Being overlooked for one reason or another at the National Draft can be heartbreaking for any up-and-comer but all is not lost.

One opportunity is all some need to prove they belong and the work that goes into recruiting nowadays makes the Rookie Draft a genuine pathway to AFL football.

While the early years of the rookie draft proved somewhat fruitless for North Melbourne, in recent times the club has identified some great players including Leigh Harding, Michael Firrito and more recently Matt Campbell and Nathan Grima.

The fact Brett Kirk, James McDonald and Nick Maxwell were captains of their respective sides in 2010 and all previously rookie-listed further enhances the Draft’s importance and credibility.

With a good pool of talent still available after the National Draft, there might just be a future champion that's slipped under the radar.

North Ballarat's Myles Sewell and Stephen Clifton, as well as Werribee's Kyle Hartigan lead a host of players hoping for an opportunity at Arden Street, but will the Greater Western Sydney swoop on them with its batch of early picks on Tuesday?

The Kangaroos' have two picks at 17 and 34 and while there are no guarantees, one thing is for sure, those nominating are more eager than anyone to perform - it's the only way to reach their ultimate goal.

See below for a full list of North Melbourne's selections since the inception of the Rookie Draft in 1996.

1996
Pick	Player	NM Games	Goals
16	Bryan Beinke	0	0
32	Julian Kirzner	3	5

1997
Pick	Player	NM Games	Goals
13	David Round	0	0
29	Craig Folino	0	0
45	Julian Kirzner	3	5
61	Wade Kingsley	0	0

1998
Pick	Player	NM Games	Goals
14	Winnis Imbi	0	0
29	Kent Kingsley	12	10
42	Marcus Nalder	0	0
52	Ryan Pagan	3	0

1999
Pick	Player	NM Games	Goals
16	Nick Lowther	0	0
32	Michael Ablett	0	0
48	Mark Hilton	1	0
60	Ryan Pagan	3	0

2000
Pick	Player	NM Games	Goals
13	Leigh Harding	141	157
29	Rodney Tregenza	0	0
44	Digby Morrell	40	47
57	David Teague	33	4

2001
Pick	Player	NM Games	Goals
4	John Baird	46	7
20	Stuart Cooper	0	0

2002
Pick	Player	NM Games	Goals
10	Michael Firrito*	149	25
26	Jeremy Clayton	8	6
42	Clinton Alleway	0	0
55	Nick Gill	0	0

2003
Pick	Player	NM Games	Goals
-	No selections	-	-

2004
Pick	Player	NM Games	Goals
7	Josh Gibson	65	2
23	Josh Thewlis	0	0
38	Scott McMahon*	68	25
51	Justin Perkins	4	0

2005
Pick	Player	NM Games	Goals
10	Ed Lower*	42	16
26	Djaran Whyman	3	4

2006
Pick	Player	NM Games	Goals
3	Leigh Adams*	23	17
19	Ben Hughes	0	0
34	Matt Campbell*	59	62
47	Tim Hutchison	0	0

2007
Pick	Player	NM Games	Goals
14	Nathan Grima*	30	0
30	Cruize Garlett*	16	3
44	Alan Obst	5	0
56	Michael Wundke	0	0
60	James Wilsen	0	0

2008
Pick	Player	NM Games	Goals
9	Marcus White*	2	0
25	Luke Delaney*	0	0
40	Ben Speight*	2	1
54	Alan Obst	5	0
68	Conor Meredith	0	0

2009
Pick	Player	NM Games	Goals
9	Majak Daw*	0	0
25	Matthew Scott*	0	0

* Player is currently on North Melbourne list