The views in this article are those of the author and not the North Melbourne Football Club.
Richmond has made a massive play for the No.1 pick in an attempt to supercharge its rebound up the ladder next year.
However North Melbourne, like it did to Adelaide's offer for the top pick, denied the Tigers' pitch for the No.1 selection with its eyes set on young gun Jason Horne-Francis.
AFL.com.au can reveal the Tigers offered North Melbourne picks No.7, 15, 26 and Callum Coleman-Jones for North's No.1 pick during discussions over the Coleman-Jones trade.
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The move would have left the Roos with four picks inside the first 26 selections as well as the 22-year-old ruck/forward, however Richmond's effort could not get North Melbourne to budge on its plan to take the club's first ever No.1 pick to the draft.
With bids to come on father-sons Nick Daicos and Sam Darcy likely inside the first five picks, Richmond's first pick is likely to finish at No.9, which would have been a significant slide back for the Roos if they accepted the deal.
The Tigers, who won the 2017, 2019-20 premierships before missing the finals this year, have not had a No.1 pick since Brett Deledio in 2004.
The clubs ended up settling on a trade on Friday that saw Coleman-Jones make his way to Arden Street along with picks 42 and 47 in this year's draft as well as a future fourth-round selection in exchange for a future second-round pick, No.40 in this year's draft and also veteran Robbie Tarrant.
As reported by AFL.com.au on Friday, the Roos also knocked back Adelaide's advances for the top choice.
The Crows offered their pick No.4 this year and their pair of first-round picks (one theirs, the other tied to Melbourne) for next year in return for No.1 and the Kangaroos' future second-round pick.
The Kangaroos are set to take Horne-Francis, the powerful and explosive midfielder/half-forward who enjoyed a brilliant season with South Adelaide in the SANFL.
North list manager Glenn Luff told Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio earlier this month that the Roos would listen to offers for the pick but that it would be unlikely to shift.
"It's a pretty valuable pick one this year we think. It's probably more valuable than any other year. We'd be silly not to take calls and hear what's being put to us," Luff said.
"There's been a couple of nibbles, pretty small, but we'll sit back, take the calls and see what comes but I think it's pretty clear it would have to be a pretty attractive deal to hand over pick one."
A No.1 pick has not been traded since 2001, when Fremantle traded the selection to Hawthorn for Trent Croad and Luke McPharlin and other picks swapping hands. The Hawks selected Luke Hodge with the No.1 selection, with Croad making his way back to Hawthorn after two seasons with the Dockers.
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The views in this article are those of the author and not the North Melbourne Football Club.
