North Melbourne explains why it sacrificed its future first-round pick for Matt Whitlock

Eyebrows were raised — and fans in raptures — when North Melbourne sacrificed its future first-round pick in a bold draft move. But, the club says it got a better deal than it expected.

North Melbourne says it has to back itself to bounce next year after giving up a future first-round pick in a surprising live trade during the national draft.

The Kangaroos secured the final selection of the first round of the draft — pick 27 — on Wednesday night, along with a future second-round pick from Richmond, in exchange for their 2025 first-round selection.

Recruiting manager Will Thursfield confirmed on Thursday night that the club had started asking rivals from pick 8 onwards whether they would be willing to trade out of this year’s draft for a future first-round selection from the Roos.

North Melbourne’s first-round picks Matt Whitlock and Finn O’Sullivan.

Shepparton swingman Matt Whitlock was the player North Melbourne eventually landed when Richmond agreed to a trade.

“We were lucky enough to get something back in the end, which was good, but we were happy to do it without it,” Thursfield said.

“You’d hope we’d improve quite a bit, given the cattle we’ve brought in and another year and these kids, but it’s hard to say.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to back ourselves in a bit, and again, we really liked Matt and wanted him in.

“He can play forward, back, (he’s) genuine key position size and he’s going to have the athletic profile to match up against the big boys. So we’re happy to do it.”

Matt Whitlock receives his jumper from Andrew Swallow. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

North Melbourne selected midfielder-forward Finn O’Sullivan at pick 2, which was another surprise to some given the Kangaroos already boast a stacked young midfield.

However, Thursfield said he believed O’Sullivan was versatile enough to play a range of roles.

“He might not play midfield to start — that’s the beauty of him,” he said.

“Finn’s so athletic, he’s so versatile. He might play wing, he might play half back, he might play half forward. He’s a super talent, super kid, tough, plays to win. I’ve said before, he’s not a stats man, he’s an impact man, so he can impact the game without the ball. I think he’s pretty well poised to step in and play a good role, whatever that may be.”

North Melbourne added two further players to its list in the back end of the draft, selecting West Australian midfielder Luke Urquhart at pick 57 and father-son River Stevens at pick 67.