The conclusion of the AFL Trade Period has turned the industry's attention to the AFL Draft, which will take place from November 19.
While the big names such as Charlie Curnow have dominated headlines, many clubs improved their draft hand either by increasing the number of points they have to match a bid for tied talent, or advanced their place in the order.
Below is a club-by-club breakdown of how each club is positioned a month out from the AFL Draft.
Gold Coast
Draft hand: 15, 18, 24, 28, 29, 36, 52, 92, 110 = 3773 points
With 3773 points, Gold Coast could match bids for Zeke Uwland and Dylan Patterson at Picks 3 and 4, so they will be relying on West Coast not to put a bid on either of the pair with the Eagles' top two selections.
If West Coast did place a bid at Pick 2, the Suns would, with their current hand, only be able to secure both players if a bid for the second Academy player didn't come until Pick 6 or later. Both are projected as top five talents.
The club will, however, almost certainly need to do some live pick swapping if it is to secure any of Beau Addinsall, Jai Murray or Koby Coulson. All three are projected as late first or second-round talents and the Suns' current points will likely be largely absorbed by matching bids for Uwland and Patterson.
The club has three second-round, two third-round and two fourth-round picks across the next two drafts to try to appeal to clubs if it wants to get some picks to match later bids – but will also be conscious of the continual stream of talent coming through the Academy and therefore danger of compromising future draft hands.
