# 1997 AFL draft

The 1997 AFL Draft was held at the conclusion of the 1997 Australian Football League (AFL) season. A Pre-season Draft and the second Rookie Draft were held prior to the 1998 season.
It is considered to have been one of the most successful drafts ever, with the top 11 selections each playing over 100 games of AFL football. Other significant selections include Brownlow Medalists Simon Black at 31 and Adam Goodes at 43, as well as future Hawthorn captain Richie Vandenberg and Port Adelaide and Carlton star Nick Stevens. Black and Goodes played in seven Grand Finals between them from 2001 to 2012, Black winning three and Goodes winning two. Another notable player from this draft was Matthew Scarlett, who played a pivotal role in Geelong's 2007, 2009 and 2011 premierships.
The Melbourne Demons received the first two picks in the draft: one for finishing bottom of the ladder and a Priority Pick for winning just 4 games. Melbourne traded pick no.2 to Fremantle in exchange for Jeff White. Fremantle traded this pick to Richmond in exchange for Chris Bond.
In total, there were 86 picks to be drafted between the 16 competing teams.

## 1997 national draft

| Pick | Player | Recruited from | Club |
| 1 | Travis Johnstone | Dandenong Stingrays | Melbourne |
| 2 | Brad Ottens | Glenelg | Richmond |
| 3 | Trent Croad | Dandenong Stingrays | Hawthorn |
| 4 | Mark Bolton | Eastern Ranges | Essendon |
| 5 | Luke Power | Oakleigh Chargers | Brisbane Lions |
| 6 | James Walker | North Ballarat Rebels | Fremantle |
| 7 | Kris Massie | Dandenong Stingrays | Carlton |
| 8 | Chris Tarrant | Bendigo Pioneers | Collingwood |
| 9 | Chad Cornes | Glenelg | Port Adelaide |
| 10 | Shane O'Bree | North Ballarat Rebels | Brisbane Lions |
| 11 | Jason Saddington | Eastern Ranges | Sydney Swans |
| 12 | Jaxon Crabb | Claremont | West Coast Eagles |
| 13 | Callum Chambers | Gippsland Power | West Coast Eagles |
| 14 | Shannon Watt | North Ballarat Rebels | North Melbourne |
| 15 | Joel McKay | Murray Bushrangers | Geelong |
| 16 | Ben Walton | Central District | St Kilda |
| 17 | Lance Picioane | Western Jets | Adelaide |
| 18 | Mark Alvey | Bendigo Pioneers | Western Bulldogs |
| 19 | Chris Obst | Western Jets | Hawthorn |
| 20 | Dean Solomon | Bendigo Pioneers | Essendon |
| 21 | Clem Michael | South Fremantle | Fremantle |
| 22 | Troy Longmuir | West Perth | Melbourne |
| 23 | Adam Chatfield | NSW/ACT Rams | Carlton |
| 24 | James Wasley | Norwood | Collingwood |
| 25 | Nick Stevens | Preston Knights | Port Adelaide |
| 26 | Brodie Holland | Tassie Mariners | Fremantle |
| 27 | Brad Stephens | Murray Bushrangers | North Melbourne |
| 28 | Rowan Jones | Claremont | West Coast Eagles |
| 29 | Marc Woolnough | Southport | Geelong |
| 30 | Paul McMahon | Bendigo Pioneers | North Melbourne |
