North Melbourne head coach Alastair Clarkson is said to have made an eleventh hour visit to the home of a highly touted draftee, visiting Western Australian Dan Curtin on Sunday.
Clarkson is said to be enamoured with the key defensive talent, having studied 2023's draft class closely over the course of his eventful year.
The Roos will enter the opening night of the draft armed with five first-round draft picks in the form of 2, 3, 15, 17 and 18.
Yet, as predicted by several outlets, the Shinboners will call the names of Zane Duursma and Colby McKercher with their opening pair of picks.
Still, it is no fait accompli that the Gippsland and Tasmanian natives will be wearing blue and white next season, as seen within Zero Hanger's final Mock Draft.
Should North opt to bring Duursma and McKercher inside their huddle on Monday night, there still remains a path forward to draft Curtin, with picks 15, 17 and 18 potential bait for live trading.
However, as reported by News Corp, Clarkson is content to allow chief recruiter Will Thursfield and football boss Brady Rawlings make the final call on which talented teens will be joining in the chorus.
Having lost Ben McKay to the Bombers during free agency, Clarkson and company require an injection of talent behind the ball, and with Curtin's manager, Jason Dover, pressing that his client is best suited to becoming a genuine stopper, it appears a match made in heaven.
At present, North Melbourne's key defensive stocks are relatively thredbare, with only Aidan Corr, Griffen Logue and Kallan Dawson contracted for 2024 and beyond.
The opening night of the 2023 AFL Draft will commence at 7pm (AEDT) at Marvel Stadium on Monday night.
