WE ARE dubbing it the 'Grlj spill'.
When Richmond selected Sam Grlj with its second pick in last week's Telstra AFL Draft, it set in motion a chain of selections and consequences that saw Essendon and Melbourne land their targets, one club trade back down the order and another push up and a ripple effect that lasted until the early 20s picks.
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It was not that the Grlj pick was unexpected. For a month he had been viewed as one of four leading contenders for Richmond's pair of choices, which was narrowed to three after its first pick of Sam Cumming, and rival clubs had pieced together the Tigers' interest in Grlj over the two days preceding the draft. It was just that so much hinged on Richmond's second pick through the early stages of the draft order that whichever way it went was set to cast the draft die.
It was the central pick of a first round of 25 selections with even more bluffs, bids, strategy, gameplay and tactics than before.
Here is AFL.com.au's behind-the-scenes inside story of the first round of the draft and the deals that did happen, those that fell over, what was on the mind of every club and the sliding draft moments that linked every pick to the next.
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WEST Coast had settled on Willem Duursma for some time, with his VFL performances for Casey Demons in July and August all but cementing his position there.
Eagles coach Andrew McQualter live streamed those games online from Perth and watched as Duursma's competitive edge and versatility stood out, but it was only on Wednesday afternoon, hours before the draft, that the Eagles called Duursma and his family into an apartment room in Docklands to inform him he would be their No.1 pick.
The Eagles had kept the door ajar for an offer to come for pick No.1 or No.2, but nothing had eventuated. Essendon put in a final call to the Eagles two days before the draft floating options, including two of the Bombers' three top-10 picks as a trade, but when it became clear the price for pick No.2 was going to be similar to the price of pick No.1, Essendon didn't formalise a deal proposal.
West Coast had decided it would bid on Gold Coast Academy gun Zeke Uwland and immediately follow it with another bid on Carlton father-son Harry Dean, which had both of their clubs prepared with their points.
In settling on 'Duff-ma', the Duursma and Cooper Duff-Tytler double, the Eagles had also let the Calder Cannons big man know about their bidding plan so he was across the strategy. He wasn't fussed what number he was selected, simply buoyed to be heading at No.4 to the Eagles, who were equally as taken by his VFL form as Duursma's late in the season when they saw him beat opponents as a forward.
Midfielder/forward Cumming and Victorian bolter Sullivan Robey were part of the Eagles' next group on the order of available non-tied prospects.
Richmond, as expected, started its draft by placing bids on Suns Academy excitement machine Dylan Patterson and then Brisbane Academy star Dan Annable. Some clubs rated Annable as the best player in the draft; others thought it could have been Patterson.
Richmond knew it wasn't getting either but wanted to make clear where the pair sat in its eyes, before grabbing its own two players, which shaped as the crucial picks in the top 10.
Five days before the draft, Tigers recruiting manager Rhy Gieschen and list manager Blair Hartley took a 1pm flight from Melbourne to Mildura in country Victoria to see Cumming and his parents. They were yet to meet the family of the hard-edged talent, and also got Cumming to drive to the airport to pick them up, so they could spend more time with him.
It was an in-and-out recruiting mission that solidified their plan he was their man and by 5pm they were back on the flight home, perusing more under-18 edits of him on the way back. Post-draft, it became clear that a number of clubs ranked Cumming a top-three talent, even winning some 'Patrick Dangerfield-like' comparisons.
Clubs were less sure about the direction of the Tigers' second choice. Along with Cumming, they had narrowed their group to four players for their two live picks: Xavier Taylor, Sullivan Robey and Grlj. All made sense – Taylor as the long-term Nick Vlastuin replacement, Robey as another midfielder after their tall-heavy 2024 draft crop and Grlj for some much-needed speed.
The Tigers' strategy was to keep quiet on their preferences so that if a club, such as Essendon or Melbourne, thought they were interested in Robey or Taylor, then they might offer 'overs' for a shift one, two, three or four spots down the draft order and still be able to get their preferred player in Grlj.
On the Tuesday before the draft, clubs begun to put that puzzle together, knowing the only player Richmond could confidently slide down and still get was Grlj. But neither Melbourne nor Essendon put forward a trade offer for either of Richmond's picks.
