WHEN Richmond's recruiting team gathered at Blairgowrie two weeks before the Telstra AFL Draft to confirm its draft order, the Tigers' contingent had a huge decision to make.

Sam Lalor had become their favourite player in the 2024 draft pool – a big, strong, fending-off, powerful midfielder with a physical streak – but his place as the Tigers' No.1 pick still had to be settled. Thinking it was one thing, deciding it another.

They had been weighing him up against Finn O'Sullivan, the midfielder with the fast feet, overhead marking ability and exciting VFL performance late in the year when he auditioned for the Tigers.

DRAFT TRACKER Every pick of the 2024 Telstra AFL Draft

They left the mid-week venture on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula with Lalor locked in, ready to make him the club's first top draft selection since Brett Deledio in 2004.

But that was only the first of many big decisions the Tigers had to make as they ruled the first round, using six first-round selections, executing the biggest trade of the draft and walking out with some of the highest-projection players in the draft crop.

This is AFL.com.au's annual inside account of the first round of last week's draft – the deals that didn't happen, the calls made, the decisions between players at each picks, the slides and surprises, the smokescreens, strategies, solutions and sweeteners proposed in club draft rooms as the night rolled on and 27 draftees had their names called.

Once it became obvious Lalor was the Tigers' man (having had no club make an offer to Richmond for the No.1 choice at any stage), North Melbourne's interest in splitting pick No.2 waned. The Roos had put the pick up for grabs at the right price during the trade and pick swaps window, but they wanted O'Sullivan and had tracked him closely since he trained at Arden Street in the pre-season.

They had held chats with Adelaide about sliding back to No.4, with the Crows putting forward their three future third-round picks for the move. Adelaide had also sounded out West Coast to use the three future third-rounders to swap for a future second-rounder and then attach that to pick No.4 and grab the Roos' No.2 pick, but it didn't tempt North.

The pick was also thrown up to Richmond in the lead-up to the draft, but the Tigers weren't interested in bundling any first-rounders together to land it.

Had the Tigers taken O'Sullivan at pick No.1, South Australian midfielder Sid Draper would have been the Roos' man, with Lalor and exciting swingman Alix Tauru also in their top bracket.

Carlton had done its work in the trade period, using a future first-round pick, future second-round pick, pick 12 and Matt Owies to land West Coast's No.3 selection. The same offer of picks 12 and 14 (14 came via Hawthorn after the trading of future picks) had been put to North Melbourne for pick No.2, but the Roos didn't budge.

The Blues ranked Jagga Smith the best player in the draft and breathed a sigh of relief several days out from proceedings when it became clear there would be no swap between North Melbourne and Adelaide, a move which would have given the Crows a call on Smith (and others) at pick No.2.

Carlton had been linked publicly to moving up the board for O'Sullivan and were happy to let that narrative play out knowing ball-winner Smith was their man. Harvey Langford was next in their line of the available players, along with Draper.

Adelaide's call at pick No.4 was a top-10 shaper. The Crows were doing work in the final hours before the draft to nut out their order, with coach Matthew Nicks and the club's recruiting team meeting O'Sullivan on Wednesday for a final catch-up.

By then, it was obvious O'Sullivan would likely be unavailable, but they were preparations in case a trade did ensue with North. Plus, O'Sullivan had finished his school exams late and had a rush of club visits in the last few days before names were called.

Draper, the local midfielder whose speed was a point of difference that worked for the Crows, edged out Langford as Melbourne sweated on Adelaide's call. Behind Langford, Adelaide rated Tauru highly as well and had been tempted to bid on Essendon's Next Generation Academy small forward, Isaac Kako.

What the Crows chose to do had a big bearing on the Dees – and others inside the top 10.

Melbourne was hoping Langford got through to them, but also liked Tauru; had Langford gone to the Crows, Tauru would have become a Demon. That would have meant the Tigers then faced a call between Josh Smillie and Draper, with Draper likely to have made it through to St Kilda, where the Saints would have coupled him with Tobie Travaglia.

Deals were thrown up using picks No.5 and 9, the other early pick in Melbourne's hands, but the Demons' work during the trade period to secure Essendon's pick meant they weren't going to bundle up again to get higher. Their bid for Levi Ashcroft continued a run of early bids on other guns in the draft in the past decade – Callum Mills in 2015 and Isaac Heeney in 2014 (albeit Heeney under a different system).

Smillie's drafting by Richmond had looked to be one of the top-10 certainties. But if he hadn't have gone at the Tigers' pick No.7, he likely would have gotten through to their next two picks, past St Kilda and Melbourne's selections. However, Richmond wasn't prepared to take that risk – or more accurately, risk another club swooping on one of St Kilda's picks and taking Smillie – and took the 195cm ball-winner at seven.

