GEELONG football boss Andrew Mackie has explained the Cats' thinking in asking for picks 76 and 94 in the Esava Ratugolea trade.
The key defender was traded to the Power late on Deadline Day in exchange for pick 25 along with those late picks in the fourth round (76) and fifth round (94) of this year's draft.
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AFL.com.au reported the Cats had rejected a deal for pick 25 only, with the two late picks getting the trade over the line.
On the surface, it appears to be a strange sweetener in the deal given picks that late in the draft rarely get used.
Pick 76 was last used in 2018, when Port drafted Boyd Woodcock, while 94 hasn't been used to draft a player this century, instead being utilised only to elevate rookies.
However, Mackie believes those picks will jump up several spots, with other clubs' late picks to be wiped out when they choose to match bids.
Gold Coast, for example, currently hold 11 picks in total which they will need to match bids for their Academy prospects, while the Bulldogs have a total of 10 picks as they look to match a bid for father-son prospect Jordan Croft.
"Right now, that 76 is our third pick of the draft. That'll come in with all the Gold Coast bids and everything involved, so that was the thinking there," Mackie told Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.
"We do value every pick. We've known all year we're probably working in the back end of the draft. Hopefully it comes in a bit and we can find a player."
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Even if those picks do stay where they are, clubs have a history of finding diamonds in the rough.
Pick 76 was enough to get Mitch Lewis to Hawthorn in 2016 while Essendon used the same pick a year later to bring in Matt Guelfi.