In fact, the only club to table a bid was Adelaide on draft night, with the Crows offering their first-round pick this year and next year for Richmond's second pick. It was a throw at the stumps the Crows knew wasn't going to strike, but they were happy to chance their arm regardless. It wouldn't dent their trade enthusiasm later in the night.
Essendon, holding the next two picks, and Melbourne, the two after that, were pleased when Grlj became a Tiger.
For Essendon, it meant the Bombers would secure bolter Robey and half-back Jacob Farrow. Robey had visited The Hangar days before the draft and was in the Bombers' sights as they hunted a big-bodied midfielder while they hope Farrow can be the same down the track.
If Robey or Taylor was picked by the Tigers instead of Grlj, the Bombers would have gone with Farrow and then Dyson Sharp next and seen what would have gotten past the Demons.
But because of their intel on the Demons' lack of interest in Sharp at that point of the draft, plus the fact Melbourne just traded in Jack Steele and drafted Harvey Langford last year, the Bombers were prepared to risk him getting through to their third pick in the first round that they had traded for with Carlton in the days leading into the draft. It was less cat-and-mouse than a tactical roll of the dice.
That's where Melbourne came into things. In Richmond choosing Grlj, it gave it a much more alive chance one of Taylor or Robey would be available at its pick.
The Demons were hoping Taylor would be the player to get through the Tigers and Bombers and couldn't type his draft number in quick enough when he was available at No.11 (after bids) on their draft board. The Eastern Ranges defender dominated at the end of the season, plays with swagger and confidence and is a teammate players enjoy lining up alongside.
The Dees also breathed a sigh of relief when Essendon called out Farrow as their plan to join Latrelle Pickett with his cousin Kysaiah at Melbourne was about to come to fruition – and in grand style.
West Coast called with a deal to trade up from its third pick to the Dees' selection for a future second-round pick, but the Eagles wouldn't have known Melbourne's efforts to land Pickett and keep it under wraps. Very few did.
A fortnight before, Demons recruiting boss Jason Taylor had informed AFL talent boss Kevin Sheehan that Pickett was a chance to be in their mix and that they could consider bringing him to night one at Marvel Stadium. But it had to be kept under tight control, for the Demons knew the work Essendon, and other clubs such as Greater Western Sydney and Hawthorn, had put into assessing Pickett as an option.
On Monday, two days before the draft, the Bombers had Pickett and Oskar Taylor to the club. For Essendon, it was interested in the lightning small forward but also used the catch-up as a chance to see how much work other clubs had done on the Glenelg goalkicker. He was in its mix for its third pick, but was unlikely to be taken given the players ahead.
With Pickett's management group Vivid Sport on board with the Dees' plan, the 19-year-old arrived at Marvel on draft night after 7pm and entered via a back door once the rest of the room was full. He was spotted with surprise by other guests in the room, but under the guise of his management group having driven his attendance at the event.
Melbourne's long-time recruiting boss Taylor was the intermediary between Sheehan, agent Tim Hazell at Vivid and the AFL's events staff, but not until Essendon had picked Farrow could he relax. At that point, Kysaiah Pickett and Melbourne's Indigenous development manager Matthew Whelan, who were hiding in a separate empty room at Marvel, got the go-ahead to get on the move so he could present his younger cousin with his Melbourne jumper.
Latrelle didn't know Kysaiah was there, least of all presenting him with his new colours, in a memorable moment for the club that was carefully and methodically planned out to perfection.
Melbourne had been strongly linked to South Australian Cam Nairn in the lead-up to the draft, but with Grlj's selection at Richmond pushing Taylor down the board, it meant one of the big five – Taylor, Robey, Cumming, Duursma and Duff-Tytler – were still available to partner alongside Pickett.
If Grlj had not been picked by Richmond, or Essendon had picked Taylor instead of Farrow, the Dees would likely have grabbed Nairn and then taken Pickett, aware of the symmetry of both cousins being pick 12s six years apart.
Essendon's plan to get mad Bombers supporter Sharp through to their third pick had worked. If the alternative had occurred and Sharp was one of their first two picks, the Bombers would have landed on half-back Josh Lindsay at their third selection, which came after they bundled three picks for Carlton's 'for sale' pick 9 (pre-bids).
