Holding pick four in Thursday’s AFL Draft is a coup for the Western Bulldogs but Recruitment Manager Simon Dalrymple is also confident in securing young talent with the Club’s later selections.   

In a draft known for its early top line talent, the Bulldogs are well placed to secure a highly rated junior with pick four but the potential of late-draft gems is also appealing.

“The top end talent is really strong, if you threw in Jack Martin and [Jesse] Hogan as well it would be a bumper year,” Dalrymple said.

“Obviously those two aren’t involved [due to the mini draft] but it is still a really good top end, really good quality.

“I think the draft this year, the depth of it does fall away but we are still confident that at pick 42 and 60 we think we can get some good players.”

The draft process from start to finish is highly comprehensive, with Dalrymple and his recruiting team following the development of the aspiring draftees since their mid-teens.  

“We’ve been watching these boys basically since they were 15… then it was very broad and on our radar,” he said. 

“It really hones in from pretty much 12 months ago when we go to the AIS and meet up with them and have an initial contact.”

A series of events throughout the year including TAC Cup, state leagues and the nationals then culminate in the Draft Combine and prompts the formal interview component of the recruitment process.

“Each month we have our talent list which is continually being assessed and our interview process basically begins post nationals through to the end of the season,” he said.

The finalisation of the draft order then allows each Club’s recruitment department to narrow their focus around those picks and begin to settle on their talent list.

“The investigation, the vision, the whole analysis of all the data is basically what we have been doing the last six weeks,” he said.

The 2013 AFL Draft will be held on Thursday 21 November 2013 at the Gold Coast with the Bulldogs holding pick four, 42 and 60.