PADDY McCartin is locked in as St Kilda's future focal point but the Saints had more than one win on Thursday night when they addressed a variety of needs with their draft haul.

 

The football world knew all about McCartin before his name was read out at No.1, given the hype surrounding him all year and his strong links to the Saints in recent weeks.

 

It's no secret they needed more depth in their big forward stocks given the age of captain Nick Riewoldt and the gap between him and their emerging talls.

 

But the key position prospect was one of four players the Saints recruited at the NAB AFL Draft, with the other three strengthening their depth in other key areas with Hugh Goddard (key defender), Daniel McKenzie (midfielder) and Jack Lonie (small forward) joining the club.

 

"We hoped to be able to do that," acting football manager Ameet Bains told AFL.com.au.

 

"You're always checking back against your talent rankings and seeing the players that were there but we're pleased we basically picked the guys in the order that we had them and the fact they're a mix of players is a bonus.

 

"We also added (ex-Swan) Tim Membrey a few weeks ago, who's a different type of player to those four, so it's good."

 

The Saints, linked to explosive midfielder Christian Petracca – who went to Melbourne at No.2 – for most of the year, didn't tell McCartin they were going to pick him.

 

Instead, they revealed this week they had made their decision and it was down to the forward and his midfield contemporary.

 

"We umm-ed and ahh-ed about whether we would and then we thought that with the romance of the night it would be great for him to find out with everyone else," Bains said.

 

"We held off and the family are very excited and aware of the challenges from here."

Ameet Bains says: "For us, having watched him closely for three years being a big and imposing – and aggressive – key forward, the off-field character, the projection of where we think he'll get to … all of those factors together made us think that he was the best player at pick No.1."

 

Ameet Bains says: "We were a little surprised he was still there but there were a number of players that could have been. We're very excited to get him. He played mostly as a key defender this year – and will play mainly in defence to start with - but has played key forward as well and is equally adept at the other end, so given we've got a dearth on our list in that area and in particular at the young end, it's great to get two bookends."

 

Ameet Bains says: "We were very impressed with Daniel's year at the Oakleigh Chargers. He's battled a few different injuries but in terms of his athletic profile, his speed, agility and endurance, it was in the real elite bracket at the combine and that combined with his football and his ability to play half-back, midfield and half forward was something that really appealed."

 

Ameet Bains says: "He's a local boy for us – his local club is the Seaford Tigers – and it's fantastic for us to be able to have someone produced locally. He's a terrific kid, a small forward, the co-captain of the Dandenong Stingrays and was Vic Country's best player in the championships. We do have a need for a small forward so from that point of view it was great to fill it but we also think that with his talent and character he'll be a fantastic player for the club."