As it stands, North Melbourne holds the first pick on night one, and the second pick on night two at the 2021 NAB AFL Draft.
While all eyes will be on selection one on November 24, there will be just as much intrigue come the second round, with the Roos’ recruiters having a day to ponder their next move.
With Collingwood and the Bulldogs both in line to select father-son recruits, Nick Daicos and Sam Darcy, North’s pick 20 is likely to land around 22 or 23.
Today, North Media looks back to some of the best selections made in the early 20s.
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Pick 20
Midfielder Adrian Fletcher played just 23 games for the Cats, but went on to become a quality on-baller across four clubs, winning a best and fairest at Fremantle in 1999 and averaging 23 touches a game across 13 seasons and 231 games.
Scott Cummings booted 349 goals in 128 games as another member of the illustrious four-club list, while Dean Solomon was a reliable, tough defender through 209 games for Essendon and the Dockers.
Kane Cornes, with 300 games, Will Minson and Sam Butler have enjoyed a range of All-Australians, premierships and best and fairests between them.
But perhaps the best pick 20 of all-time sits with the Dockers and Nat Fyfe, who boasts 202 games, three All-Australians, two Brownlows and a host of other individual accolades.
Callum Coleman-Jones will be looking to forge his own path as he lines up for North in 2022, having played nine games for Richmond as selection 20 in 2017.
Pick 21
Tom Mitchell stands out on the page when looking at the history of pick 21.
A father-son selection to Sydney in 2011, Mitchell has since won a Brownlow, three best and fairests and two All-Australian guernseys between two clubs.
Current Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks played 175 games for Sydney after being drafted in 1994, while Matt Maguire made 170 appearances for St Kilda as a rugged key-defender.
Hayden Ballantyne booted 254 goals in 171 games at Fremantle, while North has its own history with pick 21, having utilised the pick four times.
Garry McIntosh was a star in the SANFL and despite being drafted by the Roos in 1982, elected to stay in South Australia.
Gavin Urquhart had moments of brilliance in a 41-game career, while Ryan Bastinac was a consistent presence through North’s midfield in the early 2010s.
He played 121 games in the royal blue and white, before finishing his career at Brisbane.
But Ben McKay will perhaps create the fondest memories for Roos’ fans. Picked at number 21 in 2015, he’s become one of the most reliable key-defenders in the competition.
Pick 22
The brilliant Winston Abraham landed at Fremantle with pick 22 in 1994, but saved his best footy for 72 games and a premiership at North Melbourne between 1998 to 2001.
Premiership players Richard Hadley and Mark Seaby were drafted by West Coast and Brisbane in 2000 and 2001 respectively, while best and fairest winners Scott Selwood and Jackson Trengove headed to the Eagles and Port in 2007 and 2008.
Mitch Wallis was a father-son selection at the Bulldogs and has racked up 157 games, after he was picked in 2010.
More recently, Essendon defender Jordan Ridley was a bargain pick at selection 22 in in 2016.
Pick 23
The 23rd selection is a memorable one from a North perspective, with 300-gamer Drew Petrie arriving at the club in 2000.
Petrie’s versatility was quite remarkable, with the number 20 able to play in defence, in the ruck and in attack.
He sits sixth on the club’s all-time goal-kicking list, with 428 majors, and second on the games-played list, having lined up in the royal blue and white on 316 occasions.
Other famous faces with at pick 23 include Michael Long, the two-time premiership star at Essendon, two-time All-Australian, Geelong’s Tom Lonergan and Essendon midfielder David Zaharakis.
In more recent times, Cats’ star Cam Guthrie (2010), and Adelaide’s Matthew Crouch (2013) have been taken with the 23rd selection overall.
North Melbourne currently holds picks 1, 20, 42, 47, 72 and 77 at the NAB AFL Draft.
