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Bids, bluffs and frantic calls: Inside 2020's first-round draft frenzy
Draft expert Callum Twomey goes behind the strategy and failed trades that shaped the blockbuster first round in 2020
www.afl.com.au
It had been an interesting few days for the Kangaroos, who had put their top pick up for sale again. During the trade period they had discussions with Gold Coast on sliding pick two to five but also picking up the Suns' picks 27 and 37, as the Suns were not going to use them at the draft with a full list.
That deal was a strong chance of happening in the pick swaps window heading into the draft, but it relied upon another factor: North would then pass on 27, 37 and a swap of other selections to the Western Bulldogs in a draft points boom for the Dogs to help pay for Ugle-Hagan
A deal had been discussed which would have seen the Dogs' pick 14 head to North Melbourne, but it was taken off the table in the last half-hour of the Trade Period as the Adam Treloar move from Collingwood to the Bulldogs took shape.
The Roos put on hold talks to shift pick two until two days before the draft when they picked up the phone again. They asked if Gold Coast would move but the Suns didn't want to deal in future picks, while the Swans (the Roos targeting pick No.3 and a future second-round pick) and the Hawks (pick No.4 and 24 or a future second-round pick) also weren't keen to jump up the board.
The Roos had decided they were picking an on-baller with their first choice, with the club building from the midfield out under new coach David Noble. They took Will Phillips ahead of Hollands, who they had been widely tipped to select. The medical risk with Hollands on the back of a knee reconstruction was a factor in the call, with COVID-19 restrictions meaning Hollands has had a slower recovery process.
The Roos had also put a value on leadership qualities, knowing they will be investing in at least two drafts strongly, with Phillips top of his class there. Even if Adelaide had taken McDonald, the Roos would have selected Phillips, who they only interviewed once all year, over Thilthorpe. Although North's pick surprised, others also rated Phillips highly; if Adelaide had been awarded the No.2 pick as compensation for losing free agent Brad Crouch, Phillips was their likely choice for a tall/midfield combination.
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The Giants were pleased when Essendon took Cox and then Perkins, with both later down their order, but were hoping that Reid was available to them given their stranglehold on the next part of the draft.
They had identified Reid, Bruhn, Heath Chapman and Connor Stone as the four players they were targeting for their first two picks, but still would have taken Bruhn ahead of Reid if both were available at pick 10. That is because Reid was unlikely to be selected by North Melbourne and Fremantle in between but Bruhn was expected to be snapped up by the Dockers.
The Giants had also arranged a deal with North Melbourne whereby if Adelaide had taken Stone instead of Pedlar, leaving Bruhn and Chapman both available, the Giants would have swapped (what started the draft as) picks 13 and 26 for pick 11 to ensure they could get ahead of Fremantle and grab both their priorities. In turn the Roos would still have been able to select Powell, who they rated inside their top 10, despite their minor slide down the order, because he was further back on the Dockers' list. As well as getting their favoured player, North would also gain an additional pick inside the top 30.
Powell was long in the sights of the Kangaroos, with the South Australian ball-getter 'round one ready'. He was ranked slightly ahead of Cook and Henry of the available players for the Roos, who then set their mind on accruing another pick inside the first round to snap up Cook.
The Dockers went with Chapman, having also liked Pedlar, Macrae and Cook, and he will add more run, carry and intercept skill to their half-back line. Had Essendon taken Bruhn instead of Reid, Cook would have ended up at the Dockers as the Giants would have selected Chapman at their first pick after Adelaide (Pedlar) and North (Powell) zeroed in on their other targets.
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Richmond had been sitting back watching things unfold. Rivals knew the Tigers' first-round pick, which started the night at No.17 and became No.20 after bids, was on the market but the Tigers wanted to wait and see which players had slipped through. Once Macrae was gone, they made a deal happen. Clubs had been calling for it, with Hawthorn, North Melbourne and West Coast each offering a future second-round pick in exchange for it, with Bailey Laurie or Nathan O'Driscoll in the Eagles' mix if they succeeded.
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As the Magpies' back-and-forth trading consumed the end of the first round, North Melbourne was trying feverishly to get back into the action in an attempt to land Cook or key forward Matt Allison. Having already attempted a deal with Richmond, the Roos offered a future second-round pick and a swap of future third-round picks to the Giants to get in. However the Giants' deal with Collingwood was already in the works.
The Saints also liked Cook and Bowey but with an even group were going to side with the tall in Allison. North, who had just missed on Cook, picked up the phone to try and get into St Kilda's pick to get the Calder Cannons goalkicker, but were pipped again as the Saints called his name to complete the marathon first round.