The Saints had options with their next two selections. Travaglia was their bankable player, the prospect who will start as a defender but progress into midfield duties soon enough. After making the bid on Leo Lombard, they coupled Travaglia with Tauru, adding two competitive, tough talents. Joe Berry and Xavier Lindsay were in the next bracket for the Saints.

But this is where clubs started to get active and the phone calls began. When St Kilda were on the clock for Tauru's selection, North Melbourne got on the front foot. With Tauru still there, the Roos offered their future first-round pick, which was knocked back.

It wasn't the first time the Roos had put deals to the Saints, having suggested different pick swaps in the lead-up to the draft that would have seen them land No.7 and 8. Fremantle had also done a temperature check on St Kilda sliding back for its picks 14 and 30, but the Saints weren't too interested in moving from their spot. The same applied for Greater Western Sydney, who looked at splitting two picks for the Saints' second pick, but ultimately decided two would be better than one.

Melbourne grabbed Lindsay ahead of Bo Allan and Berry at its second first-round selection, which is when the Saints began to offer up their future first-round pick to the Tigers in an attempt to secure Berry, whose transitional running, speed and endurance made him a prospect with big appeal in the middle of the first round.

Lindsay was also right in the frame for Richmond if he was available, while they also strongly considered Allan. While on the clock with their first of two picks in the teens, the Tigers were fielding multiple offers; North Melbourne's future first-rounder (with Harry Armstrong and Matt Whitlock still available for the Roos), St Kilda's first-rounder (as the Saints eyed Berry), a Gold Coast future first-round pick (with the Suns having interest in Taj Hotton, Berry and more) and also a big pick swaps offer from Sydney.

The Swans put forward their two first-rounders this year, plus their future first-rounder, in exchange for the Tigers' pick 12 and two later first-rounders. But the Tigers, knowing the high interest in Hotton in the few picks after them, grabbed the Sandringham Dragon first, before bidding on Kako and taking tall forward Jonty Faull. Faull and Berry were among the players in Sydney's sights, and the Tigers didn't think Faull would make it to their later hand of selections.

Berry, from the Murray Bushrangers, became an 'it' player of this part of the draft.

Port Adelaide had been viewed as being keen on a tall forward, but had set its eyes on Berry during the trade period. It was why, during negotiations for Dan Houston's trade, the Power remained focused on pick No.13 (which finished at No.16 after bidding) being involved in the deal.

The Power, West Coast and Fremantle had engaged in separate talks in the lead-up to the draft about possible slides. Fremantle had offered picks 14 and 30 before the draft started for West Coast's pick 12, while the Power had put forward 13 and 50.

When Hotton was taken by the Tigers before West Coast's pick, the Eagles thought that might change things, as the Sandringham Dragon had been linked to all clubs in that range. But Fremantle remained keen on a swap as did the Power, who wanted to trade up to own the pick and stop it being on-sold elsewhere.

For the Eagles, they had Allan and then Berry as their preferred targets, but could move back one pick with confidence that Allan would still be available because Port was desperate for Berry. Moving back two spots was too risky. The Power ranked Berry slightly ahead of Murphy Reid and Jack Whitlock, and had previously raised packaging up their first two picks to get Melbourne's second selection - without success.

With Berry still available, the Power jumped up and did the deal, leaving Allan on the draft floor shocked that the Eagles might be about to pass him. In truth, the Eagles grabbed an asset later in the piece (which turned out the be pick 46) and the Power gave up a pick they weren't going to use to ensure nobody else could pounce. Had Berry and Reid been off the board, the Power would likely have traded back slightly, bunny hopping and picking up draft collateral until taking Jack Whitlock. Their trade of Houston – for 13 and 29 – ended up landing them Berry and Whitlock in the draft.

Fremantle, too, got the player it had in its sights in Reid, the classy midfield playmaker. Allan, Berry and Hotton were also in the Dockers' mix, but with Reid remaining, they used the pick on one of the best performed players of the draft campaign. The Dockers were restricted in their attempts to move picks as well, given AFL rules stipulate a club can't bring in picks they have already traded to a club in a return deal. It meant they couldn't access swaps with Richmond because of the picks moved in the Shai Bolton deal.

Other clubs were calling, though.

The Freo selection had been seen as a possible buy-in moment for clubs, with Essendon interested in the pick and keen on Reid, Gold Coast keen to use any of its three future firsts to trade in (it would have been Freo's choice if they wanted a pick tied to Collingwood, Port or the Suns) and the Western Bulldogs and Sydney (each club putting forward its first pick plus a future second-rounder) looking to get higher.

