Port Adelaide were surprised to see Vic Country key forward Jack Whitlock still available to them at Pick 33, having initially expressed an interest in the 200cm key forward almost 20 selections earlier.
Whitlock was one of the unfortunate stories from night one of the 2024 AFL Draft, having been invited to attend the count only to go unselected after the opening 27 picks - with the last selection on Wednesday night seeing his twin brother Matt land at North Melbourne.
The Shepparton spearhead was a significant slider across both nights of the draft, with the Power licking their lips at the fact he was still up for grabs midway through the second round.
Port Adelaide traded up the board on the opening night to secure Whitlock's Vic Country teammate Joe Berry at Pick 15, with the Alberton club having Whitlock in a similar range.
With a desire to attain a ground-level threat with the club's first pick, Power recruiter Geoff Parker said it was a pleasant surprise to see Whitlock's name available for the club's following selection.
"We talked about that before last night, about what order we might have the players in. We decided we were probably going to go a little bit smaller last night, and I was still surprised Jack was there left over," he said.
"Then another discussion today, and even when we got to our pick today, we sort of talked about what do we try and do? So I think we gambled correctly.
"It's a bit surprising. I think the way it's all panned out the taller players are starting to get shifted out a little bit.
"After we got Joe, the plan was we had two or three talls to consider. Jack was at the top of that list.
"We think there's scope for him to work on his ruck craft and develop that pretty strongly, and his athleticism at ground level for his size is very good."
The Power's trade play for Berry on night one came as several other clubs also looked to move up the board and secure the zippy Murray Bushrangers livewire, with the Power trading Pick 45 to move one spot up the order from Pick 16 in a deal with West Coast for the Eagles' top pick.
Parker confirmed more than a couple of clubs had pressed for the Eagles' pick, with list manager Jason Cripps managing to orchestrate the deal in time.
"We had some information, there might be one or two (other clubs interested) and then we found out it was probably a lot more than one and two," Parker added.
"Jason played that card really well and got the deal done. So we were able to come up and get the player we wanted."
Port Adelaide also added Eastern Ranges onballer Christian Moraes with Pick 38 to conclude their draft haul earlier than others.
The Power have committed to adding Next Generation Academy product Benny Barrett as a category B rookie on Friday.
