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ST KILDA has settled on the player it will take at pick No.1 in Thursday night's NAB AFL Draft, but will not tell him beforehand. 

Eastern Ranges midfielder Christian Petracca has been the favourite to be 2014's No. 1 pick for much of this year, but Geelong Falcons key forward Patrick McCartin has surged into contention recently.

AFL.com.au draft expert Callum Twomey predicts in his Phantom Draft that the Saints will take McCartin with pick No.1.

Saints recruiting manager Tony Elshaug told reporters on Thursday morning it had not been easy to decide who to take at pick No. 1, with the club only making its mind up "in the last week or so".

"We see no advantage in telling the player and feel it's best kept to ourselves and only a very small handful know and it will be a very exciting occasion," Elshaug said.

"I think it's exciting for the whole industry.

"We're looking forward to having the first pick. It's been a fair time since Brendon Goddard (was the No.1 pick in 2002) and the time before that Nick Riewoldt (in 2000).

"We've obviously been pleased with the contributions they've been able to make."

Elshaug said the Saints' decision had been based on who they thought was the best player rather than their positional needs.

"We pick the best player, the player we think is going to be the best player over a long period of time," he said.

"You consider [positional needs]. You'd be a dill not to consider everything and at the end of the day you've got to understand the landscape in AFL football and what's been occurring and what you've seen and weigh it all up.

"There are a lot of things to consider. It's turning up to the football, watching vision and going through all the data, GPS, medical, you name it, and over a long period of time something comes to you where you think, 'Yeah, we're happy with that.'"

Elshaug said the Saints were also mindful of selecting a youngster who could handle the pressure of being this year's No. 1 pick.

"There's a lot of expectation on that person, but at the end of the day it's up to us as a club to create an environment for that person as well as the other draft players to make it as easy a transition as possible. 

"You've got to hold your bottle a bit and be prepared for things over a long period of time, so every decision we make we want to see them do well now, but we obviously want to see them do well over a long period of time."

AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan said if the Saints picked McCartin they would be getting a similar player to Geelong spearhead Tom Hawkins, while he likened Petracca to Port Adelaide's Ollie Wines and Richmond's Dustin Martin. 

"[McCartin] is a one-grab player, we're talking about the big pack mark, we're talking about (someone who is good) below the knees and picking up at ground level. He's great on the snap as well," Sheehan said.

"He is a strong-bodied boy who is quick off the mark, he's got that very sharp lead and like the good players he reads it very early.

"Petracca had the breakout year, he dominated the nationals and won the Larke Medal. He's a bull in the midfield.

"He's explosive away from the stoppages, he can go forward as well and at 186cm is strong overhead.