EVERY club at some stage lets a star slip through its fingers.

Make no mistake, watching those 'coodabeens' run around in rival teams’ colours hurts.

So, who are the biggest 'coodabeens' from each team? We take a look at the guns who could have played at your club - one current star, and one former great.

Matt Priddis: The relatively unknown midfielder trained at West Lakes in November 2005 but he didn't impress the coaching staff - the Crows had two rookies on their books by the time West Coast rookie-listed him at pick No. 31. Adelaide opted for Brad Sugars and Tom Redden instead … neither played senior football. Meanwhile, the rise of Priddis has been incredible. He took out last year's Brownlow Medal and his numbers this year suggest he could be around the mark again. The midfielder has averaged 30 possessions and more than seven tackles a game in 2015 – better figures than he posted in his Brownlow season.

Matthew Pavlich: In 1998 the Crows could only draft one 17-year-old and they opted for Ken McGregor over Matthew Pavlich. Ken was taller, was playing senior SANFL footy and appeared the better prospect. Hindsight, hey? - Harry Thring

Nick Riewoldt: If the St Kilda champion lived 20km closer to Brisbane when he was drafted, he'd probably be a Lions premiership player and all-time great of the club. Riewoldt played his junior football on the Gold Coast, which used to be within the Lions' 100km zone boundary to access local kids, before the zone was reduced to 50km. He missed by a mere 20km before being taken by the Saints at No.1 in the 2000 national draft. Imagine a young Riewoldt paired with Jonathan Brown for more than a decade...

Matthew Primus: Eight Fitzroy players headed to Brisbane when they merged with the Bears in 1996 – but not Primus. He had a hugely successful career with the Power, but imagine him feeding Voss, Akermanis, Black and Lappin in the ruck. - Michael Whiting

Eddie Betts: One look at the AFL goalkicking table is enough to raise the blood pressure of any Carlton fan as the team struggles to find a winning formula in front of goal. Another former Blue, Josh Kennedy, leads the pack two goals in front of Betts after round eight. Both started their careers in the navy blue jumper and while Kennedy’s loss hurts, at least Chris Judd was part of that deal. Eddie was also a fan favourite. His teammate at the Crows, Sam Jacobs, would also be handy at the moment.



Wayne Schimmelbusch: ‘Schimma’ grew up in nearby Brunswick and was a mad-keen Carlton supporter as a kid before going on to become one of the game’s all-time greats at North Melbourne. - Howard Kotton

James Stewart: The son of former Collingwood and Richmond key-position player Craig Stewart (150 games from 1978-86) was overlooked by the Magpies, who had first call on the tall father-son candidate at the end of 2012. The 21-year-old was snared by Greater Western Sydney with pick 27 in the 2012 NAB AFL Draft and has since shown great promise, playing nine games. The big forward option has made significant inroads this year in a vastly improved Giants side, playing five games and averaging 12 disposals, four marks, three scoring shots and a goal a game.

Scott West and Shane Crawford: In the early 2000s, the Pies came within a whisker of landing, in separate seasons, both of these champions, who would have added much-needed class to the midfield and taken pressure off then superstar skipper Nathan Buckley. Indeed, if these deals had come to fruition Mick Malthouse might still be at Collingwood. - Ben Collins

Cyril Rioli: Every time Cyril Rioli dominates for Hawthorn, it hurts Essendon supporters a little bit more. The star Hawks forward barracked for the Bombers growing up, and is the nephew of Essendon premiership star and Norm Smith medallist Michael Long. He desperately wanted to be drafted to the Bombers in 2007 but the club overlooked him in favour of David Myers with pick six. The black and red fraternity also wishes the club's ties with Ray Gunston could have seen his son, Hawthorn forward Jack, be a Bomber. Ray was on Essendon's board before taking on the interim chief executive's role during the supplements saga, and Jack was a massive Essendon fan growing up. Alas, both Rioli and Gunston, who began at Adelaide, ended up at one of the Bombers' fiercest rivals.

