Former Western Bulldogs star, and new Saint, Jack Macrae is the new king of the 2012 Redraft five years after the first edition. Photos: AFL MEDIA
In the latest edition of Footyology’s brand new “Redraft Revisited” series, the class of 2012 gets the once over.
The first (and last) time we had a look at this particular draft and reorganised the order was back in 2019.
On that occasion, Brodie Grundy, fresh from back-to-back All-Australian jumpers and best-and-fairests at Collingwood, claimed top spot in the 2012 Redraft.
However, five years is a very long time in football, and since those heady days, things have gone a little pear-shaped for the big ruckman.
Firstly, he was traded by the Magpies to Melbourne with five years left on his monster seven-year deal.
Then, after failing to mesh with Max Gawn and spending most of the last two months out of the team, he was on the move again, this time to Sydney, making it three clubs in as many years for Gundy.
He certainly had a much better showing in season 2024, playing his role in helping the Swans make another grand final, but after a blistering start to the season, his back half wasn’t as impactful.
So it’s for those reasons, Grundy, who was originally taken at pick 18 by the Magpies, slipped off his Redraft perch and now finds himself at seven in the pecking order.
The new king of the 2012 Redraft is former Bulldogs star, and new St Kilda recruit, Jack Macrae. In the five years since this crop of players went under the microscope, the prolific ball winner has added another pair of All-Australians, taking his career tally to three, and won the 2021 Gary Ayers Medal as the best player of that finals series which saw his side make another grand final from outside the top four.
The 30-year-old fell out of favour with Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge this year, but a fresh start at Moorabbin could be just what he needs to rediscover his spark.
Initially taken at pick six in the 2012 draft, Macrae earns another nice little boost from three to one in the past five years.
Coming in at No.2 in the Redraft Revisited is electrifying GWS defender Lachie Whitfield who remains exactly where he was in 2019 – which, again, represents a tiny slide from his original ranking of No.1 some 12 years.
Whitfield has been an incredibly consistent performer for the Giants for more than a decade, and since 2019 he has won another All-Australian and best-and-fairest, taking his career tally in both honours to two.
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The hard-running and cleanly-skilled 234-gamer adds oodles of quality to the back half of the ground, and across his career he has averaged a metronomic 24 disposals (14 kicks) and six marks and has also chipped in with 71 goals.
Completing the twice-revised top 10 is recently-retired key forward Joe Daniher who, after teasing the footy world for most of his career, finally delivered the goods in his last two years, especially this season when he played a critical role in delivering the Lions a premiership.
Ever since he stepped into the Essendon Football Club for the first time, it was never a secret about how talented Daniher was, but the biggest knock on him was his capacity to put it altogether consistently and become an A-grader.
Well, after almost dragging the Lions over the line in the 2023 grand final, he went one better 12 months later with another outstanding finals series to help win them the flag.
He heads off into retirement having earned the reputation as a big game player. Over the past two finals series, he averaged 14 disposals (seven contested), six marks, seven score involvements, three goals and 333 metres gained.
And who could forget the starring role he played in Brisbane’s epic comeback from 44 points down in the semi-final against GWS when he rag-dolled one of the best defenders in the league in Sam Taylor, and booted four goals, including two pivotal ones at the death?
For his troubles, Daniher enjoys an upgrade from eight to three after originally being snapped up at 10 as a father-son selection by the Bombers in 2012.
Explosive forward, and new Giant, Jake Stringer moves up from seventh to fourth, which is an overall promotion of one spot after he was selected with pick five 12 years ago, while Brownlow Medalist Ollie Wines, who was taken at No.7 by the Power, completes the top five after being ranked 10th in 2019’s version of the Redraft.
Triple premiership Richmond defender Nick Vlastuin moves to sixth, followed by Grundy and Sydney stalwart Dane Rampe in eighth, which is a massive upgrade of 153 spots for the man taken at pick 37 in the rookie draft.
Rounding out the Redraft Revisited top 10 are dual Melbourne best-and-fairest Jack Viney, who is the only change from five years ago, replacing former teammate Lachie Hunter, and Rampe’s partner-in-crime down back in Jake Lloyd who also enjoys a huge boost of 130 spots, given he was selected in the rookie draft as well originally at pick 16.
*Redrafts only take into consideration the first time a player was drafted
