With the 2018 season looming, the eyes of the footy world will be on Sydney next Friday for the NAB AFL Draft, where eager young footballers across the country will hope to hear their name called and begin their AFL journeys.

The Bulldogs will take picks 9, 16 and 79 to the Sydney Convention Centre next week, and fans will no doubt be keen to see who the Dogs can pluck with two top 20 picks. 

But what of 79? While names like Bevan Smillie and Daniel Donati may not be familiar, there’s a good chance that Aaron Hamill and James Hird are.

The message?  Bargains are out there to be found, and in that spirit here are the top five Bulldogs bargains since the draft’s first year back in 1986.

1. Chris Grant

Pick 105, 1988.

Simply one of the greatest Bulldogs to ever pull on the tri-colours, Grant played 341 games and kicked 554 goals between 1990 -2007.  A former captain (200-04), a two-time Sutton Medallist (1994, 1996), a three-time All-Australian (1997, 98, 99), an AFL Hall of Fame inductee (2012) and a member of the Bulldogs Team of the Century.  Probably the very definition of a ‘bargain.

2. Daniel Cross

Pick 56, 2000

A fan favourite to this day, ‘Crossy’ epitomised everything ‘Bulldogs Football’.  The 2008 Sutton Medallist was renowned for his toughness and work ethic as much as his ability to win the football, registering 210 games over 11 seasons at VU Whitten Oval, finishing top-10 for 10 straight seasons and finishing second four times.  A heart and soul player who once told westernbulldogs.com.au he would give his guernsey a kiss before each game.  This is a guy you want on your team, and the Dogs got him at 56.  

3. Easton Wood

Pick 43, 2007

If you don’t like the way Easton Wood plays football you’ve got it all wrong; that mix of athleticism, grunt and passion has proven irresistible to Bulldogs fans since he was taken at pick 43  back in 2007.   After battling injuries early in his career, Wood emerged as an intercept marking weapon in 2015, earning a spot in the All-Australian team, and in 2016 captained the Dogs to their first flag in 62 years. Could be higher up this list when it’s all said and done.

4. Ryan Hargrave

Pick 66, 1999

A member of the 1999 ‘super draft’ that included Robert Murphy (Pick 13), Daniel Giansiracusa (Pick 32), Mitch Hahn (181) and Lindsay Gilbee (Pick 43), Hargrave makes the list over a worthy Gilbee simply because it’s not often a player selected with the 66th selection goes on to play any games let alone 203.  The Dogs knew what they hard early when he was awarded the best first year player award in 2002, and they were right, Hargrave went on to become a key cog in the Dogs’ 2008-10 preliminary final teams.

5. Caleb Daniel

Pick 46, 2014

Caleb gets the nod at number four, although fellow 2014’ers like Bailey Dale (Pick 45) and Zaine Cordy (Pick 62, 2014 – Father/Son selection) are worth mentioning and might make the list when it’s all said and done.  Dale had an exceptional finish to 2017, while Cordy, a premiership player in his 12th game, but it’s Caleb, at 167cm who stands out so far.  Still only 21, Daniel is premiership player, has averaged 20 disposals per game over 54 career games and was a runner-up in the NAB Rising Star Award in 2016.

Honourable mentions: Danny Southern (Pick 92, 1992), Brian Lake (Pick 71, 2001)