Jonathan Brown: This is a bit of a stretch, but Brown's father Brian played two games for the Bombers in 1982. Before that he had played 51 games for Fitzroy, meaning his son Jonathan just qualified for the Brisbane Lions as a father-son selection under the criteria of that time. Had the situation been flipped and Brian's career been more at Essendon than Fitzroy, Jonathan would have been eligible to become a Bomber. - Callum Twomey



Essendon fans would love to see these star Hawks in black and red. Picture: AFL Media



Mitch Clark: In October 2011, Clark appeared set to join Fremantle after asking the Brisbane Lions for a trade home to Perth due to family reasons. But the Lions did not accept the Dockers' terms of pick No.16 and Melbourne swooped, offering pick No.12 and a lucrative contract that the Dockers could not match. Whether Clark would be at Fremantle now given Clark's injuries, and mental health issues, is another debate but the Dockers were less than satisfied with Clark's decision to join the Demons.

Andrew McLeod: Fremantle had the right to recruit McLeod in the 1994 off-season but traded with Adelaide for Chris Groom. The rest is history. - Alex Malcolm

Shane Mumford: The Giant is one of the best ruckmen in the competition. He proved that at the Sydney Swans and has taken it up a notch during his two seasons at the Giants. But before all of that, Mumford was a developing ruckman with a load of potential on Geelong's rookie list in 2008 and 2009. The Cats were dismayed to lose Mumford – who played 18 games while still officially being listed as a rookie in 2009 – to the Swans. Despite knowing the kind of player it had, Geelong was unable to match the $1 million, four-year deal put on the table by the Swans. A 198cm, 105kg enforcer would be the perfect complement for the athletic pairing of Rhys Stanley and Mark Blicavs at the Cats in 2015.



Greg Williams: Williams won Geelong's 1985 best and fairest in just his second season at the club, before going on to win a Brownlow (at the Swans the following year), Norm Smith Medal (1995 at Carlton) and premiership (1995). He is a member of the Blues Team of the Century, as well as an AFL Team of the Century member. - Ben Guthrie

Geelong would have loved to retain Greg Williams, who starred at the Swans and Blues. Picture: AFL Media



Kurt Tippett: After two seasons in the competition, the Suns were chasing a mature key forward to go with their exciting young midfield. Tippett had grown up on the Gold Coast and was drafted by Adelaide as a project forward. After six seasons with the Crows, rumours circulated he was keen to leave – with a return 'home' to the Suns the favoured option. But the Sydney Swans snuck under everyone's guard and prized away the hulking forward. Brisbane Lion Dayne Zorko was also on the Suns' books until a three-way trade secured them Matthew Warnock as some defensive cover in return.

Andrew Krakouer: Taken by the Suns as an uncontracted player in their inaugural season, he was then traded to Collingwood and kicked three goals in the losing 2011 Grand Final. - Michael Whiting

Lance Franklin: The deal was done as far as far as the football world was concerned, but 'Buddy' shocked everyone by revealing he was moving to Sydney, just not to the Giants. At the time it was a huge blow to Greater Western Sydney, which needed a marquee man to hang its hat on, but in hindsight it was a blessing. The Giants had room to move under the salary cap, and have added Shane Mumford, Heath Shaw, Joel Patfull and Ryan Griffen in the past two years. Franklin might have looked good in orange, but they've got a future superstar forward in Jeremy Cameron who is filling the void.

Lewis Roberts-Thomson: 'LRT' grew up in Sydney playing rubgy union but turned himself into a big game specialist, starring in the Swans' two premiership wins in 2005 and 2012. He would have been another great role model, along with Chad Cornes, Dean Brogan and James McDonald, for the young Giants as they started their AFL careers. - Adam Curley

Joel Selwood: The obvious one is Josh Kennedy, grandson of John snr and son of John jnr, and therefore a member of Hawthorn's most famous family. After 13 non-eventful games for the Hawks, he was traded to the Swans where he became a star. But the player who really should be wearing brown and gold is Geelong skipper Selwood. There he was in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft, still there for the Hawks if they wanted him with the sixth pick. But like five clubs that picked before the Hawks, there were lingering concerns over a knee injury, so they picked Mitch Thorp instead. The Tasmanian key prospect played just two games because of injury and a poor attitude. Had Selwood been a Hawk, chances are they might have more flags in 2011 and 2012.