| 31 | Simon Black | East Fremantle | Brisbane Lions |
| 32 | Troy Johnson | South Fremantle | Fremantle |
| 33 | James Thiessen | Norwood | Adelaide |
| 34 | Andrew Williams | Dandenong Stingrays | West Coast Eagles |
| 35 | Marcus Baldwin | Calder Cannons | Hawthorn |
| 36 | Judd Lalich | East Perth | Essendon |
| 37 | Todd Holmes | Subiaco | West Coast Eagles |
| 38 | James Rahilly | Geelong Falcons | Geelong |
| 39 | Matthew Blake | Bendigo Pioneers | Melbourne |
| 40 | Fred Campbell | Bendigo Pioneers | Sydney Swans |
| 41 | Danny Morton | North Adelaide | Port Adelaide |
| 42 | Matthew Dennis | Old Brighton | Hawthorn |
| 43 | Adam Goodes | North Ballarat Rebels | Sydney Swans |
| 44 | David Antonowicz | Western Jets | West Coast Eagles |
| 45 | Matthew Scarlett | Geelong Falcons | Geelong |
| 46 | Joshua Robertson | Murray Bushrangers | North Melbourne |
| 47 | Robert Stevenson | Essendon | Western Bulldogs |
| 48 | Ben Thompson | Glenelg | St Kilda |
| 49 | Ian Perrie | East Perth | Adelaide |
| 50 | Luke Ottens | Glenelg | Melbourne |
| 51 | Scott Ralph | Morningside | Brisbane Lions |
| 52 | Jordan Doering | Bendigo Pioneers | Essendon |
| 53 | Lionel Proctor | Preston Knights | Richmond |
| 54 | Justin Wood | Tassie Mariners | Geelong |
| 55 | Craig Black | Dandenong Stingrays | Carlton |
| 56 | Ben Kinnear | Central District | Collingwood |
| 57 | Darren Fraser | Essendon | Port Adelaide |
| 58 | Marcus Picken | North Ballarat Rebels | Brisbane Lions |
| 59 | Brett Rose | Eastern Ranges | Sydney Swans |
| 60 | Phillip Read | East Fremantle | West Coast Eagles |
| 61 | Tim Finocchiaro | Eastern Ranges | Geelong |
| 62 | Dion Miles | North Melbourne | North Melbourne |
| 63 | Anthony Aloi | Western Jets | Western Bulldogs |
| 64 | Sam Cranage | North Ballarat Rebels | St Kilda |
| 65 | Linden Stevens | Sturt | Adelaide |
| 66 | Nathan Brown | West Adelaide | Melbourne |
| 67 | Brad Lloyd | Hawthorn | Hawthorn |
| 68 | Simon Eastaugh | Norwood | Essendon |
| 69 | Paul Greenham | Port Melbourne | Richmond |
| 70 | Trent Hoppner | Preston Knights | Carlton |
| 71 | Andrew Kellaway | Richmond | Richmond |
| 72 | Pass | | Port Adelaide |
| 73 | Beau McDonald | Swan Districts | Brisbane Lions |
| 74 | Paul Digiovine | Oakleigh Chargers | Western Bulldogs |
| 75 | Brent Cowell | Gippsland Power | St Kilda |
| 76 | Pass | | Adelaide |
| 77 | Guy Rigoni | Myrtleford | Melbourne |
| 78 | Richie Vandenberg | University Blues | Hawthorn |
| 79 | Pass | | Richmond |
| 80 | John Hynes | Prahran Dragons | Carlton |
| 81 | Troy Kirwen | Preston Knights | Collingwood |
| 82 | Nathan Thompson | Bendigo Pioneers | Hawthorn |
| 83 | Ben Thompson | Northern Eagles | Carlton |
| 84 | Frankie Raso | Preston Knights | Collingwood |
| 85 | Hayden Burgiel | Gippsland Power | Hawthorn |
| 86 | Scott Whiston | Central District | Collingwood |

