Memo to recruiters — particularly those from WA. Especially those from Fremantle. The national under-18 titles have started. Keep an eye on the WA boys. A few of them have slipped past you at the national draft in recent years.

This column is not so much having a go at the recruiters from our two clubs. It is more calling for a correction. Make sure that, come draft time, you don’t get carried away with the publicity machine around the TAC Cup.

Most years a player from WA jumps up and bites recruiters. That is fine if it is the east coast clubs that are being bitten. A few times our clubs have dropped the ball.

Recruiters from West Coast and Fremantle should do this exercise: pick yourself a State of Origin team based on talent. Ignore injury. WA’s line-up would include Alex Rance and Jeremy McGovern as power defenders. Throw in Joel Hamling if you want the third tall.

At the other end, Lance Franklin and Josh Kennedy spearhead the attack. Throw in Jack Darling if you want the third tall. Put Michael Walters and Liam Ryan at their feet.

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And in the middle? Let’s start with Nic Naitanui in the ruck with Nat Fyfe, Stephen Coniglio, Jaeger O’Meara, Tom Mitchell, Tim Kelly and Patrick Cripps on the inside.

Bradley Hill and either Stephen Hill or Mitch Duncan on the spread. Leave Elliot Yeo at half-back with Brad Sheppard. You are going to have to send some of that midfield crew forward to fit them in.

Could Victoria pick a team to beat that lot? Maybe. This State has been producing a significant amount of top-end talent for a good many years. And recruiters have missed a few.

Camera Icon Aaron Naughton (centre) slipped under Fremantle’s radar. Credit: AAPIMAGE

A couple of times this has suited us: Walters was snapped up with pick 53 in 2008. Fyfe was taken at No.20 in 2009 — and the Vics thought he was early then. Darling was taken at pick 26 in 2010 amid a lot of hot air about off-field concerns which turned out to be — well, a lot of hot air.

But equally Yeo (No.30), Hamling (32) and Bradley Hill (33) were taken in the mid-section of the 2011 draft when the Dockers had gone for Victorians Tom Sheridan (16), Hayden Crozier (20) and South Australian Alex Forster (29).

West Coast had chosen locally but badly, punting on Murray Newman with selection 23.

There are other examples. Sam Menegola went all the way to pick 66 in 2015 after a stellar year at Subiaco.

Kelly slid through umpteen drafts without anyone noticing he was an elite stoppage midfielder. In 2013, Fremantle chose injury-prone Victorian tall Michael Apeness at selection 13 when Swan Districts giant Rory Lobb lurked until pick 29.

Every time our clubs do this, they have to front up against home-grown talent or they have to pay to fetch them back. And every time they take east coast talent they have to fight to keep them from heading home.

The trades to get Yeo, Bradley Hill and Hamling back have been good value, but it would have been nice to have had them from the start. Lobb has been terrific in the ruck for the Dockers, but did cost a flip of first-round picks that in turn cost them a look at Jordan Clark, who in his first season is a regular in a Geelong side that is top of the table.

The bidding war for Kelly is about to begin. And as for Sydney Stack, the Richmond Punt Road punt pick who was right under West Australian noses — don’t get us started!

We get it. The draft talent comes from a national pool and you have to cast your gaze nationally. Some picks from “over there” have been well worth it. Andrew Gaff — great pick. Andrew Brayshaw and Adam Cerra have not been out of Fremantle’s best 22 since their first games — though they were taken ahead of local boy Aaron Naughton, who looks a star.

But keep an eye on your backyard. The talent may not look quite as developed as TAC Cup boys at draft time. But our hypothetical 2019 State of Origin team tells us WA talent catches up pretty quickly.