The two top contenders for Richmond's pick 1 as Ashcroft bid appears unlikely

11/06/2024 06:33 PM

Richmond enters the 2024 AFL Draft with one of the best hands in recent memory with eight picks inside the first 24 selections.

The crown jewel of that suite of picks is undoubtedly the number one selection and there appears to be a handful of contenders for that first overall pick.

AFL Media's draft expert Cal Twomey has Levi Ashcroft as his best player in this crop in his phantom form guide, but given Brisbane will match a bid on the Sandringham Dragons product as a father-son, Twomey doesn't think that the Tigers will use their first pick on the midfielder.

"I don't think anyone really expects Levi Ashcroft to get the bid at pick 1 from the Tigers," Twomey told SEN Breakfast.

"It's obviously a rare case for that to happen, even though there was Jamarra Ugle-Hagan a couple of years ago in 2020 with the Crows bidding on him at number one."

Behind Ashcroft in his own top handful, Twomey has Oakleigh Chargers midfielder Finn O'Sullivan at two, Dandenong Stingray Harvey Langford at three, GWV Rebel Sam Lalor at four and another Oakleigh Charger in Jagga Smith at five.

While many in the know have thrown a blanket over that group, Twomey says that the talk between other clubs suggests that Lalor or O'Sullivan appear the two most likely to be taken first overall.

"It's not a great year for phantom drafters, it's fair to say," Twomey said.

"But you speak to clubs and a lot of the talk is around Sam Lalor, the Greater Western Victoria Rebels prospect who's got a bit of Christian Petracca about him. He wears number four and does a lot of fend-offs, so there are hallmarks of another player (Dustin Martin) who the Tigers have had a fair bit to do with as well.

"He is a player that has been strongly linked to them as well as Finn O'Sullivan, they're probably the main two that most clubs believe the Tigers will be looking at.

"I don't think we've ever seen a group as even as this one where the player who could go number one like Sam (Lalor), other clubs could have him at number five or six."

The first round of the 2024 AFL Draft will be announced on November 20 at Marvel Stadium.