Melbourne selected Gysberts at No.11 in last year’s Draft, while this year it has its first pick at No.12.
“Obviously pick No.12 is going to be the first player we bring into the club and logic says he won’t be as good a player as the opportunities we’ve had at pick No.1 and No.2 in the last two years,” Prendergast told melbournefc.com.au.
“But last year we brought in Jordan Gysberts at pick No.11, so if we get a player of that calibre at pick No.12, then we’ll be very, very happy.
“How it feels at the time, I thought 2008 and 2009 were really strong opportunities for us. I think there still really good opportunities again, this time around.”
When comparing the 2008/09 drafts to this year, Prendergast said the past two drafts had more potential elite AFL players at the top-end than 2010.
“The depth of this draft is quite good, but it also depends on what you’re looking for and what you think may or may not be there when it’s your pick,” he said.
“I think there are a lot of potential AFL players in this draft and I don’t think that’s any different to any draft. But whether the top-end stuff is as good as we’ve seen over the last two years - time will only tell.
“The strength of the draft is an opinion-based business. While we’ve previously been hooked into the top three or four, because that’s where our picks have been, we’re not worried about that this year.”
