IN WHAT looks set to be Carlton list manager Stephen Silvagni's last NAB AFL Draft in charge, he certainly went out with a bang.
The Blues started the night with pick No.9, which they used to spring a huge surprise by bidding on Fremantle Next Generation Academy prospect Liam Henry.
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It came earlier than expected but the Dockers matched, so it was back to Carlton, which chose to bid again, this time for Greater Western Sydney Academy onballer Tom Green.
The Giants were never going to let him slip through, and nabbed the young gun.
Again, it was back to the Blues. Their pick had slid down to No.11, but they packaged that up with No.62 and sent those selections to Gold Coast for picks No.17 and 22.
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Carlton had taken advantage of the Suns' desire to pounce on Sam Flanders in a swap that saw the Blues gaining 418 points according to the Draft Value Index.
They used No.17 on versatile tall Brodie Kemp before trading No.22 and No.55 to Port Adelaide in exchange for No.20, which they used to acquire speedster Sam Philp.
That's not to mention the attempt to trade up to Adelaide's pick No.6.
As we spoke about on #DraftNightCountdown four hours ago, the prospect of Carlton moving pick No.9 to No.6 in a swap with Adelaide has been mooted and talked about since last night.
— Callum Twomey (@CalTwomey) November 27, 2019
Revolves around the Dylan Stephens/Fischer McAsey call for the Crows, as outlined this arvo.
Silvagni was satisfied after what turned out to be an extremely busy night.
"We got our pick 11 into two first-round picks. Probably got the boy that we had around that pick nine, pick 11 mark in Brodie Kemp, knowing that he could slide a little bit," Silvagni said.
"I guess the pick that we got in at 20 was a bit of a free shot for us."
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Kemp required a knee reconstruction in July and Silvagni was hopeful the versatile 193cm defender could take to the field in 2020.
"(Kemp could return) possibly at the end of next season. I'm not a medico. Obviously it's early in his rehab," Silvagni said.
"He actually came to our club today (Wednesday). He's a really nice build, great kid, can play in a number of positions, forward, mid, back, really explosive."
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Philp was left out of Vic Metro's squad for the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships this season but showed his ability with the Northern Knights.
Silvagni acknowledged the risk involved.
"We had him inside our (top) 20. I know there were a couple of clubs, had we not got him in at that pick, he would have gone early tomorrow," Silvagni said.
"He's a bit of an unknown but a great character, and his footy's really good."
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As for those bids, they served a dual purpose.
"We certainly had those boys (Henry and Green) inside 10, so we obviously rated them, but it also buys a bit of time to do what we needed to do," Silvagni said.
Silvagni was coy on whether he would continue on in his role at Carlton.
"There's a bit of interest in that but I think tonight's about what we brought into the club, with two really good players. It's a night for our supporters to celebrate what we've brought through and I certainly don't want to take the spotlight off those boys," Silvagni said.