Needless to say, we don’t have the strongest hand going into the 2020 NAB AFL Draft.

Having brought in some top-end talent last year (read Tim Kelly) and craftily using some of this year’s picks to acquire emerging bookends Zac Langdon and Alex Witherden, the club – at present – only has picks 62, 86, 90, 104 and 115 to play with in Wednesday’s national ballot.

A quick check of the archives reveals that we have never used picks 86, 90, 104 or 115 in a draft and that the recruitment team has only had selection 62 at its disposal twice - in 2010 and 2015

In 2010 they used it to acquire the club’s first bona fide father-son recruit, Jacob Brennan, who went on to play 28 games in blue and gold from 2011-2014.

And in 2015 pick 62 was used to draft athletic South Australian Matthew Allen, who spent four years on West Coast's list but did not muster a senior appearance.

While we don’t have much history with the picks in our arsenal, we do have a good track record of picking up stars at the back end of drafts.

The following list is proof of that.

1989 Draft:

Tony Evans: Pick No.64

108 games, 78 goals

Premiership player 1992 and 1994, Best Clubman 1996, WCE Team of the Decade, Life Membership 2005, WCE Team 20

West Coast pinched Claremont goal sneak Tony Evans from under several other recruiters’ noses during the 1989 Draft. Evans amassed 108 games for the Eagles and will be long remembered for his stirring performances in the club’s 1992 and 1994 premierships. He also collected a slew of other club awards, including the Best Clubman title (1996) and a place in the coveted 1996 Team of the Decade and 2006 Team 20. He was afforded life membership with the Eagles in 2005.

Brett Heady: Pick No.92

156 games, 237 goals

Premiership player 1992 and 1994, WCE Team of the Decade, Life Membership 1998, WCE Team 20, WCE Team 25, WCE Hall of Fame

West Coast got plenty of bang for buck out of its 92nd selection in the 1989 Draft. The Subiaco product booted 237 goals from his 156 outings in blue and gold and was a key member of the club’s 1992 and 1994 premiership teams. He was named at half forward in West Coast’s 1996 Team of the Decade, its 2006 Team 20 and its 2011 Team 25. He was also inducted into the West Coast Eagles Hall of Fame in 2014.

Ashley McIntosh: Pick No.112

242 games, 108 goals

Premiership player 1992 and 1994, WCE Team of the Decade, Club Champion 1998, All Australian 1998, WCE Team 20, WCE Hall of Fame

The stoic swingman has the credentials to vie for the title of West Coast’s ultimate draft diamond. McIntosh wore the club’s revered wings on 242 occasions – ranking him 10th on the club's all-time games list – and was a key figure in the Eagles’ 1992 and 1994 premierships. He possessed a rare ability to play at both ends of the ground, but specialised in defence during the second half of his career, where he was a thorn in the side of the league’s best goal-kickers. The 1998 All Australian was named in the club’s 1996 Team of the Decade, 2006 Team 20 and 2011 Team 25. He was inducted into the West Coast Eagles Hall of Fame in 2014.

Dean Kemp: Pick No. 117

243 games, 117 goals

Rookie of the Year 1990, Premiership player 1992 & 1994, Club Champion 1992, All Australian 1992, Norm Smith Medal 1994, Life Membership 1996, Player of the Finals 1996, WCE Team of the Decade, WCE Team 20, WCE Team 25, WCE Hall of Fame

Draft steals don’t get much bigger than that of West Coast Eagles all-time great Dean Kemp. It’s staggering to think Kemp got selected with pick No.117 in the 1989 draft. He racked up 243 games and booted 117 goals for the club. He was a two-time premiership player, the 1992 Norm Smith medallist, 1992 Club Champion and a member of every honorary West Coast Eagles team. Kemp was also inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 2007 and the club’s Hall of Fame in 2011.

1996 Draft:

Michael Braun: Pick No.53

228 games, 66 goals

Best Clubman 2003, Life Membership 2005, Premiership player 2006

The West Coast Eagles landed an absolute bargain when it brought Michael Braun into its nest with pick No.53 in the 1996 AFL Draft. The Bendigo Pioneers product pulled on the club’s revered wings 228 times – ranking him 13th on its all-time games list – and was a key member of an Eagles midfield that dominated the competition in the mid-2000s. He was twice nominated for the AFL’s Rising Star Award (1997 and 1998), claimed West Coast’s best clubman award in 2003, earned life membership in 2005 and, of course, was an integral cog in the club’s 2006 premiership triumph.

1998 Draft:

Andrew Embley: Pick No.57

250 games, 216 goals

Best Clubman 2005, Premiership player 2006, Norm Smith Medal 2006, Life Membership 2008

The Eagles certainly got the most out of its 57th selection in the 1997 Draft. Embley amassed 250 games in the blue and gold – ranking him eighth on the club’s all-time games leaderboard – and collected a slew of awards across his 15 years at the football club, including an AFL Rising Star nomination (2000), Australian international team honours (2004), a premiership medallion (2006) and Norm Smith Medal (2006).

2002 Draft:

Adam Selwood: Pick No.53

187 games, 43 goals

Premiership player 2006, Life Membership 2011, Chris Mainwaring Medal 2013

West Coast secured one of its hardest working players, Adam Selwood, with pick No.53 in the 2002 national ballot. The ultimate role player, Selwood played most of his 187 games across half back before evolving into one of the league’s most pesky taggers. He earned an AFL Rising Star nomination in 2005, a premiership medallion in 2006 and claimed the coveted Chris Mainwaring Medal (West Coast Eagles best clubman award) in 2013. Selwood's commitment to the club has extended beyond his 11-year playing career. He was an assistant coach under Adam Simpson for two seasons before moving into the club’s Community and Game Development department, where he now drives the Eagles' AFLW program as its head of female football.

2006 Draft:

Will Schofield: Pick No.50

190 games, 22 goals

Life Membership 2016, Premiership player 2018

He might have arrived at the club as a skinny kid from Geelong, but Will Schofield has carved out an enviable career in West Coast’s revered wings. The 50th selection in 2006 Draft only registered 15 games in his first season at the club – due to the established depth and talent on the club’s list – but became a mainstay of the senior team from 2010 onwards. The supreme one-on-one defender has been troubling key forwards since and was undoubtedly among the best players afield in West Coast’s 2018 premiership triumph. He earned life membership with the club in 2016 and called time on his career earlier this year following 194 appearances in blue and gold.

2012 Draft:

Mark Hutchings: Pick No.60 

116 games, 46 goals

Premiership player 2018

West Coast snapped up Hutchings shortly after he placed second in the 2012 Sandover Medal and he registered nine games in his debut season before establishing himself as a regular starter in the senior side. The West Perth product came into his own following the arrival of senior coach Adam Simpson, who identified his ability to be an expert tagger. He thrived in the role, quickly becoming one of the league's best run-with players, his most memorable performance coming in the 2018 Grand Final where he restricted dangerous Magpie Steele Sidebottom to just 14 disposals a week after he racked up 41 touches in Collingwood's preliminary final triumph over Richmond.