The Dogs had been linked to Reid as well, having been keen to use their pick 20 and a future second-rounder in exchange for the Port or Eagles pick.

Greater Western Sydney were on the clock next with two picks and had felt comfortable with the clubs vying over similar players ahead of them. And when the Tigers grabbed Faull, it looked likely to fall their way.

The Giants had identified Oliver Hannaford and Harrison Oliver as their preferred players, with some concern held that if Port missed out on Berry, they could have pivoted to Hannaford. Or that the Swans could inch up the board and snag Freo's pick, which would have been more on the table if all their players rated players were gone.

If either Hannaford or Oliver was snapped up beforehand, the Giants would have traded their second pick out, likely to North Melbourne, who offered up a straight future first-rounder.

West Coast, too, had gotten on the march about a trade, offering Hawthorn's future first-round pick to buy back in, with Jobe Shanahan still available. But with North's future first not getting traction, Hawthorn's 2025 pick wasn't going to land the Eagles a deal. They were also keen to take their own future first-rounder into next year as well, particularly given the hot chase for Chad Warner. 

Essendon was also interested in trading back in given talls still remained on the board, Gold Coast was still keen and Geelong had flagged interest in swapping in a future first-rounder. But the Giants wanted to keep their picks and take their players.

As this unfolded, the Western Bulldogs waited. With their attempts to trade up the board unsuccessful, if Cooper Hynes had been snapped up by someone else, it is likely they would have strongly considered taking a trade deal – whether to trade out or move back (Sydney was exploring offering pick 22 plus a future second-rounder to move up two spots). But Hynes' power and explosiveness appealed and they grabbed the talented forward/midfielder with their first pick.

Richmond, during this period, had taken a breath. But they had to be mindful of a batch of similar clubs having the next group of picks, starting with their own pick at No.21. It was for this reason the Tigers selected Luke Trainor next, knowing Sydney's interest in him with the following pick.

Geelong had floated interest in Richmond's selection, while the Bombers also checked in to see if there was any chance of a move. But the Tigers weren't shifting.

If the Tigers had taken Jesse Dattoli, who was also under high consideration, the Swans would have grabbed Trainor. But Sydney had ranked the small forward Dattoli ahead of the taller Trainor and was glad he was available to them, having already tried to get in earlier to secure him.

Richmond also knew Harry Armstrong was unlikely to be taken by Sydney, so opted to take Trainor first and hope Armstrong got through to their next pick at No.23, which eventuated.

North Melbourne, who had spent more time on the phone than a receptionist, had changed tack at this point. The Roos' offer of a future first-rounder had shifted, with the Kangaroos wanting something decent in return if they did indeed trade out their first pick for 2025.

Armstrong had been on their radar, while Matt Whitlock also remained on the board. The Roos offered GWS their future first-round pick for the Giants' future first and pick 24, but the Giants were hellbent on Cody Angove, rating him ahead of the likes of Lachie Jaques, Sam Davidson, Jack Ough and Tom Gross as they prioritised a winger. They had discussed trading out the pick and taking the West Australian in the 30s, but didn't want to take the gamble.

Sydney made a bid on Lions Academy product Sam Marshall next, whilst also mulling the same offer from North Melbourne when on the clock – pick 26 and a future first-rounder for North's future first. However, as North had found during the night, clubs didn't want to trade out of this year's top end. Clubs rated the talent, depth and variety of the 2024 group and the Swans were the same – they wanted two additions this year instead of one this year and one the next.

The Swans mulled over picking Shanahan at No.26, having had a gap between Faull and Trainor and their next group of talls, but instead opted for high-flying half-forward Ned Bowman.

Then, with the last pick of the opening night and Matt Whitlock still available, the Roos took one last swing at a deal and finally found a taker. The Tigers, after already securing six first-round picks, were the perfect trading partner.

North Melbourne swapped a future first-round pick for the Tigers' pick 27 and Richmond's future second-round pick, and then selected Whitlock. If the Tigers had held that pick and the Swans opted for Shanahan over Bowman, Bowman was considered a likely selection for the Tigers to add a point of difference to their forward mix.

The wheeling and non-dealing continued on day two, as Richmond put up its first pick of the night for sale. North looked again – this time to reunite the Whitlock twins at Arden Street – and offered two future second-round picks as part of a deal, but the Tigers' held to take Thomas Sims.

That negotiation, in isolation, perfectly summed up the attempted draft snakes and ladders of 2024: just because a club can use other picks to get up the order, trade in ahead of others and make moves to target their player, it doesn't mean they will.

But they will sure as hell try.