Stewart Loewe: Before there was drafting, there were recruiting zones and the Mt Eliza product trained with the Hawks development squad but didn't make the cut to play for the Hawthorn under 19s. St Kilda offered him a second chance and he grabbed it with those massive hands of his and he played 321 games for the Saints. The Hawks have generally done well with St Kilda discards, but this is a rare case of the good fortune going the other way. - Ashley Browne

Tom Rockliff: After surprisingly being overlooked in the 2009 national draft, Brisbane Lions skipper Tom Rockliff trained with the Demons in December before the pre-season and rookie drafts. The Demons promised him they would take him as a rookie if no other club selected him in the pre-season draft. They had reason to be confident they could snare him with the No.1 selection in the rookie draft, with only five other clubs participating in the pre-season draft. Two of those clubs, Fremantle (Josh Carr) and Richmond (Ben Cousins), were more interested in an experienced rookie. The Demons selected Liam Jurrah with the No.1 pick in the pre-season draft then waited to take Rockliff. However the Lions, who had hardly spoken to Rockliff in the lead-up, pounced on the 18-year-old using pick No.5 in the pre-season draft. He has now won two best and fairests and an All Australian jumper.

Shaun Hart: From Melbourne's traditional recruiting zone of Shepparton, the Brisbane Lions selected him with No.33 in the 1989 national draft. Melbourne picked Paul Rouvray ahead of him with pick No.25. Hart won three flags and a Norm Smith Medal while Rouvray didn't play for the Demons, instead starting with Adelaide when they joined the AFL. He played 21 games for the Crows. - Peter Ryan

Melbourne would surely love to have Tom Rockliff in its midfield. Picture: AFL Media



Josh Kelly: North supporters will come to lament the fact that Phil Kelly's dodgy hamstrings restricted him to 61 games in his five seasons at Arden Street. The two-time Sandover medallist would almost certainly have reached 100 games if his body had not let him down, which would have allowed North to claim his son Josh as a father-son recruit. Josh joined Greater Western Sydney via pick No.2 in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft, but if Phil had played 100 games North could have taken him and Vic Metro teammate Luke McDonald for the bargain price of its first two draft picks (No.8 and 30). Although he has started 2015 relatively slowly, Kelly won the Giants' rising star award last season after averaging more than 17 disposals in 18 games.

Nathan Buckley: North reached an unofficial agreement with Buckley while he was playing in the SANFL with Port Adelaide but the midfielder never made it to Arden Street, entering the AFL in 1993 at the Brisbane Bears before – despite further entreaties from North – heading to Collingwood. Ironically, Buckley opted against joining a North team that would go on to win the 1996 and '99 premierships in the belief he would enjoy more on-field success at Collingwood. North fans are also entitled to wonder whether the Denis Pagan-Wayne Carey era would have delivered more than two flags with Buckley on board. - Nick Bowen

Corey Enright: The Power didn't know it at the time but they had a star right under their nose at the turn of the millennium. Geelong's four-time All Australian and three-time premiership defender was a Port Adelaide Magpie before be was drafted by the Cats with pick No.47 at the 1999 NAB AFL Draft. He never played a senior game for Port in the SANFL, but the Power had three chances to snare the youngster before Geelong did.

