Draft blunders v rookie gems: Highlighting the importance of list management

A collective of struggling AFL coaches have already been subject to severe heat just weeks into the 2026 season.

Garry Lyon believes they shouldn’t be the sole culprits.

Looking particularly into the cases of Brad Scott at the Bombers and Michael Voss at the Blues, Lyon argues that poor list management decisions are a major reason for those clubs' continued failures.

From missed first-round picks to unsuccessful gambles, both clubs have a history of narrowly missing at the draft table - take Elijah Tsatas at Pick 5, or Paddy Dow at Pick 3 as examples.

Diving deep into the recent successes of other clubs at the draft table, Lyon listed out a range of rookie selections that have changed the fortunes of their sides, suggesting the importance of nailing recruitment opportunities.

“Josh Treacy was a rookie. These are players that every single club had a crack at, and Fremantle took the punt,” Lyon told SEN Breakfast.

“Jai Newcombe, Ollie Dempsey, Cal Wilkie, Jack Sinclair. Max Hall was a mid-season rookie.

“Liam Baker, Tom Atkins, Mark Blicavs, Brody Mihocek, Jack Henry, Rowan Marshall, Cam Zurhaar, Dan Houston, Tom Papley, Jayden Short, Charlie Cameron… these are all rookie listed players that get through.

“Sam Durham was a mid-season rookie. Patrick Voss, Ned Long, most recently Tom McCarthy and Michael Sellwood. Cooper Trembath from North Melbourne.

“These are the things that can help build your football club up. I look at my football club; that’s how we get better. You’ve got to nail the picks.

“I’m not sure Carlton and Essendon have nailed the picks when you go back and have a look at it, and now you’re paying the ultimate price for it.

“Yeah, Brad Scott is copping it in the neck, but geez, you’d love it if Nik Cox and Archie Perkins and Ben Hobbs were all playing to the level. Elijah Tsatas – he hasn’t played!

“The coaches are copping it in the neck, but it’s all in the picking. It’s about time we acknowledge these blokes and put some pressure on them.

“I follow my team’s pickings more than anyone else, and there’s a reason that Tim Lamb and Jason Taylor are being targeted by opposition clubs – they’ve got it right more often than not!

“Jack Steele gets added for next to nothing and has 16 tackles and puts Patrick Cripps to sleep in the second half. Brody Mihocek, in his short time.

“There are also pickings in the trade period that you can identify what you’ve got.”

While Tim Watson understands the importance of nailing selections, he argues that it’s far from a simple task.

“It’s not an exact science,” Watson added.

“Let’s not think that every recruiter out there should get every pick correct. It can be tough to do that projection about where you see somebody and what you believe that they are capable of moving to overtime.

“Sometimes, you just don’t get it right for whatever reason.”

Lyon: “I don’t expect anyone to have 100 per cent strike rate by any stretch of the imagination, but the importance of getting it more right than not – the Geelong Football Club have been picking the eyes out of this for how long?

“Even the rookie list – Ollie Dempsey, Tom Atkins, Marc Blicavs, Jack Henry and Tom Stewart are all premiership players!

“This is where the value lies; you’ve got to get your coach right, and your coaching setup. You’ve got to get your talent identification and your trade right, and then you’ve got to be able to develop the talent.

“They are the three pillars. If you haven’t got them sorted, you’re going nowhere.”