Only eleven players remain from the class of 2002. And of that crop four of those players were taken in the first seven picks – Brendon Goddard at No.1, Daniel Wells at No. 2, Jarrad McVeigh at No. 5 and Andre Mackie at No. 7.
Further down the draft order, seasoned Carlton star Kade Simpson was taken with selection No. 45, and his former Eastern Ranges teammate, Nick Malceski, was plucked 19 picks later by Sydney at No. 64.
All those who remain have had esteemed careers, full of accolades. They had to have, given their longevity in a game that chews people up and spits them out. The first three have proven worthy of their high billing with all three winning at least one club best and fairest.
Goddard has a Crichton medal (2013), Wells has a pair of Syd Barker’s (2011 and 2013) and McVeigh has two Bob Skilton’s in his trophy cabinet (2008 and 2013). Simpson also won the John Nicholls medal in 2013, so clearly that year was the year the class of 2002 flexed its muscles for the football landscape to admirer.
The final active selection from the class of 2002, Malceski, is the definition of a draft bargain. Most picks taken in this range are speculative and rarely deliver a decade of performance like the former All Australian defender.
Injury has littered Malceski’s career, preventing him from stringing multiple years of excellence together, courtesy of three knee reconstructions. In the same time it has taken Goddard to compile 269 games and McVeigh 266, Malceski has managed 192 appearances.
After 12 years in the harbour city, in a tenure that reaped a premiership and All Australian guernsey, Malceski joined the Gold Coast SUNS during the 2014 exchange period, inking a three-year deal which will see him finish his playing career at Metricon Stadium.
The 31-year-old’s first season in Carrara was below the standard he set in his final few seasons at the Swans, with a persistent knee injury not allowing him to build any continuity in his game during the early part of the season.
With a handful of stars set to return to Rodney Eade’s best 22 in 2016, expect to see Malceski raise the bar in his second year at the SUNS and work towards the form that saw him emerge as the premier half back flanker in the game 12 months ago.
When the sun finally sets on Malceski’s career, he will forever remain a bona fide draft bargain. Picks taken in the 60s aren’t expected to play significant roles in premierships, or earn All Australian selection.
Recruiting Bargains: Nick Malceski
In 2002, Sydney selected Nick Malceski with pick No. 64 in the national draft. More than a decade on, the premiership star and former All Australian defender has established himself as a draft steal.
