Curtin Call: Bombshell trade offer to shape the draft… and spark a ...

A quietly-spoken, ultra-professional 18-year-old from Perth’s western suburbs is now suddenly central to the biggest AFL trade storyline of the year.

For months, recruiters gossiped and experts dissected the prospect of the West Coast Eagles trading away Pick 1 – and therefore first access to Bendigo Pioneers prospect Harley Reid – to acquire multiple early draft selections that would help accelerate their rebuild.

North Melbourne, Melbourne and Hawthorn in the past two months all put forward offers for Pick 1, yet none persuaded West Coast. Now the Eagles seem destined to hold the prized selection and take Reid.

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But Reid mightn’t be the only player the Eagles take in the first round on Monday night, despite the fact West Coast doesn’t a hold another first-rounder … yet.

Claremont key defender Daniel Curtin – widely considered the best WA prospect in this year’s draft pool – has been heavily linked to West Coast all season. Rival clubs initially believed a big reason why the Eagles were open to trading Pick 1 was because West Coast could still draft Curtin without trading too far down the order.

But in the past week, a potential scenario has emerged that would see the Eagles select Reid and Curtin on the same night.

WHY CURTIN IS SLIDING

Rival clubs last week were made aware of West Coast’s interest in parting with its future first-round selection in exchange for another top-10 pick so it can acquire a second top prospect at the pointy end of this year’s draft. That prospect is understood to be Curtin – WA’s MVP at this year’s national championships after averaging 24 disposals, nine contested possessions and five tackles while going at an efficiency of 82 per cent by foot.

Daniel Curtin of Western Australia poses with the Western Australia MVP award. Picture: Graham Denholm/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

A 197cm player from the West Coast Saints junior footy club, Curtin has class, leadership and versatility that appeals to AFL clubs. He played across all three lines for WA at the carnival, including two full games as a tall on-baller where he covered the ground with a Marcus Bontempelli-like presence. Then he played six WAFL league games for Claremont in the back-end of the season, impressing as a key defender.

Curtin came in at No. 5 on the final foxfooty.com.au Draft Power Rankings for the year – and it’s probable the Eagles have him higher on their board.

But some clubs have him much lower than that, as they have doubts over his ability to be consistent at AFL level and what his best playing position would be.

Industry sources spoken to by foxfooty.com.au widely believe that after West Coast takes Reid, North Melbourne will draft Tasmanian midfielder Colby McKercher then bid on Suns academy forward Jed Walter, before taking Gippsland Power forward Zane Duursma. The curveball is that North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson is a big Curtin fan, having kept in close contact with the West Australian since last month’s draft combine and even spending two-and-a-half hours at his house on the weekend while in Perth for a wedding. But Roos list boss Brady Rawlings and recruiting manager Will Thursfield will make the final call, which most rival clubs believe will ultimately be McKercher and Duursma.

Alastair Clarkson, Senior Coach of the Kangaroos. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Hawthorn at Pick 5 would then weigh up selecting Curtin or Eastern Ranges small forward Nick Watson, with the expectation they’re leaning towards taking Watson.

The Western Bulldogs, who’ve taken key-position players with their early picks in the past three consecutive drafts, are next to no chance to take Curtin, with the club strongly linked to Tasmanian ball magnet Riley Sanders at Pick 6.

Melbourne, which would select next at Pick 7, has been circling Curtin, but has warmed quickly to speedy Eastern Ranges winger Caleb Windsor as the club looks to fix its efficiency when kicking inside 50.

It means Curtin is now being tipped to still be on the board come Pick 8, which belongs to the GWS Giants.

Cue the biggest AFL trade decision of the year.

GIANT CURTIN CALL

The Giants on the field in 2023 were the hunters, storming into a shock preliminary final berth and falling one point short of a Grand Final appearance.

