The national draft is undoubtedly recruiting’s ‘night of nights’. 

After nearly two years of preparation, having watched hundreds of hours of vision and live games, the league’s recruiting teams put their club’s and fans’ hopes in a handful of teenagers that they dream will one day be superstars.

This year, the Eagles head into Thursday's  draft with four selections inside the top 70 (11, 32, 51, 69) and have ‘backed in’ this year’s crop of youngsters to provide the talent which will take the team closer to its ultimate goal.

West Coast’s first selection on Thursday will come in at no.11, so let’s take a look at some of the notable players selected with this pick.

1993: Brad Johnson (Western Bulldogs)

Recruited from Williamstown, Johnson debuted in his first season in the AFL. A medium sized forward who also had the ability to play in the midfield, Johnson grew to be known as the ‘Smiling Assassin’ due to the constant smile on his face.

Johnson finished his career with a club-record 364 games, was selected in the All-Australian team six times (1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007), and was captain in 2006. He also won three best and fairest awards, was the club’s leading goal-kicker three times and was named in the Western Bulldogs Team of the Century.

He is hard to go past as the best ‘pick 11’ of all time.

1999: Darren Glass (West Coast Eagles)

Glass didn’t start his career with a bang, but he more than made up for it with years of service to the Eagles as the game’s preeminent defender. Drafted from the Perth Football Club in the WAFL, Glass had to bide his time behind club greats like Glen Jakovich and Guy McKenna early on, but it served as the perfect apprenticeship, and provided him the foundation for him to become one of the greatest defenders in the game’s history.

When Glass retired midway through season 2014, he had played 270 games, 125 of those as captain, was a four-time All-Australian (2006, 2007, 2011, 2012 (captain)), a three-time club champion and a premiership player in 2006.

1998: Lenny Hayes (St Kilda)

The boy with the rock star name was recruited from the NSW/ACT Rams in the TAC Cup, and was immediately thrust into senior football, earning a Rising Star nomination in his first year. One of the most respected players in AFL footy, Hayes was tough, uncompromising and inspiring, and earned himself the captaincy in 2004.

Hayes would go on retire at the end of the 2014 season after playing 297 games. Across his time in the AFL he earned himself All-Australian selection on three occasions, and was also a three-time club best and fairest. Hayes will forever be remembered for his herculean efforts in the 2010 drawn Grand Final, where he earned himself a Norm Smith Medal.

Notable mentions: Beau Waters (West Coast Eagles), Steele Sidebottom (Collingwood)