General manager of list management Brad Lloyd says he hasn't had a stronger draft hand at his disposal heading into Friday night's NAB AFL National Draft in Sydney.
Lloyd compared Fremantle’s 2017 draft hand to that of 1999, when Fremantle selected Paul Hasleby with pick no.2 and Matthew Pavlich with pick no.4.
“We’re really excited, it’s a fantastic opportunity for the club,” Lloyd said.
“Not in my time at the club have we had this opportunity. I think it’s back to 1999 since we had a number of top picks. Two and five is an unbelievable hand to go in with, so we’re really excited to use those picks.”
Lloyd gave insight into the years of work behind the scenes preparing for an event that will be over in the space of a few hours.
The recruiting team's comprehensive preparation has given Lloyd confidence that, through picks two and five, Fremantle will add at least two high calibre players to its list.
“There’s been a huge amount of work,” Lloyd said.
“National draft manager David Walls and the recruiting team have done a thorough amount of work, starting with attending plenty of games of footy, watching vision, home visits and writing all sorts of reports.
“It’s a combination of a number of years' work, not just this year to get to this moment. We’re really excited by the hand we go in with and we’ll bring a couple of players into our talented young list.”
A number of draft analysts have stated that this year’s draft is top-heavy with talent, with a small group of players at the top end having the potential to be a number one pick.
Lloyd said Fremantle has the chance to take two picks from this talented group.
“We’re really happy with the first half-dozen players in the draft,” Lloyd said.
“To be able to get two of the top five in this year’s draft pool is a sensational opportunity for the club.”
Lloyd added that he expects this year’s draft crop to slot in well with a youthful and transitioning list.
“Our list is positioned well,” Lloyd said.
“We’re in the second year into a four-year rebuild and we’ve worked hard on transitioning the list.
“Adding picks two and five in Friday night’s draft is a huge step forward, adding some real quality to the quality players that we already have on the list.”
