Why Richmond’s huge draft intake could be “one of the smartest moves in AFL history”

SEN host Dwayne Russell was a huge fan of Richmond’s start to the 2024 AFL Draft.

The Tigers entered night one of the draft armed with seven picks inside the first round and ended up using six of them after getting full value for trading out Daniel Rioli, Liam Baker and Shai Bolton this off-season.

That last selection which turned out to be 27, was traded alongside a future second-rounder in exchange for North Melbourne’s future first-round pick.

Sam Lalor was the first player taken by the Tigers at pick 1, while Josh Smillie joined him inside the top 10 at pick 7.

The four other picks inside the first round were midfielder Taj Hotton (pick 12), tall forward Jonty Faull (pick 14), tall defender Luke Trainor (pick 21) and another forward target Harry Armstrong (pick 23).

As well as bringing in a glut of talent, Russell thinks Richmond were smart in picking Victorians that are already familiar with each other as Lalor and Faull hail from the GWV Rebels, while Hotton, Trainor and Armstrong played together at the Sandringham Dragons. Smillie also played with those Dragons draftees for Vic Country.

While we’ve seen clubs in the past also have a glut of first-round picks in Gold Coast and GWS, we’ve never seen a big established club have such access to a draft and Russell expects this intake to one day help deliver Richmond a flag.

“No actual football club with strength and culture in a football state has had six picks in the first round of a draft,” Russell said on SEN Afternoons.

“The Gold Coast and the Giants were expansion franchises just starting up in non-football states with poor facilities and no culture yet, and they had that run of picks.

“So, if I had to pick one or the other - will or won't Richmond win a flag in the next 10 years with this group of kids, most of whom know each other because they're Victorians? I would say yes.

“This might be one of the smartest moves in AFL history.”

Richmond enters night two of the draft with the opportunity to grab more young talent at picks 28 and 89.