North Melbourne was looking to add extra class to its squad and achieved that aim, using pick 18 on Brad McKenzie, an excellent user of the ball through the midfield. With their second choice, the Kangaroos bolstered their stocks up forward with versatile Oakleigh Charger Tom Curran.
What the recruiter said
"We made a list of the best players and went from there. (Being a quality user of the ball) was certainly a key criteria, but we ranked them in order of best available and these two were there at our selections." North Melbourne recruiting manager Bryce Lewis
Pick 18: Brad McKenzie, Sturt
Lewis says: "We went to his home earlier in the year, we interviewed him at the Draft Combine, and then we went back to his house and interviewed him again. It was maybe a bit of overkill from us. We asked Brad the question, 'Why do you think we're here again? And were angling for a certain answer. And he said, 'Because you want to pick me.' We thought that was a good response."
Pick 40: Tom Curran, Oakleigh Chargers
Lewis says: "We think Tom's a genuine key position player but has shown he can perform at either end of the ground. He reads the game really well, is competitive and he's a real footballer who had some injuries this year but we think he's still got some considerable improvement in him."
Pick 74: Luke Delaney, rookie upgrade
Pick 84: Cameron Pedersen, rookie upgrade
