WHILE most of the attention in the NAB AFLW Draft naturally falls on the young players eligible for the first time, there'll be at least one interesting storyline involving a current ruck.
The curious case of Kim Rennie started during the AFLW Sign and Trade Period, when the 26-year-old requested a trade from the Western Bulldogs to North Melbourne.
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It was a long, drawn-out negotiation process that failed to be reconciled by the end of the Trade Period.
Rennie was offered a contract by the Dogs but turned it down and is instead hoping to make her way to Arden Street through the draft.
It's a scenario North Melbourne needs realised, having traded ruck Vivian Saad to Gold Coast and delisting occasional relief ruck Kate Gillespie-Jones, leaving Emma King and the relatively raw key forward Brooke Brown as its talls.
"It was obviously a hard situation with Kim. We offered her a contract and she felt she'd be better off with a move. It's was a difficult situation, we put multiple scenarios on the table, obviously they didn't come off," Western Bulldogs list manager Mick Sandry told Credit to the Girls podcast.
"So it was a little bit of a disappointing outcome through the scenario, it's one no one likes to see in a situation like that.
"It was a drawn-out period where nothing new was put on the table until really late in the piece and made a little bit difficult time-wise. We continued to work through scenarios all the way until the end, and we presented quite a few things to the table, but in the end, it wasn't something that was agreed on."
North Melbourne list manager Rhys Harwood told Credit to the Girls Rennie is still keen to pull on the blue and white stripes.
"Unfortunately, the two clubs weren't able to come to a resolution or deal, and from that point the player can elect to exercise her right to a few different options in terms of re-signing at their club or opting to enter the draft, and clearly the latter has happened in this case," Harwood said.
"It's elite sport, sometimes these things don't happen. It's not the first time, and it certainly won't be the last time, I suspect. Is it the path we would have chosen? Probably not, but it is what it is.
"There's obviously that level of uncertainty in any national draft situation, but Kim has been pretty keen to get to the Roos since after the season when we spoke to her.
"That probably hasn't changed, and our desire to have her with us hasn't either, so we'll look to do that. We certainly think she can help us and help our system. I don't think I'm breaking any news to say we're still keen to have her."
As it stands, North Melbourne has picks No.13, 19, 28, 45 and 59, with a final draft order (mainly around the number of selections) to be confirmed by the AFL in the coming days.
>> Watch the 2021 NAB AFLW Draft LIVE via womens.afl and the AFLW Official App on Tuesday, July 27 from 6.45pm AEST
