Former Hawthorn recruiting manager John Turnbull lost his job because he picked Luke Hodge instead of Chris Judd in the 2001 Superdraft.
That's the view of Peter Schwab, who was coaching the club at the time.
The Hawks made a preliminary final in 2001, missing the grand final by less than three goals, and traded one of their best up-and-coming players to secure the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Supporters protested outside Glenferrie Oval when it became clear the Hawks were willing to send Trent Croad, drafted just three years earlier with a top-three pick, to Fremantle.
In the third episode of Superdraft 2001 – a four-part podcast revisiting arguably the best AFL draft of all-time – Schwab and Turnbull discuss their enormous decision to trade Croad.
Schwab was called before the board to explain why it was a good decision to move Croad on, and was forced to attend a members meeting where he refused to answer any questions.
The pair also discuss the decision to draft Hodge over Judd and Luke Ball, and the lengths they went to to feel certain the 17-year-old from Colac would recover from the debilitating groin injury that severely hampered his draft year.
While Hodge took time to find his feet, Judd starred for West Coast from his first game and won a Brownlow Medal in just his third season.
His success, said Schwab, prompted some people within Hawthorn to judge Turnbull's decision far too soon. The recruiting manager left the club after the 2003 draft.
Hodge went on to become a four-time premiership player, club captain, two-time Norm Smith Medal winner and a heart-and-soul Hawthorn champion.
He looks set to become the 2001 draft's fourth 300-game player in 2017, alongside Nick Dal Santo, Jimmy Bartel and Sam Mitchell.
Mitchell, who will finish his career at West Coast after being traded there last month, was pick 36 in the same draft.
"They made a decision on John [at the end of 2003] and I said, well, how do you know?" Schwab said.
"How are you assessing his performance, because none of these players have had any chance. Prior to that I think John had selected well.
"People make decisions in footy clubs and you hope they always make them for what they think is better for the club, but at that point in time I didn't think that was fair to John.
"You couldn't accurately assess what had happened, and it hinged pretty much on Luke. I hate Luke feeling that pressure, but it did."
Turnbull, for his part, never questioned his decision to go with Hodge, despite the immediate and intense scrutiny.
"The criticism that came, and the commentary that came, came too quickly," he said. "It was misguided and came from inside and outside the club."
The 2001 draft produced five club captains, six Brownlow medallists, six Norm Smith Medal winners, eight MVP awards and multiple All Australians.
The careers of Hodge, Judd, Ball, Sam Mitchell, Gary Ablett, Dane Swan, Steve Johnson, Nick Dal Santo, Jimmy Bartel, Leigh Montagna, James Kelly, Brian Lake and others all began that day.
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