There have been twenty-nine National Drafts since the league introduced the system in 1986.

Each club’s first choice is always hotly debated. Everyone looks at these young men with starry eyes, dreaming that this is the player to take their club to the promised land.

How have Collingwood’s first picks fared over time? Collingwood Media takes a look.

Did you know?

The twenty-nine players chosen with Collingwood’s first selection have played a combined total of 2,019 games, at an average of 69.6 per player.

Simon Prestigiacomo has played more games for the club (233) than any other player taken with its first selection.

Four players (Daryl Groves, Kane Purcell, Brett Chalmers and Billy Morrison) did not manage a senior game during their time at the club.

LIST: Collingwood's complete draft history.

Four players (Graham Wright, Simon Prestigiacomo, Josh Fraser and Alan Didak) played 200 games in the Black and White. A further four (Chris Tarrant, Dale Thomas, Ben Reid and Steele Sidebottom) have appeared on more than 100 occasions.

Collingwood has held the first selection in the National Draft just once. For the record, the year was 1999, and the player chosen was Josh Fraser.

1986
Grantley Fielke (West Adelaide)
Selection No. 8
Games: 16
Goals: 15

1987
Graham Wright (East Devonport)
Selection No. 3
Games: 201
Goals: 107

1988
Mark Bayliss (South Fremantle)
Selection No. 11
Games: 4
Goals: 6

1989
Daryl Groves (Maryborough)
Selection No. 10
Games: 0
Goals: 0

1990
Jason McCartney (Nhill)
Selection No. 4
Games: 38
Goals: 28

1991
Kane Purcell (North Shore)
Selection No. 30
Games: 0
Goals: 0

1992
Brett Chalmers (Port Adelaide)
Selection No. 10
Games: 0
Goals: 0

1993
Stephen Patterson (Norwood)
Selection No. 34
Games: 96
Goals: 88

1994
Ben Wilson (Norwood)
Selection No. 9
Games: 2
Goals: 0

1995
Simon Prestigiacomo (Northern U18)
Selection No. 10
Games: 233
Goals: 3

1996
Brent Tuckey (North Ballarat U18)
Selection No. 19
Games: 19
Goals: 8

1997
Chris Tarrant (Bendigo U18)
Selection No. 8
Games: 196
Goals: 307

1998
Nick Davis (NSW-ACT U18)
Selection No. 19
Games: 71
Goals: 85

1999
Josh Fraser (Murray U18)
Selection No. 1
Games: 200
Goals: 156

2000
Alan Didak (Port Adelaide)
Selection No. 3
Games: 218
Goals: 274

2001
Richard Cole (Eastern U18)
Selection No. 11
Games: 56
Goals: 6

2002
Bo Nixon (Calder U18)
Selection No. 21
Games: 3
Goals: 0

2003
Billy Morrison (Tasmania U18)
Selection No. 17
Games: 0
Goals: 0

2004
Chris Egan (Murray U18)
Selection No. 10
Games: 27
Goals: 22

2005
Dale Thomas (Gippsland U18)
Selection No. 2
Games: 157
Goals: 121

2006
Ben Reid (Murray U18)
Selection No. 8
Games: 104
Goals: 37

2007
John McCarthy (Dandenong U18)
Selection No. 31
Games: 18
Goals: 10

2008
Steele Sidebottom (Murray U18)
Selection No. 11
Games: 143
Goals: 106

2009
Luke Ball (St Kilda)
Selection No. 30
Games: 81
Goals: 33

2010
Alex Fasolo (East Fremantle)
Selection No. 45
Games: 69
Goals: 79

2011
Jackson Paine (Sandringham U18)
Selection No. 50
Games: 6
Goals: 8

2012
Brodie Grundy (Sturt)
Selection No. 18
Games: 41
Goals: 12

2013
Matthew Scharenberg (Glenelg)
Selection No. 6
Games: 4
Goals: 0

2014
Jordan De Goey (Oakleigh U18)
Selection No. 5
Games: 16
Goals: 6

Note: All games and goals listed reference those done while playing for Collingwood. Achievements at other clubs are not referenced.