Sullivan Robey, Sam Cumming, Sam Grlj and Xavier Taylor. Pictures: AFL Photos
RICHMOND’S openness to listening to a late trade offer for one of its top-10 picks is keeping intrigue in the top rungs of the draft order ahead of Wednesday night.
West Coast is set to lock in crowning Gippsland Power prospect Willem Duursma as this year’s No.1 pick, and is expected to follow with bids on Gold Coast Academy’s Zeke Uwland and then Carlton father-son prospect Harry Dean at No.2 and 3.
The Eagles have exciting ruck/forward Cooper Duff-Tytler in their sights for their next live pick and are set to go that way, as Essendon shapes as the only possible club to try to move up the draft order.
Essendon has remained interested in a shift up the board by bundling picks and after agreeing to a deal with Carlton on the Blues’ pick No.9 (pre-bids), will enter the draft holding picks No.5, 6 and 9. The Bombers could pull the trigger on an offer using multiple picks to have a dash at one of the Eagles’ top selections, but any move from West Coast is considered highly unlikely at this stage, and no formal proposal has yet been made.
Richmond met with Brisbane Academy prospect Dan Annable on Tuesday and is expected to place back-to-back bids on Gold Coast Academy talent Dylan Patterson and then Annable before making their picks that will shape the order.
The Tigers have kept rivals in the dark on their targets, with Sam Cumming, Sullivan Robey, Sam Grlj and Xavier Taylor long considered the four likely players they are choosing from with their two live picks, while there has been late chatter among clubs that West Australian Jacob Farrow is a smokey for one of the pair of selections. Farrow still seems more unlikely than the leading group.
While Grlj may get through to Hawthorn, North Melbourne or Greater Western Sydney in the middle of the first round if Richmond don’t take him, the Tigers have done plenty on him and have identified speed as a target, with the Oakleigh Charger remaining in contention and rival clubs still considering him a possibility at the Tigers.
The Bombers’ deal with Carlton will see them land pick No.9 and likely pick 43 in exchange for picks 21, 27 and 30 in a swap that generates more points for the Blues to match bids on Dean and NGA prospect Jack Ison, and see them enter the draft with three top-10 picks for the first time since 2020.
Cumming, Robey, Taylor and Farrow are all in the Bombers’ mix for their pair of picks, as well as Dyson Sharp, who could be available at their third pick but the Bombers would run the risk of the Demons snapping him up or trading the pick to a suitor like Adelaide if they do that. Essendon will be waiting to see who the Tigers grab as they remain keen on the same batch of players.
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Melbourne, too, has to wait to see which of the top group is available, with South Australian Cam Nairn on the radar for one of their two picks as other clubs behind the Demons show real interest in the forward/wingman as well.
The next set of picks has clubs clamouring for a similar batch of players. Essendon interviewed Latrelle Pickett and Oskar Taylor at the Hangar on Monday, while it had Lachy Dovaston at the club last week, and all will be around the range for their third pick along with Josh Lindsay. Dovaston and Pickett shape as ready-to-impact small forwards who will be considered.
The Hawks have also done the work on that group of players too, as well as Grlj, who they met on Monday, with Dovaston firmly in their mix.
North has been busy in recent days after securing pick 11 from Carlton, with the Roos swapping picks 25, 46 and a future second-rounder for 11 and 54. If a bid comes for Dean at No.3 as expected, it would likely spit out the Blues’ next pick around No.25.
If he’s still available, Dovaston will be right in North’s thinking at their traded-in pick as well as Pickett, Grlj and Lindsay, while the Hawks could also shuffle back the order and have had talks with the Giants about a potential flick back for a future second-round pick if GWS was desperate to shift up the board and be able to choose one of Grlj, Pickett or Oskar Taylor.
Hawthorn has also looked at trading up from its second pick, starting at No.22, to see if it can shift to the Suns or Lions’ picks in the teens, while the Western Bulldogs will remain open to a move down the order for the right deal, as they look at half-back options, including Lindsay and also Oskar Taylor, who they interviewed in recent days and have done late work on.
Geelong is another club who has had discussions with the Giants about a move, which could see the Giants move back several spots to the Cats’ selection if their group of players is all gone. A shift up the board could see the Cats be a contender for half-back Lindsay, who they and North Melbourne interviewed on Monday.
The Giants have firmed as a potential bidder for Sydney Academy prospect Harry Kyle, having met again with him in recent days, while a smattering of bids are all possible in the 15-25 range of the draft including Jai Murray and Beau Addinsall (Gold Coast), Ison (Carlton), Adam Sweid (Essendon), Tylah Williams (West Coast) and Lachie Carmichael (Sydney).
While Geelong could look at an Ison bid, if the Cats don’t call his name there he could also get through several more selections to be closer to 30.
Likewise, the Bombers may choose to let Sweid go if a bid comes inside the first 25 picks given that could leave them with a points deficit heading into next year on their round one pick. Securing a later pick from the Blues’ trade deal could be enough to match a bid on Sweid if it comes past 30.
LATE MAIL PHANTOM DRAFT
Pick 1 – West Coast: Willem Duursma
Pick 2 – Gold Coast: Zeke Uwland (matching West Coast’s bid)
Pick 3 – Carlton: Harry Dean (matching West Coast’s bid)
Pick 4 – West Coast: Cooper Duff Tytler
Pick 5 – Gold Coast: Dylan Patterson (matching Richmond’s bid)
Pick 6 – Brisbane: Daniel Annable (matching Richmond’s bid)
Pick 7 – Richmond: Sam Cumming
Pick 8 – Richmond: Sullivan Robey
Pick 9 – Essendon: Xavier Taylor
Pick 10 – Essendon: Dyson Sharp
Pick 11 – Melbourne: Jacob Farrow
Pick 12 – Melbourne: Cam Nairn
Pick 13 – Essendon: Lachy Dovaston
Pick 14 – Hawthorn: Sam Grlj
Pick 15 – North Melbourne: Latrelle Pickett
Pick 16 – Sydney: Harry Kyle (matching GWS’s bid)
Pick 17 – Greater Western Sydney: Oskar Taylor
Pick 18 – Gold Coast: Jai Murray (matching West Coast’s bid)
Pick 19 – West Coast: Beau Addinsall
Pick 20 – Western Bulldogs: Josh Lindsay
Pick 21 – Adelaide: Mitch Marsh
Pick 22 – Carlton: Jack Ison (matching Geelong’s bid)
Pick 23 – Geelong: Blake Thredgold
Pick 24 – West Coast: Tylah Williams (matching Fremantle’s bid)
Pick 25 – Essendon: Adam Sweid (matching Fremantle’s bid)
Pick 26 – Fremantle: Aidan Schubert
Pick 27 – Hawthorn: Liam Hetherton
Pick 28 – North Melbourne: Harley Barker
Pick 29 – Sydney: Lachie Carmichael (matching Western Bulldogs’ bid)
Pick 30 – Western Bulldogs: Louis Emmett
