Why sheer quantity is the best path for Richmond at the 2024 AFL Draft

Richmond holds eight of the top 25 picks in the upcoming National Draft, leaving them with many possible strategies for those selections.

It has been suggested that they are likely to trade either up the draft order or into the 2025 draft, in order to space out the picks – given draft contracts all come up at the same time and obviously to give themselves some ammunition for next year.

The Tigers hold picks 1, 6, 10, 11, 18, 23 and 24, following the departures of Shai Bolton, Liam Baker and Daniel Rioli to Fremantle, West Coast and Gold Coast respectively.

Former Geelong forward Daniel Menzel praised their job cashing in during the trade period.

“I think Richmond did a good job too. They got rid of all of those players and stacked as much draft capital as they could. They’re not winning the flag in the next couple of seasons,” Menzel told SEN SA’s Sportsday.

“They’ve got to stock up on kids before Tassie comes in and you don’t want to be down the bottom then. You might as well be down the bottom for the next couple of years and get yourself ready to go, rather than peter around 12th or 13th and then have to rebuild.”

Menzel however would not be trading out of their incredible draft hand, saying they’re giving themselves eight chances to land star players and increasing their odds at nailing five or six of the selections.

“I am not swapping anything. I’m keeping as many picks as possible,” he said.

“The reality is, number one draft picks don’t always hit and neither do picks 2, 3 and 4.

“So if they’ve got eight of the top 24, they’re probably going to hit on four or five of them. Play the percentages.

“If you get five quality players out of this draft, you’d absolutely take that.

“They could try and get a couple picks higher and then what happens if they miss a few and only end up with two good players?

“I quite like that plan and I think it’ll set them up to be able to reload and go again in a few years.”

A similar comparison would be GWS’ 2011 draft crop. The Giants held the top five picks in the draft, as well as 7, 9, 10, 11, 13 and 14.

While they stumbled somewhat on selections like Dom Tyson at pick 3, Matt Buntine at pick 5 and Liam Sumner at 10, they landed Stephen Coniglio at 2, Nick Haynes at 7, Toby Greene at 11, Taylor Adams at 13 and Devon Smith at 14.

This offset middling picks as well like Jon Patton at 1, Will Hoskin-Elliott at 3 and Adam Tomlinson at 9.

Similarly in 2010, the Suns held picks 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 13 – selecting David Swallow, Harley Bennell, Sam Day, Josh Caddy, Dion Prestia, Daniel Gorringe, Tom Lynch and Seb Tape.

Could sheer quantity be the way for the Tigers in the 2024 National Draft?