Like all drafts, the 2003 edition is littered with hits and misses, with some selections in hindsight still painful for clubs and recruiting bosses to reflect on. The 2003 national draft definitely won’t go down in history as one of the more successful due to an overflow of flops from the opening two rounds.
Adam Cooney (pick No. 1), Andrew Walker (No. 2), Brent Stanton (No. 13), Troy Chaplin (No. 15) and David Mundy (No. 19) all met or exceeded expectations after being claimed up the pointy end, but other than that handful, there is little other success.
Further down the chart, past former Collingwood premiership star Heath Shaw (No. 48 – father/son) and All Australian defender Sam Fisher (No. 55), is Gold Coast SUNS leader Michael Rischitelli, who Brisbane drafted from the Western Jets with selection No. 61.
Given the raft of recruiting misses clubs suffered throughout not only the first two rounds of the 2003 draft, but the entire cattle call, Rischitelli is certainly a drafting bargain, and along with Fisher and Shaw, he shares the podium in terms of recruiting coups from 2003.
Only four of the 18 players selected in the first round have played more senior games than Rischitelli’s tally of 199. Two players in the first round never registered a senior appearance and four others only managed single digits.
Rischitelli spent seven seasons at the Brisbane Lions before crossing to local rivals Gold Coast ahead of the SUNS inception in 2011. During his time at the Gabba, the reliable midfielder played 111 games and won the 2010 Merrett-Murray medal.
The Victorian enjoyed a strong first season at Metricon Stadium, averaging 23.7 possessions across 21 appearances, before injury dogged his next two seasons at the SUNS.
In 2014 he returned to form and full fitness managing 21 games, and then last season Rischitelli produced his best season at Gold Coast, playing all but one game to finish fifth in the best and fairest, as well as performing a critical leadership duty in the absence of Gary Ablett.
At 29, Rischitelli still has some football in him yet and should march towards the 250 game barrier in the coming years. Regardless of how many games he finishes on, the former No. 61 pick is clearly a bargain recruit given the service he has produced over the last decade. And in a year remembered somewhat nightmarishly for what it didn’t produce, Rischitelli is a bona fide drafting bargain.
Recruiting Bargains: Michael Rischitelli
The 2003 national draft definitely won’t go down in history as one of the more successful due to an overflow of flops from the opening two rounds, but at No. 61, sat Michael Rischitelli.