## 1998 pre-season draft

| Pick | Player | Recruited from | Club |
| 1 | Jamie Shanahan | St Kilda | Melbourne |
| 2 | Joel Smith | St Kilda | Hawthorn |
| 3 | Matthew Bode | Glenelg Football Club | Port Adelaide |
| 4 | Adam Coughlan | Sandringham Zebras | Sydney Swans |
| 5 | Damian Houlihan | Tatura Football Club | North Melbourne |
| 6 | Scott Taylor | Western Bulldogs | Western Bulldogs |
| 7 | Matthew Carr | East Fremantle Football Club | St Kilda |
| 8 | Pass | | Adelaide Crows |
| 9 | Jason Daniltchenko | North Melbourne | Hawthorn |
| 10 | Brady Anderson | East Perth Football Club | North Melbourne |
| 11 | Jamie Elliott | St Kilda | St Kilda |
| 12 | Haydon Kilmartin | East Fremantle Football Club | Hawthorn |
| 13 | Pass | | St Kilda |
| 14 | Pass | | Hawthorn |

## 1998 rookie draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Recruited from | Club |
| 1 | 1 | Luke Williams | Oakleigh Chargers | Melbourne |
| 1 | 2 | Stephen Jurica | Richmond | Hawthorn |
| 1 | 3 | Dean Rioli | South Fremantle | Essendon |
| 1 | 4 | Chris Bossong | St Kevins Old Boys | Richmond |
| 1 | 5 | Brad Dodd | East Fremantle | Fremantle |
| 1 | 6 | Simon Fletcher | Geelong | Carlton |
| 1 | 7 | George Bakoulas | Calder Cannons | Collingwood |
| 1 | 8 | Barnaby French | Sturt | Port Adelaide |
| 1 | 9 | Passed | N/A | Brisbane Lions |
| 1 | 10 | Mark Brown | Numurkah | Sydney |
| 1 | 11 | Conrad Chambers | East Fremantle | West Coast |
| 1 | 12 | Paul Lindsay | East Fremantle | Geelong |
| 1 | 13 | David Round | Western Bulldogs | North Melbourne |
| 1 | 14 | Lincoln Reynolds | Geelong Falcons | Western Bulldogs |
| 1 | 15 | Lachlan Brown | St Kilda (reserves) | St Kilda |
| 1 | 16 | Ben Marsh | West Adelaide | Adelaide |
| 2 | 17 | Jamie Cann | Calder Cannons | Melbourne |
| 2 | 18 | Glen Bowyer | Murray Bushrangers | Hawthorn |
| 2 | 19 | Winis Imbi | North Ballarat Rebels | Essendon |
| 2 | 20 | Greg Tivendale | Gippsland Power | Richmond |
| 2 | 21 | Paul Maher | Perth | Fremantle |
| 2 | 22 | Damian Lang | Port Adelaide | Carlton |
| 2 | 23 | Mark Matthews | Box Hill | Collingwood |
| 2 | 24 | Passed | N/A | Hawthorn |
| 2 | 25 | Anthony Sheehan | Port Adelaide | Port Adelaide |
| 2 | 26 | Jac Crow | Maribyrnong Sports Academy | Melbourne |
| 2 | 27 | Brad McMahon | Southport | Sydney |
| 2 | 28 | Chad Fletcher | Subiaco | West Coast |
| 2 | 29 | Chris Hemley | St Kilda | Geelong |
| 2 | 30 | Craig Folino | Eastern Ranges | North Melbourne |
| 2 | 31 | Shaun Tinsley | Port Melbourne | Western Bulldogs |
| 2 | 32 | Passed | N/A | St Kilda |
| 2 | 33 | Tim Davis | North Adelaide | Adelaide |
| 3 | 34 | Ben Beams | Glenorchy | Melbourne |
| 3 | 35 | Robert Di Rosa | Western Bulldogs | Essendon |
| 3 | 36 | Ben Hollands | North Albury | Richmond |
