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Strike one:Fremantle matched the Blues’ bid for Liam Henry.Credit:Getty Images

For a second successive year Carlton were the trade aggressors on draft night. This is what the AFL wanted when they changed their rules last year to permit live trading on the night.

With the extensive reporting and analysis of the draft,the names attached to clubs in the top 10 would have been of little surprise without the trades and bidding.

Strike two:GWS matched the Blues’ bid for Tom Green (left).Credit:Getty Images

Carlton started the night with pick nine and didn't end up using it on a player,but made sure Fremantle and GWS were asked to pay a decent market price for theirs. Then they got Brodie Kemp,the player they wanted at pick nine,at pick 17.

The Blues had three offers to use pick nine and eventually traded out to the Gold Coast for pick 17.

In the trade period GWS traded aggressively to get ahead of Sydney,fearing a bid for their academy player Tom Green. Whether the Swans would have taken him if the pick was"live"and not a charade – knowing the Giants would match the bid – is moot. The Swans didn't bother playing the game.

Remarkably,other clubs thought the same thing and let Green slide for the next few picks. The surprise was that when a bid on an academy player did finally come it didn't come for Green.

Carlton were the club that said enough was enough;games or not,these players are too good to continue to be let through. They had pick nine and they called out Liam Henry,a player Fremantle had dibs on. The Dockers matched the bid – it was about the area clubs thought he might go,so probably an accurate market price.

Then the Blues called out Green. GWS matched. This was later than expected on Green.

Then in a canny bit of trading,the Blues did a deal with the Gold Coast. They gave up pick 11 and got back picks 17 and 22 in exchange. Pre-draft,they had earmarked Kemp as one of the players they liked at nine.

Carlton finally scored their first player with Brodie Kemp at pick 17.Credit:Getty Images

Evidently they did their maths,or at least picked through the intelligence on what they thought clubs were likely to do with picks 12-16,and took the punt Kemp might still be there for them at 17. So it proved.

This was bold and clever trading by Carlton because they were then able to pair 22 with pick 55 to buy their way to pick 20 – and thus back into the first round. Then they picked a player in Sam Philp that had the feel of the classic draft bolter about him for some. Other recruiters love him and liked the choice.

Whether the Blues had the best of the selections on the night,arguably they made the best of their selections.

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