Let’s say North Melbourne does finish bottom and lands the No.1 draft pick… which way would the club go?
At present, the struggling Kangaroos find themselves on the bottom of the ladder without a win after seven matches.
Of course, it’s no moral that the Roos finish on the bottom as they are only four points behind both Hawthorn and Richmond, but the odds are certainly in their favour.
If they do grab the wooden spoon, what type of player will they go after?
Contemplating what might happen come November, AFL Media’s draft guru Cal Twomey went through a bunch of options that North would perhaps be considering.
He admits there is no Harley Reid in the 2024 draft crop which makes it somewhat trickier to forecast the No.1 selection in 2024.
“The talk has already been going for a while now around what they (the Roos) can look at and how they can help them,” Twomey said on SEN’s Crunch Time.
“There isn’t a Harley Reid in this year’s draft.
“Finn O’Sullivan is the Sam Walsh. He’s a hard runner who is really good overhead.
“He was a bit quieter for the AFL Academy on Saturday (against Footscray), he had a bit of a thumb injury. He’s a contender for the No.1 pick.
“Levi Ashcroft is another contender, but we know father-sons don’t end up going there (at Pick 1) and he’ll go to the Lions. He was terrific again on Saturday.
“Luke Trainor is the player I want to put on the radar as a potential Top 5 pick.
“He’s a Jordan Ridley type key defender. He’s a really good kick, 194cm, playing for the Sandringham Dragons. He’s a standout.
“It’s a midfielder’s group at the top end of the pool. There’s Sid Draper in SA who is a ball getter, Jagga Smith is maybe the Connor Rozee type midfielder.”
The Roos have focused on midfield and forward talent such as Colby McKercher, Zane Duursma, Harry Sheezel and George Wardlaw in recent years, but they have a growing need for a quality key defender.
North’s current key defender stocks are as bare as they’ve been in recent memory, so that creates a quandary.
Do they bring in the best possible player or someone who can fill a need?
There is a player who stands at around 194cm at the Eastern Ranges who will likely be seriously considered.
“That might end up the same guy in Josh Smillie,” Twomey added.
“I think a lot of clubs would have him as the No.1 pick at the moment anyway.
“It would also be a point of difference to their midfield group. I’m not sure they need another 185cm midfielder, they’ve got a stack of those over the past couple of years with Wardlaw, McKercher, Duursma and Sheezel.”
Twomey also pointed out some key aspects of North’s possible draft strategy, which could include splitting their No.1 pick, while also mentioning the interest that will come for gun midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke.
“Luke Davies-Uniacke is a free agent next year and he’s going to be talked about a lot. Clubs are already interested in him so there’s going to be some doubt on his future next season,” he continued.
“The other part that has to be a consideration for them is splitting the pick. Because of the evenness of this year’s top group and there not being a Harley Reid, do they put Pick 1 up to be split?
“I think you have to split it because if they could get multiple players and also trade back and grab a tall, because there are a couple of talls maybe in that 5-12 part of the draft.
“There’s the Whitlock twins - Jack and Matt - who have pushed up the order. One is a key defender, one is a key forward. The key position players aren’t in the No.1 conversation in the moment, so do they push back and get two for one?
“But the issue with this is, the same reason they are open to splitting, potentially, is the same reason other clubs might not because there isn’t the Harley Reid to go and chase.”
While there is plenty of water to go under the bridge between now and the end of the season, the Kangaroos are the ones that most believe will finish on the bottom given their struggles so far in 2024.
They gave up the chance to draft generational talent Reid by winning a game late last season which saw them move off the bottom, allowing West Coast to pounce.
Will that be the case again? Only time (and form) will tell.
