AFL Draft: Analysis of 30 years of data reveals which WAFL club has produced the most, and the best, AFL players

Going back to 1993 when the draft became truly national and unfettered by AFL club zoning, East Fremantle and Claremont have each produced 66 National Draft picks. The two clubs are far ahead of their WAFL rivals and are ranked 11th nationally, above all other non-Victorian breeding grounds.

However, it’s the quality of AFL players produced that gives the Sharks tie-breaking bragging rights over the Tigers. Twenty eight of those 66 draft picks have gone on to play at least 100 AFL games, double Claremont’s production.

East Fremantle’s draft strike-rate stands out among Western Australian clubs. The same applies nationally. Of clubs or pathway programs to have produced at least 20 draft picks the Sharks sit second with 42.4%.

These numbers can largely be attributed to a golden generation developed by the club between 2005 and 2007.

In this three year period, 12 picks produced nine 100-game players, including an extraordinary five from five in 2005.

Josh Kennedy (pick 4, 293 games), Paddy Ryder (7, 281), Mitch Clark (9, 106), Garrock Ibbotson (26, 177) and Andrew Swallow (43, 224) impacted from 2005, while Chris Masten (3, 215), Rhys Palmer (7, 123), Harry Taylor (17, 280) and Cale Hooker (54, 219) made their mark from the 2007 National Draft.

East Fremantle is an interesting contrast to Subiaco.

Far and away the most successful WAFL club since 1993 with nine premierships to show for it, Subiaco has only produced 28 national draft picks. In the same era that produced so many AFL stars, the Sharks won just 19 of 80 senior matches between 2003 and 2006.

The Lions sit well below the other big WAFL clubs re AFL national draftees, which perhaps shows the club’s priority was focussed on premierships rather than development.

THE SA RIVALRY

While East Fremantle owns bragging rights within Western Australia, Sandgropers have been locked in a national, 30 -year battle with South Australia for second place on the talent table behind Victoria.

Across the 30 years, Western Australia has produced 16.44% of all National Draft picks behind South Australia’s 17.83%.

Understandably, the state’s most prolific drafting year was in 1995 when the newly established Dockers had a raft of local zone selections and 28 players found themselves on AFL lists.

The two states remain almost identical in terms of talent levels.

Over the last decade, WA has produced 108 draft picks, a tick behind SA on 112. And in terms of 100 game players, WA (113) is just one player behind SA (114) over the last 30 years.

Unless we see a re-emergence of State of Origin football, the draft pick ladder may be the best guide to supremacy between the two states.

CLAREMONT IS COMING

The Sharks and Tigers may be waging a two-horse race, lengths ahead of the rest of the WAFL, but East Fremantle’s claim to first place may be about to disappear.

Claremont’s Daniel Curtin is a lock to be among the first selected in next week’s 2023 draft and two further prospects in Zane Zakostelsky and Joe Fonti are rated by CODE Sports Mark Duffield as likely draft picks. Koen Sanchez looks the only East Fremantle player with a chance of being taken.

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This is a continuation of a trend over the last decade where Claremont is providing more AFL talent - 25 draft picks since 2013 compared to East Fremantle’s 15.

Still, don’t discount the Sharks keeping the edge in quality and their reputation as WA’s No. 1 footy factory. The Sharks 2019 class of Luke Jackson, Chad Warner and Trent Rivers are already nearing 100 games and seem certain for long and successful careers.

The CODE Sports study takes in all players selected at a National Draft from outside of the AFL onto a senior AFL list starting with 1993. This includes father-son, academy and zone selections, as well as players drafted through zone picks for expansion teams. It does not include players drafted from other AFL team lists, picked in pre-season drafts, rookie drafts or elevated from rookie lists.