Graham Johncock: Johncock was also a Magpie before slipping to Adelaide at pick No.67 in 2000 – although with their three picks before No. 67 the Power snared Shaun Burgoyne, Kane Cornes and Dom Cassisi, and so can hardly be blamed of poor judgment. - Harry Thring

Travis Cloke: The Tigers had the opportunity to lure Collingwood spearhead Travis Cloke back in 2004 as a father-son selection, given his father David played 114 games for the club. Their problem was they were up against Collingwood, where Cloke snr played 219 games and his two other sons – Jason and Cameron – were already playing. Richmond made its pitch to Travis and his family, but the Magpies always appeared to have the inside running, given the three brothers' desire to play alongside each other. That doesn't ease the pain for the Tigers, whose father-son opportunities have dried up significantly in recent years. The club also had opportunities to draft Matthew Pavlich in 1999 and Lance Franklin in 2004, but opted for Aaron Fiora (pick No.3) and Richard Tambling (No.4) instead.

John 'Sam' Newman: It is said that in 1976 Newman indicated he was quitting Geelong after 12 seasons to join the Tigers. The champion ruckman didn't go through with it and finished his 300-game career a one-club player. - Nathan Schmook

Michael Barlow: The star Docker did a pre-season with the Saints but was overlooked at the 2007 NAB AFL Draft when the club opted to re-draft Fraser Gehrig for an ill-fated comeback instead. Barlow went on to be drafted by Fremantle with pick No.8 in the rookie draft at the end of 2009. He's since played 97 games as a Docker since his AFL debut in 2010. Gehrig managed just five games and kicked nine goals in 2008 in his "extra" year as a Saint, which came about when he changed his mind on retirement while on an end-of-season European holiday.

Ashley McIntosh: McIntosh was eligible to be a father-son recruit with St Kilda and West Coast, given his father John played 51 games as a Saint and 146 for WAFL club Claremont. He chose to stay in Perth and played in two premierships with the Eagles. - Jennifer Phelan

St Kilda had the chance to draft Michael Barlow before Fremantle swooped. Picture: AFL Media



Shane Mumford: Forced out by the move of Lance Franklin to the Swans, Mumford moved across town to win the Giants' best and fairest in his first season, and is in career best form. They couldn't have kept him under the salary cap, but the big man was a significant loss. Mike Pyke is a handy ruckman, but doesn't have Mumford's mobility or appetite to hunt a contest… not many do.

Lenny Hayes: One of the finest players to ever come out of New South Wales, Hayes became a St Kilda great, playing 297 games. One of the toughest going around, Hayes would have been more than handy at the Swans. - Adam Curley

Alex Rance: The Eagles were disappointed they were unable to select Rance as a father-son recruit. Rance's father Murray captained West Coast in 1989 but only played 57 games for the club after crossing from Footscray. Rance needed to play 100 games or more for Alex to be eligible to be selected as a father-son recruit. The Eagles had an opportunity to select him anyway with their first two picks in the 2007 NAB AFL draft, but they chose Chris Masten (No.3) and Brad Ebert (No.13) before Richmond pounced on Rance with pick No.18, a priority selection.

Gary Buckenara: After playing in two premierships with Hawthorn in 1983 and 1986, Buckenara wished to return home to play with West Coast in 1987. But Hawthorn had a clause in his initial contract that gave them the option to renew his deal for two more years. Buckenara took the matter to court claiming a restraint of trade but Hawthorn won the case. Buckenara stayed and played in two more premierships. - Alex Malcolm

Ben and Sam Reid: If former Footscray coach Ian 'Bluey' Hampshire didn't unfairly give Bruce Reid his marching orders in 1982 after 86 games for the Bulldogs, it's highly likely Reid's sons Ben (Collingwood) and Sam (Sydney Swans) would be playing in the red, white and blue. Ben, drafted before the father-son bidding system, would have cost the Dogs a third round pick while younger brother Ben would have been in the same price range. With the Dogs crying out for key position players over the years, Ben would have come in very handy during the Dogs' ill-fated flag window of 2008-10.

Brian Wilson: After debuting as a 16-year-old, the midfielder played only nine games for the Dogs before he was shunted off to North Melbourne for being overweight. Two years later he headed to Melbourne where he won the 1982 Brownlow Medal in his first season with the Demons at just 20 years of age. - Ryan Davidson