AFL national draft 2022 LIVE updates: Ashcroft, Cadman, Wardlaw, Sheezel and Tsatas expected to go early

Essendon still not ruling out trading outtheir coveted pick No.4 as the draft draws near.

Tonight when the AFL’s 18 clubs assemble for the opening night of the national draft, the Richmond Football Club will be only notional participants as the first 20 names are read out.

If the rules permitted, the Tigers may as well stay at home because they will be mere bystanders to whatever unfolds.

Richmond have no first- or second-round pick in 2022, and they don’t have a 2023 first-round choice to trade on the night either.

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Glad you asked. Click here to check out Michael Gleeson’s explanation of how points are attached to draft picks on a sliding scale, and how clubs can match rival bids to secure father-son and Next Generation Academy players to which they have priority access.

GWS keeping plans for No.1 (not so) secret.

The AFL’s national draft will be held across Monday and Tuesday, with Essendon set to shape the top 10 depending on which way they go at what is currently pick four.

Click here to check out who your club is believed to be looking at ahead of the last big event on the football calendar for 2022.

Jayden Davey was supposed to make his mark this year.

Alongside twin brother Alwyn jnr, the gifted sons of ex-Bomber Alwyn Davey snr planned to race up AFL draft boards, even though they were always destined to join the red and black as father-son prospects.

But their journeys took a drastic turn when Jayden suffered a second ACL rupture in his right knee, on their 18th birthday of all days.

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The AFL draft starts with a bang tonight, when the competition’s next batch of budding stars will be selected in the first round.

Here’s how it might play out, based on discussions with recruiters, list managers and player agents, with Essendon then Hawthorn set to shape the top-10 order.