Shane Crawford writes on the importance of rookies Stephen Milne has had a great career. STEPHEN Milne might not be in career-best form at the moment - like a few of his St Kilda teammates - but that should not diminish what has been a remarkable career. Tomorrow night the livewire small forward will play his 264th AFL game, which means he will equal James McDonald for the most games played of those who began their career on a rookie list. It's a wonderful achievement for the 33-year-old who has kicked 553 goals, which places him 40th on the list of VFL-AFL goalkickers. It got me thinking about where Milne sits in the rankings of those who have come through the rookie system. Given what he has done over 13 seasons in one of the hardest positions on the field, he deserves to be ranked second behind West Coast ruckman Dean Cox in my all-time rookie players. Coming up with an all-rookies side is not easy. There is an abundance of ruckmen and defenders, but not too many legitimate forwards - tall or otherwise - to choose from, so that made it a challenge. Perhaps that's something to do with the characteristics that define so many of the rookie-listed players. Many of them are hard, tough and tenacious players, who have had to do things the hard way, fighting for everything they have achieved. Just a glance at the team of 22 players I have selected shows you that. This was no easy task. So many players missed out, and some of them only narrowly. So before you start having a crack at me for leaving blokes out, understand that I wanted to pick a team of players in the positions that they made their own. Even so, the likes of Andrew Carrazzo,Nathan Bock, Michael Doughty, Matt Priddis, Shane Tuck, Marty Mattner, Danyle Pearce, Aaron Davey, Michael Firrito, Chad Fletcher, Shane Mumford and Sam Jacobs were a few of those who just missed out. Leader of the pack: Matthew Boyd will captain the Western Bulldogs for a third year in 2013. Milne was one of the first players I chose, mainly because of his record but also because it was so bloody hard to find forwards. That's why Quinten Lynch got a role at centre half-forward as well as James Podsiadly at full-forward. Russell Robertson was a lock in attack, as was Max Rooke, who only kicked 58 goals in his career, but almost 10 per cent of them came in Grand Finals. My decision to play Darren Jolly in the forward pocket ahead of Aaron Sandilands, who was named on the bench. might surprise a few people. But Jolly is a dual premiership player and he rarely misses when he has the ball in the scoring zone. Cox is a clear first-ruck, and my captain. What a star he has been for the Eagles, and he might one day own the record as he is only six games behind Milne. How about the hard-nosed midfielders in this team? Brad Sewell, Brett Kirk, Kieren Jack and Matthew Boyd have been incredibly hard-working and inspirational players who thrive when the conditions are tough and the ball is a contested one. Kirk is my vice-captain as his leadership qualities were enormous. Tarkyn Lockyer might also surprise a few, but his leg speed is needed. He played 227 games with the Magpies and was stiff not to play in the premiership side. I've based this team on those who have had ultimate team success or those acknowledged with leadership roles, best-and-fairests and All-Australian selection. There are defenders galore, but it was impossible to go past three-time premiership player Mal Michael at full-back. Of the six defenders I've selected, only one of them - Dale Morris - is not a premiership player. But he was an All-Australian player and that's good enough. It's a tough backline, with players who would be prepared to do anything for the team, including Nick Maxwell, Tadhg Kennelly and Mark Johnson. The bench was tough. Sandilands deserved a spot as his impact at Fremantle has been important. Ben Rutten and James McDonald get in for their hard work. Harry O'Brien and Lindsay Thomas Picture: Salpigtidis George Source: HWT Image Library And Harry O'Brien would be the ultimate sub, capable of providing a spark on demand and an abundance of pace. I wouldn't be waiting until the last term to bring him into the game. I'd be subbing him as a tactical replacement early in the third term. This team shows the strength of the rookie list as a tool for building teams. It gives players a chance who might otherwise have been overlooked, and fortunately clubs have embraced it and been rewarded for their strategies. Milne continues to be a real example of what can happen if you are prepared to give a bloke a chance.