ALASTAIR Clarkson says North Melbourne is prepared to fight to keep free agent Ben McKay while the Roos coach has also dismissed the concept of a draft lottery and lamented Gold Coast's prized draft hand this year.
Clarkson insists his side is "hell-bent" on beating the Suns this week, even though victory would likely see North miss out on the No.1 draft pick and guaranteed access to gun Victorian Harley Reid.
Facing a third straight wooden spoon, the Roos told AFL.com.au's Gettable earlier this month that they had already held "informal discussions" with the AFL about receiving potential assistance packages.
On Thursday, Clarkson pointed to previous assistance packages given to the Suns and the three gun players Gold Coast has access to in this year's draft via its Academy when arguing the Roos need help to climb back up the ladder.
"The bottom line is North Melbourne are where they are because they've been the most poorly performed team in the competition over the last four years," he said.
"The whole idea of equalisation – for goodness sake, the League put in some things several years ago to equalise for the Gold Coast Suns and give them a better opportunity – including getting Darwin as a zone and Academy access to their players and (Matt) Rowell and (Noah) Anderson going to their club – this year they're going to have three picks in the top 10.
"And North Melbourne put their hand up to say, 'we've finished bottom for the last four years and we might need a little bit of help'. Yet it's just accepted that Gold Coast have three picks in the top 10 this year. That's OK. Yet the team on the bottom of the ladder for the last four years isn't getting assistance at all."
West Coast's win last week that saw them move off the bottom of the ladder, and likely hand the No.1 pick to North, has reignited debate about whether a draft lottery similar to that used in the NBA should be adopted in the AFL.
Clarkson said the current draft system ensures the best young players go to the clubs that need them the most.
"There's whiskers on it everywhere with a lottery system. Bottom line is the team that finishes bottom of the ladder should get the benefit of the best young talent in the land," he said.
"The whole idea of equalisation is to give teams that have been poorly performed a chance to climb the ladder."
In addition to the No.1 pick for finishing last, the Roos would also get an additional high pick as compensation should McKay leave under free agency rules at the end of the season.
The Roos have indicated they would look to match any offer for the restricted free agent, a point Clarkson repeated on Thursday. He also indicated not even a top-five pick as compensation would be deemed satisfactory.
"We think the best seven years of his career are going to be the next seven so we just don't want to say, 'oh yeah, he can just go'," he said.
"If we don't feel like we're going to get the compensation necessary for him, we're going to fight for him to stay. We want him to stay.
"Even in this draft, you say, 'take pick two or three for Ben McKay as compensation'. Let me know if there's a six-foot-six full-back or centre half-back in the draft who can replace him. There ain't at that pick.
"He's a key priority for us to try and keep him if we can. Ultimately he'll exercise his right as a free agent to choose what he wants to do. Once he makes that decision ... if it's to go, we've got to look at what the options are at that point."
