As anticipation builds for the AFL season among fans, club recruiters are keeping a close eye on the 2020 AFL draft and this year’s crop.

And one word will continually be linked with this year’s draft crop: ‘Compromised’.

The majority of the top draft prospects this year are already tied to AFL clubs, which means they’ll have first dibs on the star prospects when the draft rolls around.

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Round 18

The obvious signs this looms as the most compromised draft ever came on AFL Grand Final day in 2019, which was also when the All-Stars Under 17 match was held.

In the original squads selected, 17 of the 48 players picked were already linked to an AFL club, either as father-son, next-generation academy (NGA) or northern academy prospects.

AFL clubs are currently entitled to a 20 per cent discount on their linked prospects when they match live bids on draft night. An AFL review in 2019 supported that figure.

However, draft sources at club land suggest there’s a growing dissatisfaction at the method, which is seeing the very best multicultural and indigenous players being tied to clubs, despite playing football for a decade.

Upon returning to their offices after summer months out of the AFL bubble, there’s been plenty of conversations among recruiters on how best to attack the year.

Braeden Campbell is one of Sydney’s best academy prospects for 2020. Source: Getty Images

Those clubs with looming top-30 selections are already looking for other ways to find prospects, whether that be through scouting the state leagues or putting more attention in finding the next school football gem. Others are looking at the 2021 draft and how they could potentially move more selections into that pool.

Rookie selections will need to be carefully considered as prospects move up and down the draft board.

WHO HAS ALREADY MADE MOVES?

Several clubs last year not only traded picks on draft night, but also made moves during trade period.

That’s resulted in some clubs being without first-round picks for 2020, including Melbourne, Port Adelaide, West Coast and GWS.

However a club like Geelong has been left with three first-round selections, while North Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane all have two first rounders.

North fans will have another team to keep an eye on in 2020, after the club completed a deal with Melbourne on the second last day of trade period.

The Roos gained Melbourne’s 2020 first-round pick, as well as Picks 26 and 50 in the 2019 draft, in exchange for their own 2019 first-round selection back to the Demons.

That allowed the Demons to take two first-round selections on draft night where they picked up Luke Jackson and Kysaiah Pickett.

Ugle-Hagan has been compared to Lance Franklin. Source: News Corp Australia

WHO ARE THE TOP PROSPECTS TIED TO CLUBS?

As things stand at the moment, the Western Bulldogs could have the No. 1 prospect locked away — even if they win the premiership.

Oakleigh Chargers and Scotch College student Jamarra Ugle-Hagan showed his capabilities last year, with some recruiters comparing him to Sydney Swans star Lance Franklin.

Ugle-Hagan has an outstanding leap and can change the game in the space of five minutes. With great goal sense and a classy left-foot kick, there’s almost no doubting he will be a top-five selection come November.

The northern academy sides too have some classy prospects, with the Suns set to gain the best Northern Territory players and their own academy players without needing to match bids after AFL considerations. Gold Coast’s best academy prospect is midfielder Alex Davies, who impressed throughout 2018.

Swans fans will have to keep an eye on talented academy prospects Braeden Campbell and Errol Gulden, while South Australians Taj Schofield (Port Adelaide) and Luke Edwards (Adelaide) could well find themselves in the top-half of the draft as father-son selections.

Calder Cannons tall Cody Brand is tied to Essendon. Source: Getty Images

Collingwood has first-access to utility Reef McInnes, while the Crows will track NGA prospect James Borlase very closely.

Wil Parker might not be viewed as a first-round selection. However, the Eastern Ranges product has a tough choice on his hands after making his Sheffield Shield debut for Victoria against New South Wales on Friday. Cricket would appear slightly ahead, but he is yet to formally decide.

Luke Edwards (Adelaide) – Father/Son

James Borlase (Adelaide) – Next-Generation Academy

Tariek Newchurch (Adelaide) — Next-Generation Academy

Blake Coleman (Brisbane Lions) – Northern Academy

Saxon Crozier (Brisbane Lions) – Northern Academy

Carter Michael (Brisbane Lions) – Northern Academy

Reef McInnes (Collingwood) – Next-Generation Academy

Cody Brand (Essendon) – Next-Generation Academy

Josh Eye (Essendon) — Next-Generation Academy

Joel Western (Fremantle) – Next-Generation Academy

Brandon Walker (Fremantle) – Next-Generation Academy

Alex Davies (Gold Coast Suns) – Northern Academy

Joel Jeffrey (Gold Coast Suns) – Linked to the club via NT

Brodie Lake (Gold Coast Suns) – Linked to the club via NT

Joshua Green (GWS Giants) – Next-Generation Academy

Connor Downie (Hawthorn) – Next-Generation Academy

Kobi George (Melbourne) – Next-Generation Academy

Deakyn Smith (Melbourne) – Next-Generation Academy

Taj Schofield (Port Adelaide) – Father/Son

Lachlan Jones (Port Adelaide) – Next-Generation Academy

Ethan Baxter (Richmond) – Next-Generation Academy

Braeden Campbell (Sydney Swans) – Northern Academy

Errol Gulden (Sydney Swans) – Northern Academy

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (Western Bulldogs) – Next-Generation Academy

Cody Raak (Western Bulldogs) – Next-Generation Academy