ON a day where the top ten fell pretty well as planned and Ben Cousins’ name wasn’t announced, there few audible reactions from the vast crowd at the draft.

But when Collingwood announced that would use pick 73 to provide a third AFL home for Leigh Brown, the room became noticeably restless.

Brown has been training for the last couple of weeks with the Magpies since being delisted from North Melbourne at the end of the season and was taken with a view to filling in the hole left by the retiring Shane Wakelin.

“The reason we brought him in was to give us a bit more security down back while a few of our younger boys develop down there,” recruiting manager Derek Hine said.

Hine acknowledged the Brown selection would be scrutinised closer than any of the club's other four in 2008. He said Brown’s experience would be invaluable for such a young list.

Still only 26, Brown has managed 181 games with Fremantle and North Melbourne, playing both as a forward and a defender.

“We brought three 17-year-olds and an 18-year-old in. When you look at it, Shane Wakelin has gone out and Simon Prestigiacomo has had a few injury concerns (in 2008),” Hine said.

“With Leigh, he’s only 26-years-old and the ball’s in his court now. He’s trained with us for the last couple of weeks.”

Hine said he was thrilled with how the draft panned out for the Magpies, adding that his first four selections panned out as well as possible.

“We’ve got four players who were in our first 30-odd selections of our ratings, and that was very needs orientated, so we’re really pleased,” Hine said.

The Magpies, who play in front of some of the biggest crowds in the AFL have had a habit of selecting players who can star on the big stage.

In 2005, the club selected Dale Thomas on the back of his best-on-ground performance in that year’s TAC Cup grand final.

Fast forward three years and Steele Sidebottom’s ten-goal effort for the Murray Bushrangers in the TAC Cup grand final has also earned him a black and white guernsey.

Hine said Sidebottom showed he would have no trouble performing when it mattered most.

“Steele joins the likes of Dale Thomas and these sorts of boys who are big occasion players,” Hine said.

“If you look at the first round it was always a case of who was going to come through. Steele was a boy who we obviously rated highly and fortunately for us we were able to fulfil that need as well in terms of the midfield.”