5 biggest one-season wonders in AFL history ft. Adrian McAdam
Consistency is a big thing in the AFL, as it is thought to be what defines great players among good ones. In this piece, we explore tangible evidence that backs that longevity is not the most trustworthy determinant of greatness.
Let's delve into five of the AFL's biggest one-season stars who shone brightly even if briefly.
5 biggest one-season wonders in AFL history ft. Adrian McAdam
5. Andrew Krakouer (2011)
After completion of the four-year term he served for assault, Krakouer was signed by Collingwood in 2010.
Krakouer kicked 35 goals in 23 games in his first season with Collingwood, finishing second in Collingwood goal kicking. He won mark of the year in 2011, averaging over 15 disposals and 1.5 goals per game.
He kicked three goals in the 2011 Grand Final and received the Alex Jesaulenko Medal for his Round 9 mark against Adelaide. He played some more in 2012 and 2013, but 2011 was his best season.
4. Jack Anthony (2009)
Anthony made his AFL debut with the Collingwood Magpies in 2008. Originally, he played as a junior forward for North Melbourne’s Diamond Creek before he was scouted by Collingwood while playing for the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup in 2005.
Three years later, he debuted for Collingwood in Round 3 of the 2008 season against Richmond, where he kicked a two-goal strike. He was dropped to the VFL a week later but returned in Round 13, securing his position on the team for the rest of that season by scoring 25 goals with an 81% aiming accuracy. He ranked 10th in the AFL for total goals and 16th in goals contributed per game.
The forward achieved a career high of 18 disposals, with four goals against Fremantle, and five tackles against Carlton. In the semi-final against Adelaide, he kicked the winning goal some 20 seconds after being allowed a free kick.
Unfortunately, Anthony's career looked downhill the next season in 2010 with an average of 0.5 goals per game. He was dropped off the senior side and demoted to the VFL team. Anthony left Collingwood at the end of the season, opting to enter the pre-season draft with Fremantle, Gold Coast and Carlton expressing interest instead of nominating for the 2010 AFL draft.
He was eventually drafted by Fremantle, entering a new phase in his career in 2011. After earning a spot in the Fremantle side of Western Derby in Round 8, he failed to score a goal, only managing eight games for the Dockers. His career subsequently seemed to fizzle out.
3. Mitch Morton (2009)
Mitch Morton’s AFL career began with him being drafted by the West Coast Eagles in 2005 under the father-son rule. By the end of the 2007 season, however, West Coast traded Morton to Richmond for draft pick 35 during the year’s AFL draft.
At Richmond, Morton rose to prominence, quickly becoming an important member of the Tigers. In 2008, he kicked 35 goals in 17 games, compared to his previous 11 goals in 12 games over three seasons with the Eagles. In 2009, he won a Michael Roach Medal as the leading goalkicker for Richmond, scoring an impressive 41 goals.
His luck seemed to flip downwards between 2010 and 2011, however, barely able to manage nine games. This fall-off resulted in his being traded to Sydney for draft pick 79 in 2011 where he played primarily in the reserve side while working to improve areas unrelated to his goalkicking. This was advised by the coach John Longmire as he awaited his debut on the senior side, which was long in coming.
Morton played for Sydney in the 2012 qualifying finals as a replacement for the injured Ben McGlynn where he kicked two goals against the Adelaide Crows and two more in the grand final against Hawthorn, somewhat redeeming himself. He retired in 2013.
2. Adrian McAdam (1993)
Indigenous Australian McAdam's most famous era was his time at North Melbourne and North Adelaide in the SANFL during the early 1990s. He also played in the Northern Territory Football League, representing Southern Districts and serving as captain of the northern territory in the Teal Cup.
In 1993, McAdam joined the North Melbourne forward line and made a sensational debut, kicking seven goals. He set the record for most goals kicked by any North Melbourne player on debut.
He continued his impressive form, kicking 10 goals against Sydney a week later and six against Footscray. He totaled 23 goals in his first three AFL games, a record yet to be broken. By the end of the season, McAdam had amassed 68 goals in 17 games.
Unfortunately, he struggled with maintaining this form moving forward in the following season, and in 1995, his league career came to an end after playing only one game. In 1996, McAdam joined Collingwood but was delisted before he could add to his 36-game stats.
1. Jason Heatley (1997)
Jason Heatley’s football career began with him as a Diamond Valley Football League player in Victoria. There, he kicked 118 goals for North Heidelberg and was eventually zoned to Fitzroy, who denied him a full forward role owing to his height deficit. He played six practice matches before the 1993 season, appearing as a full-back in three.
He was recruited by Subiaco shortly after, where he kicked 111 goals and won a Bernie Naylor Medal. He kicked the highest goal aggregate since Warren Ralph’s 128 in 1983.
Heatley’s prowess attracted AFL recruiters and in the 1993 drafts, he was picked up by the West Coast Eagles. Once again, his height cut him short, rendering him unable to make a break with the Eagles. After three games in three seasons, he was delisted in 1996.
However, Heatley continued his career as a Subiaco goalkicker and kicked 81 goals in 1994, 123 in 1995 and 55 in 1996.
In the 1996 AFL draft, St Kilda picked Heatley and he debuted in 1997. In the same season, he kicked 73 goals, earning a reputation for his shot accuracy, which contributed to his becoming a vital part of the team as lead goalkicker.
In his first game for the Saints, he kicked five goals against Collingwood in Round 3 and a personal best nine goals and one behind in Round 14 of the same year, where they won by nine goals against North Melbourne.
Heatley played in 17 of 22 matches in the 1997 AFL premiership season in which St Kilda qualified in first place for the 1997 finals where the Saints were defeated by 31 points, winning the club’s second minor premiership. He was the third-highest goalkicker in the AFL that year behind the greats Tony Modra and Saverio Rocca.
In 1998, Heatley had an average year, even though he won the team’s goalkicker award. Kicking only 27 goals the next year, 1999, the goalkicker began a descent in his career, managing a relatively measly 15 goals in seven games in 2000, after which he was delisted.