But that Sharp selection wasn't without real interest.
West Coast tried to slide up four spots using a future second-round pick, while Adelaide got busy on the phone again, making three different offers for the selection in a bid to take local midfielder Sharp.
Having not attempted to do a deal with Melbourne because of the Demons' clear intent to hold their position, the Crows threw everything at the Bombers, tabling an offer of their first-round pick that night, their 2026 first-rounder and 2026 third-rounder for pick 13 and a 2027 second-round pick. Collingwood had flagged potential interest in Sharp pre-draft and would have needed to use a future first-rounder to get in. However, no rival interest was swaying the Bombers, who envisage Sharp to be ready to go early in 2026.
By that point, Hawthorn had been on the phones. With Grlj, Farrow and then Pickett off the board, the Hawks were open to shifting back down the board, knowing they had a group of players who would be there with a bunny hop backwards. GWS saw its opportunity to get up the board so offered a future second-rounder to climb the order. Hawthorn initially wanted Melbourne's future second-rounder, but instead took the Giants' future second.
The Giants thought the Hawks might place a bid on Sydney Academy prospect Harry Kyle but wanted to be the ones to do it and try to land him, so rose up there and made the bid, which the Swans were prepared for. Anything past pick 11, Sydney was comfortable matching for the rugby convert.
The other reason for the Giants' trade up was to own the pick. Pick possession is 10/10ths of the law in drafts, and is a key factor in clubs stopping other clubs from outbidding them on picks that are on the trade table.
The Giants had seen their other fancied players – Grlj (who coach Adam Kingsley had spoken with on draft day), Pickett and Farrow – already taken so moved up to get fast half-back Oskar Taylor as he was the last remaining player of their group.
If Taylor was gone, the Giants would have traded back and picked up draft collateral, with discussions already had with Adelaide, Geelong, Richmond and St Kilda on possible deals. Brisbane was asked by the Giants if it would jump back in using a future first-rounder, but the Lions weren't interested in parting with that pick.
If you're still following, well done. If nothing else, the inside story of the draft shows the level of detail going into each decision a club makes and the value of 'DI' (draft intelligence) in knowing who is interested in who and how to use that knowledge for your own benefit. The days of crossing names off a list are long gone and the proactive clubs can make things happen as late as seconds before their pick is due to come in.
North Melbourne's big trading work was done prior to the draft when the Roos landed Carlton's pick 11 (before bids) on the weekend before names were called. The Roos had talks with Gold Coast and Brisbane about packaging two picks in the 20s for either of their mid-teens pick, but instead used a future second-rounder and one pick in the 20s to secure that Blues' selection and give them a bite at the top end of the pool.
It worked out well. Dynamite youngster Lachy Dovaston was a priority for them to add to their small forward division, with the Roos having also carefully considered Pickett. If Dovaston was off the board, Lindsay would have been the Roos' pick.
They had West Coast and Adelaide also pursue that selection – both with eyes on Dovaston – using their first-round pick plus a future second-rounder, but having done the work to get up the board, North was in no mood to shift back again. Blake Thredgold, who was North's first pick on night two, was ranked not too far from the Dovaston choice.
With Hawthorn's group of players still remaining intact, the Hawks decided again to trade down the order to grab another future second-round pick (from West Coast, but tied to St Kilda). It was crafty drafting that will aid their trade hand next year. Did anyone say Zach Merrett, Zak Butters and Bailey Humphrey?
The Eagles finally were able to shift up the order and did so placing a bid on Gold Coast's Jai Murray. The Suns quickly matched, but Murray's night wasn't without drama, with an AFL medical report an hour before the draft communicated to clubs that the tough midfielder would be missing three months with a leg stress fracture.
That didn't stop the Eagles' interest, who remained Suns-focused in placing a secondary bid on Beau Addinsall. This was where things got very tight for the AFL's leading points hunters.
The Suns had workshopped every possible scenario, including this back-to-back bid, but can thank the Giants for getting Addinsall because their efforts to land the ball-getter were made possible because some Sydney picks in the second round had been wiped out by the early bid on Kyle. If that bid had been later, the Swans would have matched differently, leaving the Suns' own picks value to not be worth as much in the fluid order.
