Nine days to go until the NAB AFL Draft, and with the next generation of AFL players to be selected next Thursday, it’s a chance to reflect on those who have gone before.
Queensland’s only number one pick, Nick Riewoldt moved to Queensland when he was nine years old, from Tasmania.
The power forward has turned into one of the AFL’s greats, playing junior football at Broadbeach and senior football for Southport.
Being the number one pick can be a double-edged sword, but that pressure has never worried the 2000 Sharks premiership player.
As a young forward, Riewoldt took time to develop, before a breakout year in 2004, which saw him take a record 256 marks in an AFL season.
Fourteen years since Riewoldt was selected as the first pick in the draft, his resume stands ahead of many others.
A six-time Saints best and fairest winner, five-time All-Australian, 2004 AFL MVP winner and St Kilda captain.
Riewoldt is one of the most respected players in the competition and has seen the highs and lows of the game, playing in three grand finals without a premiership, including an incredible 2010 drawn grand final against Collingwood.
An athletic forward, Riewoldt was a standout in his draft crop, a key figure in the Sharks’ grand final win of his draft year.
You can see the next number one draft pick selected LIVE on the Gold Coast on Thursday November 27 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
