Any Bulldogs fans feeling superstitious about heading to the 2019 NAB AFL National Draft with selection 13?
Unlucky 13, you might ask? Well, not according to the Bulldog history books.
Only once has the Club read out a player’s name at pick 13 in the National Draft, and he turned out to be a pretty handy player.
He was a skinny flanker from Warragul named Robert Murphy. You may remember him…
Of course, the national draft is a little different these days, with potential father-son and academy bids changing the live selection order during the event, but let’s not let that fact get in the way of a good story.
Murphy went on to play 312 games for the red, white and blue, in what turned out to be a Draft bonanza for the Dogs.
In short, the Club absolutely nailed their selections at the Draft table 20 years ago.
GLORY DAYS PODCAST: BOB MURPHY CATCHES UP WITH OLD TEAM-MATE, ROHAN SMITH
With their second round pick, Daniel Giansiracusa arrived (265 games). It then cashed in with its three third round selections – Patrick Wiggins (12 games), Mitch Hahn (181) and Lindsay Gilbee (203).
To finish things off, Ryan Hargrave made his way to the Kennel with pick 66, and he also became a 200-game player.
Those six recruits combined for 1179 quality games for the Bulldogs.
Here’s hoping the number 13 gives us more luck on November 27.