Importantly, Gold Coast's deal on the day of the draft with the Western Bulldogs to flip around points had given them every chance to land at least four first-round Academy bids. But there was a whisker in it, with the Suns coming within just five Draft Value Index points of not being able to secure Addinsall and their fifth Academy graduate Koby Coulson.
The Eagles had used that extra second-rounder to secure the selection, knowing Hawthorn was offering it to other rivals too. They also knew if the Suns matched their bids, only Lindsay was available of that tier of players they had ranked, so prioritised surety over the chance another club pushed up with a better deal.
Lindsay, a good friend and long-term Vic Country teammate of Duursma, fitted the bill for West Coast as a kicker who could add polish to its mix.
Hawthorn, by that point, held pick 20. It mulled over one more slide back to Adelaide's pick, but risked losing access to Nairn, who the Crows and Western Bulldogs (at pick 21) had also scouted closely. Their hop, skip and jump wouldn't have started if Grlj wasn't taken by the Tigers, whereby under that scenario he likely would have gotten to the Hawks' original first pick, but Hawthorn pivoted and future proofed its draft hand.
After the Nairn pick came the Dogs, who had been sweating on a half-back getting through to their selection, and placed a bid on Sydney Academy prospect Lachie Carmichael.
The Dogs had thought about trying to add a future pick to move up the draft to grab a player, but wanted to protect their hand for 2026 for any trading activity (again, did anyone mention Butters?) so held at their spot and waited.
Their pick swap at the start of the draft with Gold Coast had seen them push up their second draft choice and control their destiny at that part of night two, without impacting their live selection for night one.
The Dogs had narrowed in on Carmichael as an option following the Swans' trade for Charlie Curnow, which wiped out their pick hand, and with Lindsay, Taylor and Murray off the board he was the remaining half-back option.
Sydney had some contemplation within its five-minute window. The early Kyle bid had stretched things, but the Swans ultimately prioritised keeping a pick in the mid 30s of the open pool, along with matching a late bid on third Swans Academy player Max King, over Carmichael.
Having attempted to get up the ranks, the Crows' pick finally rolled around and they decided on forward Mitch Marsh, who edged out Archie Ludowyke for the spot (the Crows later landed on Ludowyke, who was surprisingly still available at pick 50 on night two).
Hawthorn had done a deal at the start of the draft to shift its second pick slightly up the board in exchange for Brisbane's pick, giving the Lions a few more points to match their Annable bid. The Hawks had looked at a range of key forwards in the lead-up to the draft and met with Aidan Schubert in draft week and took him at No.22, having also considered South Australian Harley Barker.
Geelong toyed with going up the draft if it could, having been one of the clubs in discussion with the Giants if they traded back, while they also offered the Crows a future third-round pick (as well as their own pick 24) to shuffle up two spots before Adelaide was on the clock.
At that stage, the Cats had their eyes on one of three players – Barker, Marsh and Thredgold, with Ludowyke not too far behind. But after the Carmichael bid was not matched by the Swans, it meant Geelong knew one of its three players in the bracket was going to be available, even if they weren't sure who was top of the list for the Hawks.
In Barker, the Cats went with the athletic wingman who will be given plenty of time to develop as he recovers from his ACL knee injury.
Fremantle closed out the first night of the draft by bidding on Essendon Next Generation Academy prospect Adam Sweid. The Dockers ranked Sweid much higher than No.25, so it was not a tactical bid to squeeze the Bombers' points but purely a talent call.
While the Bombers were weighing their options, Brisbane offered a points package to help them match their bid, like the Lions had also done with the Swans during their Carmichael decision, but Essendon did not want to impact its futures hand so let the midfielder go to the Dockers. If the Bombers had matched, the Dockers would likely have placed a bid on Tylah Williams, which they did at their next live pick (No.39).
Schubert, too, had been right in Freo's considerations if he had gotten past the Hawks given Geelong was looking elsewhere.
But that alternative draft universe can be traced all the way back to Richmond's 'Grlj spill'. For if the Tigers didn't select him there, he would have been available at the Hawks' pick and could've been in the brown and gold, which would have stopped two trades being made, flipped plans and changed the rest of the first-round order, all the way through to who was taken in the 20s.
