last three years, and the unluckiest not to win a Coleman Medal. The only player to kick 60 or more goals in each of the last three seasons, and doing so in a team that missed the finals in all of those years. Has played 130 games for 287 goals to date, and if North Melbourne are stupid enough to trade him at seasons end, then a contender like Collingwood, Essendon or Brisbane should be happy enough to take him off their hands.   

After missing out on three drafts, 2013 was finally Browns' year and he has made the most of his lifeline. Photo: News Corp Australia

PICK 7: BRISBANE – CHARLIE CAMERON (ORIGINALLY PICK SEVEN IN THE ROOKIE DRAFT - ADELAIDE)
ORIGINAL PICK: JAMES AISH
If you’re going off recent form then Cameron should be a lot higher and he probably will be in a couple of years, but for now he slots in at number seven. Has quickly become one of, if not the best small forwards in the competition in the last two seasons, capped off with an All-Australian guernsey in 2019. He is Brisbane’s most important player in my eyes if they are to win the premiership in the next three years, and one player they want to lock away for the future as soon as possible.
 
PICK 8: NORTH MELBOURNE - JAMES SICILY (ORIGINALLY PICK 56 – HAWTHORN)
ORIGINAL PICK: LUKE MCDONALD
Sicily has been a great find for Hawthorn post their three-peat era, first as a forward and now as one of the best intercept marking and attacking defenders in the league. He has averaged 18 disposals and six marks over his 93 games, and has provided footy fans with endless entertainment with his hot temper. Will be sorely missed by the Hawks in 2021 after rupturing his ACL, but will be a huge part of their rebuild back to the top when he returns in 2022 and beyond.

​PICK 9: MELBOURNE – DOM SHEED (ORIGINALLY PICK 11 – WEST COAST)
ORIGINAL PICK: CHRISTIAN SALEM
​This may be a bit of recency bias, but Dom Sheed has quickly become one of West Coasts’ most important and consistent midfielders over the last two seasons. As a fifth string on-baller, behind Elliot Yeo, Luke Shuey, Tim Kelly and Andrew Gaff, he’s as good as they come in the competition, and a major reason West Coast are again one of the premiership favourites this season. Averaged a career high 26 disposals in 2019 after his heroics in the 2018 Premiership, and is backing it up this season with 20 touches per game in shortened quarters. Can see a top 10 Best and Fairest finish for him this season.

Dom Sheed celebrates his match winning goal in the 2018 Grand Final. Photo: AFL Media

PICK 10: COLLINGWOOD – DARCY BYRNE-JONES (ORIGINALLY PICK 52 – PORT ADELAIDE)
ORIGINAL PICK: NATHAN FREEMAN
There are probably some bigger names that I have missed in this draft, but any real football fan will know how good Darcy Byrne-Jones is, and how important he is to Port Adelaide. With less than half the season to go he is in every experts’ All-Australian squad, and is a good chance to earn his first selection in the final 22. Hasn’t played under 20 games since debuting in 2016 and averages 17 disposals and four marks, with a great balance of defending and attacking in his game.


Cover Photo: Jono Searle/AFL Photos