NORTH Melbourne has taken and will continue to listen to offers for the No.1 selection at next month’s NAB AFL National Draft, but it would take something special for the club to move down the order.
That was the assessment from Kangaroos list manager, Glenn Luff when he spoke to Continental AFL Trade Radio on Friday.
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"It's a pretty valuable one," he said of the pick, which the Kangas seem likely to use on South Adelaide tyro Jason Horne-Francis.
"There's been a couple of nibbles, we’ll take the calls and see what comes but it’s clear it would have to be a pretty attractive deal to hand over pick one."
Responding to reports that the Roos may have been a touch tardy in reaching out to Horne-Francis, Luff said the club had been limited by COVID restrictions and had respected that he was still competing his SANFL season with the Panthers.
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"We have arranged a catch-up," he said.
More pressing for the club is its pursuit of Richmond big man Callum Coleman-Jones. It is hoped a trade deal can be reached with the Tigers, although that might wait until various free agency compensations are determined by the AFL.
But Luff said the club won’t be using its second selection, pick 20, to bring the 200cm ruck/forward to Arden Street. Instead, they hope pick No.38 will be sufficient to get the deal done.
"Something around that. That’s what history tells you gets those deals done," he said.
There is also the option of the pre-season draft, if the clubs cannot agree, but when asked whether North would consider that, Luff said, "We wouldn’t want to use that get him through the door."
The futures of Trent Dumont, Shaun Atley and Tom Campbell likely won’t be confirmed until after the Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period, while the club is unlikely to seek a veteran key defender as a delisted free agent as a replacement for Robbie Tarrant, who will join Richmond.
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"We think it’s an opportunity to bring someone through the draft and develop them," said Luff.
With Ben McKay, Josh Walker, Aidan Corr, Aiden Bonar and Lachie Young, the club believes it enough experience in its back to replace Tarrant.
Luff said the club was still deciding whether former Saint and Crow Tom Lynch will join the club as a rookie-listed player or purely as a VFL player.