It was the one moment that put a bit of spark in the coverage of last week’s AFL National Draft, when the Cats appeared to pull off the deal of the night when they acquired Gold Coast’s 2020 first round pick in exchange for pick 27.

The trade, which also netted pick 60, left Geelong list boss Steven Wells holding three first round picks in next year’s draft, including the Suns’ pick 11, the highest the club will have been on the board since 2008.

If left more than a few draft watchers wondering if the Fox Footy ticker had malfunctioned, or alternatively, that Wells had again pulled off some kind of draft night miracle.

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Appearing on this week’s To the Final Bell podcast, Geelong Talent Identification Manager Troy Selwood outlined the sound reasoning behind the Suns’ decision, with Wells now flush with future list-building options.

Speaking with media after the trade, the veteran recruiter said it wasn’t until the Cats’ were on the clock ahead of pick 27 that Gold Coast officially tabled the offer.

“We had discussions with Gold Coast during the day about it possibly happening and it was subject to the player they wanted coming through to them,” he said.

“So, it wasn’t a fait accompli until it came to our turn on the clock.”

But the decision to pull the trigger and what appeared to be a lopsided deal wasn’t as simple as it first appeared according to Wells.

“We certainly thought it through because we liked the players we had to give up picking with that pick, but in the end the deal was compelling and it sets us up for a good couple of years of drafting, we hope.”

That’s assuming, of course, that the picks aren’t bundled and traded, something that is very much an option, although Wells was understandably tight-lipped on the possibility.

“The picks will become very valuable to us whether we go to the draft or use them in a trade,” he said.

“We know they’re going to be valuable [and] we know those options are available to us.”