| 3 | 37 | Cameron Jackson | Central U18 | Fremantle |
| 3 | 38 | Scott Freeborn | Port Adelaide | Carlton |
| 3 | 39 | Tarkyn Lockyer | East Fremantle | Collingwood |
| 3 | 40 | Passed | N/A | Port Adelaide |
| 3 | 41 | Passed | N/A | Brisbane Lions |
| 3 | 42 | Jason McPherson | Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong | Sydney |
| 3 | 43 | Laurie Bellotti | Claremont | West Coast |
| 3 | 44 | Shaun Baxter | Western Bulldogs | Geelong |
| 3 | 45 | Julian Kirzner | North Melbourne | North Melbourne |
| 3 | 45 | Passed | N/A | Western Bulldogs |
| 3 | 47 | Passed | N/A | St Kilda |
| 3 | 48 | Sudjai Cook | Norwood | Adelaide |
| 4 | 49 | Peter Walsh | West Adelaide | Melbourne |
| 4 | 50 | Passed | N/A | Hawthorn |
| 4 | 51 | Lachlan Oakley | Sandringham | Essendon |
| 4 | 52 | Passed | N/A | Richmond |
| 4 | 53 | John Neesham | East Fremantle | Fremantle |
| 4 | 54 | Shane Flynn | Carlton (reserves) | Carlton |
| 4 | 55 | Adam Collings | East Fremantle | Collingwood |
| 4 | 56 | Passed | N/A | Port Adelaide |
| 4 | 57 | Passed | N/A | Brisbane Lions |
| 4 | 58 | Passed | N/A | Sydney |
| 4 | 59 | Heath Younie | Murray Bushrangers | West Coast |
| 4 | 60 | Passed | N/A | Geelong |
| 4 | 61 | Wade Kingsley | Kangaroos | Kangaroos |
| 4 | 62 | Passed | N/A | Western Bulldogs |
| 4 | 63 | Passed | N/A | St Kilda |
| 4 | 64 | Steven Hall | Woodville-West Torrens | Adelaide |
| 4 | 65 | Matthew Bishop | Melbourne (reserves) | Melbourne |
| 5 | 66 | Passed | N/A | Hawthorn |
| 5 | 67 | Mark Johnson | Essendon | Essendon |
| 5 | 68 | Passed | N/A | Richmond |
| 5 | 69 | Passed | N/A | Fremantle |
| 5 | 70 | Cameron Blight | Tassie Mariners | Sydney |
| 5 | 71 | Frankie Dimmatina | Oakleigh Chargers | Collingwood |
| 5 | 72 | Passed | N/A | Port Adelaide |
| 5 | 73 | Passed | N/A | Brisbane Lions |
| 5 | 74 | James Byrne | Sydney (reserves) | Sydney |
| 5 | 75 | Todd Nener | West Coast (reserves) | West Coast |
| 5 | 76 | Passed | N/A | Geelong |
| 5 | 77 | Passed | N/A | Kangaroos |
| 5 | 78 | Passed | N/A | Western Bulldogs |
| 5 | 79 | Passed | N/A | St Kilda |
| 5 | 80 | Passed | N/A | Adelaide |
| 6 | 81 | Daniel Ward | Melbourne (reserves) | Melbourne |
| 6 | 82 | Passed | N/A | Hawthorn |
| 6 | 83 | Passed | N/A | Essendon |
| 6 | 84 | Passed | N/A | Richmond |
| 6 | 85 | Passed | N/A | Fremantle |
| 6 | 86 | Clint Evans | Dandenong Stingrays | Carlton |
| 6 | 87 | Marcus Barham | Collingwood | Collingwood |
| 6 | 88 | Passed | N/A | Port Adelaide |
| 6 | 89 | Tate Day | Gold Coast | Brisbane Lions |
| 6 | 90 | Mark Livy | NSW/ACT Rams | Sydney |
| 6 | 91 | Trent Simpson | West Coast (reserves) | West Coast |
| 6 | 92 | Passed | N/A | Geelong |
| 6 | 93 | Passed | N/A | Kangaroos |
| 6 | 94 | Passed | N/A | Western Bulldogs |
| 6 | 95 | Passed | N/A | St Kilda |
| 6 | 96 | Passed | N/A | Adelaide |