Keeping your eye on the ball with flailing arms and legs coming at you can be distracting. But with the traditional flurry of activity going on around them, the Eagles remained calm and composed as trade period came to its traditional frenzied conclusion.

West Coast recruiters can now focus on the true end game, the National Draft in about six weeks from now.

The Eagles were passive participants in the trade period by comparison to some others and it’s indicative of the club’s strategy to build from the ground up.

Securing Jayden Hunt from Melbourne as an unrestricted free agent was achieved early in the piece. A rebounding half-back or wingman with skill and speed he certainly fills a list need.

But other than that, the Eagles were a little reluctant to be actively involved. If Junior Rioli had opted to stay at Mineral Resources Park the club might been total onlookers.

Instead, the Eagles facilitated Rioli’s desire to move to Port Adelaide and as part of the so-called ‘mega’ deal gave up pick two in the draft to reposition themselves with picks eight and 12. It gives the club the opportunity to secure two outstanding youngsters in its quest to revitalise its list.

While there is the traditional range of high-end talent in the front half of the draft, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some players will have attributes with a stronger appeal to different clubs, but there is not a significant gap in the skills set between those likely to fall between three and 15.

In addition the Eagles have selections 20 and 26, so will have four highly-rated youngsters in their sights as the team takes the next step in its rebuild.

With a rival club likely to bid for Brisbane father-son prospects Will Ashcroft and Jaspa Fletcher, the Eagles picks will probably slide back one spot or possibly even two but it remains the best draft hand the club has had for 15 years.

The pad was laid last year with Campbell Chesser, Rhett Bazzo, Brady Hough, Jack Williams and Greg Clark joining the Eagles in last year’s ballot. 

And, of course, Jai Culley was added to the mix through the mid-season rookie draft.

All of them look capable of having a pronounced impact at the elite level, with Bazzo and Hough in particular making a strong start to their AFL careers. Had Chesser been able to display his attributes there would be greater optimism around the club’s younger players.

Perhaps the underplayed aspect of the Rioli deal has been the future second and third round selections that have been acquired, ensuring the club has five selections within the first rounds going into next year’s ballot.

Some media hardly even mentioned that aspect of the deal, but it’s significant. This will give the club a total of 10 selections in the first two rounds over the 2021-2023 period.

The 2023 ballot is considered by those who follow talent pathways closely to boast more substance than next month’s draft. That’s not to disparage the kids who will hear their names called at Marvel Stadium in late November, it is merely an observation that there are some standouts making an early impression. 

Having those additional selections provides the Eagles with options. It gives them the capacity to again take those picks through to the draft but there is also some collateral should a player from a rival club be looking to head west this time next year.

Having laid the foundation of this list build, it’s time for the ground floor.