ESSENDON has opened up a second list vacancy ahead of Monday night's NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft.
After spearhead Joe Daniher (groin) and reigning best and fairest Devon Smith (knee) joined Sam Draper (knee) on the sidelines last week, the Bombers will be one of four clubs to carry dual selections.
>> The 2019 NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft will be broadcast LIVE on AFL.com.au, the AFL Live Official App and Fox Footy from 6:30pm AEST on Monday, May 27
Gold Coast, Sydney and the Western Bulldogs will also have the option to take two players.
Brisbane, Geelong and West Coast didn't have the opportunity to replace an inactive player, while Greater Western Sydney opted against replacing co-captain Callan Ward after his season-ending ACL injury.
Carlton looks set to take former Fremantle midfielder Josh Deluca with No.1 as a ready-made option, while Kyle Dunkley is almost certain to become a Sun at pick two.
NAB AFL MID-SEASON ROOKIE DRAFT ORDER
FIRST ROUND
1. Carlton (Jarrod Pickett)
2. Gold Coast (Harrison Wigg)
3. Melbourne (Aaron Nietschke)
4. Sydney (Kurt Tippett)
5. North Melbourne (Ed Vickers-Willis)
6. Western Bulldogs (Liam Picken)
7. Essendon (Devon Smith)
8. St Kilda (Paddy McCartin)
9. Port Adelaide (Jake Patmore)
10. Hawthorn (Tim Mohr)
11. Fremantle (Matt Taberner)
12. Adelaide (Tom Doedee)
13. Richmond (Shaun Grigg)
14. Collingwood (Lynden Dunn)
SECOND ROUND
15. Gold Coast (Rory Thompson)
16. Sydney (Heath Grundy)
17. Western Bulldogs (Tom Boyd)
18. Essendon (Sam Draper)
Essendon has actively pursued 26-year-old South Adelaide ruckman Michael Knoll to fill the void left by developing ruckman Draper's ACL injury.
It also emerged the Bombers applied for priority access to Tiwi Islander Adam Tipungwuti through its Next Generation Academy Zone, but the AFL rebuffed the request.
Melbourne's interest in Coburg small forward Sam Lowson and Eastern Ranges speedster Cody Hirst could shape the rest of the draft.
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Sydney, too, has tracked Hirst and fellow NAB League over-ager Mitch Riordan and could pounce if the Demons look elsewhere.
Retired pair Kurt Tippett and Heath Grundy enable the Swans to make two selections. However, placing defender Nick Smith on the long-term injury list means they can also upgrade Category B rookies James Bell or Sam Wicks in the second half of 2019.
Mature-age Coburg defender Lochlan Dickson has also gauged interest from Sydney and Gold Coast.
North Melbourne met with Tipungwuti last week and has warmed to athletic 195cm Werribee forward Jake Riccardi, who has booted 13 goals in seven games in the VFL this season.
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The Western Bulldogs are also understood to be considering Riccardi among a host of options to replace retired pair Liam Picken and Tom Boyd.
St Kilda will also take part after placing key forward Paddy McCartin on its inactive list on Sunday to open an availability.
Port Adelaide looks set to make a selection to replace injured midfielder Jake Patmore.
"We've got multiple players in mind but unless the right player is there for us, we won't have a selection," head of football Chris Davies told SEN SA on Monday morning.
"It's not as if we go into tonight thinking we must have a pick – that is not the case. If the right player is there, then we will."
Hawthorn has been linked to Tipungwuti and interviewed Knoll and Subiaco youngster Jack Mayo last week.
Sandringham Dragons ruckman Riley Bowman trained with Box Hill during the pre-season and made his VFL debut for Essendon on Saturday. Port Adelaide also enquired about the possibility of auditioning the 19-year-old big man in the SANFL last weekend.
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What the Hawks decide to do with Mayo could impact Fremantle's plans, after Dockers football boss Peter Bell was spotted watching the 19-year-old kick four goals in the WAFL reserves on Saturday.
Should Mayo be off the board, the Dockers could look to Peel Thunder's running defender Jarvis Pina, who has catapulted into calculations and attracted interest from multiple clubs.
Adelaide has shown interest in Riordan, while Richmond is a recent admirer of Northern Blues late bloomer Frank Anderson.
As for Collingwood, the Magpies' VFL coach Jared Rivers labelled 19-year-old Campbell Hustwaite – Riordan's fellow Stingrays premiership co-captain in 2018 – as a player to watch in January and could come into calculations.
It comes as Daniel Wells' three-month knee injury will open the door for the Pies to keep upgraded Category B rookie Jack Madgen available for senior selection and take a selection on Monday night.
Madgen was last week promoted in place of Lynden Dunn, however can now be used as a replacement for Wells – who is set for the long-term injury list – and the Pies take a pick via Dunn's spot on the inactive list.
Carlton had one pick remaining from last year's NAB AFL Rookie Draft before losing Tom Bugg to retirement and chose to stock up with Michael Gibbons and Matthew Cottrell in the pre-season supplemental selection period (SSP).
The No.1 selection on Monday night comes as Jarrod Pickett has been placed on the inactive list, with the Blues still holding a glimmer of hope for Sam Docherty to return this season.
>> The 2019 NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft will be broadcast LIVE on AFL.com.au, the AFL Live Official App and Fox Footy from 6:30pm AEST on Monday, May 27