On Monday night, they’ll be the hunted, with several clubs eyeing their first pick, which is tied to Richmond’s finishing position following the 2022 Jacob Hopper deal. And if they part with their selection, it’d be the earliest pick swapped on draft night since live trading was introduced.

Adam Kingsley’s Giants ahead of the elimination final against St Kilda. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

In an ideal world, the Giants would love it if Windsor slipped to their pick. If he did, there’s little chance the Giants would entertain a trade. But the Demons seem set on Windsor with the preceding pick.

And the Giants aren’t expected to consider Curtin at Pick 8, considering they already have a strong defensive group led by Sam Taylor, Jack Buckley, Harry Himmelberg and Connor Idun.

Reading the room and sensing Curtin is sliding down the order, West Coast is keen on that Giants selection, to the point where it’s prepared to part with its future first-round pick to draft Curtin now.

Yet clubs with picks just after the Giants’ selection are also circling, possibly with the same idea as the Eagles to acquire Curtin but after improving their 2023 draft position.

Sydney and Essendon have explored the possibility of moving up the order by offering their respective future first-round selections, but haven’t got a lot of love back to date.

But the Eagles’ main danger in this space is Adelaide, which is keen to turn its three top-20 picks into two on draft night.

The Crows had been looking at Geelong’s selection – which has been on the table for weeks yet is now more likely to stay with the Cats – but could now be the club best placed to deal with the Giants considering its strong 2023 draft hand.

Adelaide, according to the natural draft order, holds Picks 10, 14 and 20, as well as its own future first selection and two future seconds, giving it ample options to strike a deal with the Giants. And intriguingly, the Crows have done more work on Curtin in the days leading up to the draft.

But while the Crows are closing in on a genuine flag tilt, the Eagles are arguably the furthest AFL club away from the premiership window. And after claiming the wooden spoon in 2023, there’s a good chance their first 2024 selection could end up being at the very pointy end of the draft, which would surely appeal to the Giants.

Giving up a spot at the top of next year’s draft class – which is full of midfield stars – to take a player in Curtin who’s slid down the board this year would be bold by the Eagles. Conversely, it could also be seen as a risk for the Giants, for should it click for the Eagles in 2024 and they stay relatively injury-free, they could push several spots up the ladder.

Yet the Giants would surely be in a good place to take up West Coast’s offer.

As rival clubs suggested to foxfooty.com.au, the Giants are in a good position to trade into next year considering their healthy list demographic and the fact they were within one point of a Grand Final this year. Plus the potential of turning the loss of Hopper in 2022 into Pick 1 in the 2024 draft would be tantalising.

But if the Giants agreed to the deal, would the player they’d select in 2024 be better than the one they’d get at Pick 8 this year? It’s an impossible question to answer now, considering so much can change in both the AFL landscape and draft space across the next 12 months. But it’s one the Giants must take into account.

Eagles coach Adam Simpson. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

DRAFT DOMINO EFFECT

Should the Giants instead hold the pick, they’re highly likely to take Tasmanian bolter James Leake, with Murray Bushrangers key defender Connor O’Sullivan also in the mix. Yet it seems the Giants aren’t as desperate for Leake or O’Sullivan as West Coast is for Curtin and would be more willing than other clubs in that draft range to take the Eagles’ future first if they were offered it.

Under the scenario that would see West Coast take Curtin after trading with the Giants – as detailed in foxfooty.com.au’s 2023 phantom draft – Geelong would take Northern Knights forward Nate Caddy, with Essendon to then take Leake or O’Sullivan before the Crows select the player the Bombers overlooked or even Murray Bushrangers midfielder-forward Darcy Wilson.

But should the Giants take Leake, the Cats would probably be the first team to entertain drafting Curtin, leaving the Bombers to take Caddy and the Crows to select O’Sullivan or Wilson.

Should there be no Clarko curveball where the Roos take Curtin and the first seven picks go to script, the Giants would face an almighty conundrum.

It would be the draft’s Curtin Call – albeit one when the event has only just started.