Melbourne was one of the last clubs to enter the draft after the Mitch Clark trade cleared out their first pick. Rory Taggert was a surprise choice at pick 36, with the Demons banking on him flying under the radar of other clubs. Former Crow James Sellar was the first recycled player to be named and will give the Crows size up forward.
What the recruiter said
"The coaching staff were really keen on getting another experienced tall on the list to add to bringing Mitch Clark. The 23-year-old demographic is something we don't have a lot of. We took four talls last year and our last two picks in 2009 were Max Gawn and Jack Fitzpatrick so they're all really young. We've got Frawley and Rivers down there, who are the key tall defenders, but not a lot of experienced talls in our forward line." Melbourne national recruiting manager Barry Prendergast.
Pick 36: Rory Taggert, North Ballarat
Prendergast says: "I was an AIS selector in Rory's under 16 year and he was a bloke who caught my eye in that program. He certainly was someone in contention who didn't make the AIS. I watched a game against Oakleigh last year where he caught my eye again. He sneaked under the radar a bit and there were only four or so clubs who spoke to him at the combine."
Pick 52: Josh Tynan, Gippsland Power
Prendergast says: "We took a bit of time with this pick and that was a bit linked in to 54 as well. You get through the draft and we had a pleasant surprise we had a choice at 52. There was another player we liked at that pick, so we were making two decisions in the one deliberation. Josh's national championships and time at Gippsland were impressive. He was so disciplined."
Pick 54: James Sellar, Adelaide
Prendergast says: "Neil (Craig) has coached him for the last five years so we did seek his opinion and Todd Viney as well because he was an assistant coach in Adelaide. We were able to have some valuable insight into James and that helps in making that decision."
