PORT Adelaide does not anticipate a situation where it will be able to get a deal done with Gold Coast to move up the NAB AFL Draft order and snag highly-touted South Australians Izak Rankine or Jack Lukosius with its top draft choice.
But it's not through a lack of trying on Port Adelaide's part to try to secure picks No.2 and or No.3 in the draft, according to the Power's national recruiting manager Geoff Parker.
The club currently holds picks No.5, 10, 15 and 85 ahead of the draft, which begins with the first round on Thursday night and continues on Friday.
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"You'd like to think so (a trade of picks could be facilitated), but we've spoken to Gold Coast enough and we're pretty confident that's not going to happen with the swap of picks at that top end," Parker said outside AFL House in Melbourne on Wednesday.
"We threw up some different scenarios and they came back with different scenarios but in the end it's not going to work out that way and they'll probably keep their two picks and we'll keep pick five."
There has been speculation in recent weeks that Adelaide, which holds picks No.8, 13, 16 and 21, could package up its suite of draft selections to move up and claim Rankine, Lukosius and/or fellow South Australian Connor Rozee.
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However, Parker is not worried by the prospect of Adelaide leapfrogging its crosstown rivals in the order, confident in the knowledge the Suns have decided to hang on to the top two selections in the draft.
"I'm assuming Adelaide, with their draft picks, are in a similar spot to us so I'm not sure what else they could do that we couldn't do so I think Gold Coast are just keen to have those picks," Parker said.
Should the order remain the same before its pick No.5, Port Adelaide's first selection will depend on what St Kilda decides to do at pick No.4.
The Power previously moved up the draft order in a bumper trade deal that saw them acquire Ryan Burton from Hawthorn and Sam Mayes from Brisbane after dealing Chad Wingard to Hawthorn.
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"We're going to take the player that we think is the best player at pick No.5 and there's been a bit of speculation that we're trying to get some South Australians," Parker said.
"We moved up the order because we thought this was a really good draft pool and we were trying to get as many picks in the top 10 as we could. Whether they're South Australians, Victorians or living elsewhere, we just wanted the best list of players we could get."
Parker hasn't ruled out the prospect of making a strong play for Rankine, Lukosius or Rozee, should either player be picked by Gold Coast, to lure them back to South Australia when they fall out of contract for the first time.
"They're talented players so you've got to do the right thing by your club and ask the question," Parker said.
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The number of prospective father-son and academy players on offer in the first round of the draft is set to add further intrigue to how the order might fall.
Live trading of picks on the night is another mechanism clubs will need to consider.
"I can't remember a year where there's been so many father-sons and academy players, it's extraordinary," Parker said.
"Once you get past the first round and into the second and third rounds it's going to be extraordinary the amount of players that get bid for or nominated by clubs."
