WESTERN Bulldogs forced the hand of a rival by nabbing an academy graduate on night one, before picking for key position upside on night two. They had the unique honour of making the final pick of the National Draft, evolving the third-generation Darcy family legacy at Whitten Oval.

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DRAFT HAUL

NATIONAL DRAFT:
Pick 21. Lachlan Carmichael
Pick 27. Louis Emmett
Pick 60. Will Darcy

>> CLICK each player’s names for full profiles & highlights

The Bulldogs came into the draft with a first round pick in tow and made waves with it. There was no secret they would be targeting a half-back, so with the likes of Josh Lindsay and Oskar Taylor off the board, that left Swans Academy star Lachlan Carmichael as the next best option.

An earlier bid on Sydney-tied bolter Harry Kyle meant the Swans would be stretched for points, and matching a second first round bid proved a bridge too far. So, like Josh Dunkley in 2015, Carmichael was allowed to walk by Sydney to the Bulldogs with a pick in the 20s.

The Doggies pointed towards Carmichael’s clean hands and poise in traffic as standout traits, on top of his elite ground level intercept work. He turned in a stellar junior career and was considered arguably the Swans’ most bankable prospect, so is a big coup for the Bulldogs.

Temptation to trade back would have been present late on night one and early on night two, although the Bulldogs stuck fat. That meant being on the clock with pick 27 and bringing in a flexible key position talent in Louis Emmett, who was part of the National Academy with Carmichael.

Despite having cut his teeth as a ruck-forward, several clubs believe Emmett has a future down back and that position hole is where the Bulldogs will look to slot him in. At 199cm, his aerial nous is complimented by outstanding running ability and the tools to play in each key position post.

The last point of call was to follow through on listing father-son nominee Will Darcy with the last pick in the National Draft. Joining elder brother Sam at the club, Will is an incredibly raw but mobile key defender who will take time to develop, but can do some special things with ball in hand.

GRADE: B

While it could be perceived that the Bulldogs missed out on a couple of other half-back options, widening the open pool to snare a club-tied player worked out beautifully. They addressed key list needs with a running half-back and long-term key defensive fold, while rewarding one of their own in Darcy with a senior list spot. Overall, a positive result with no real frills, but solid returns nonetheless.