West Coast have swatted away rival AFL clubs' offers for the No. 1 draft pick, standing firm to take prodigious talent Harley Reid with the top selection.
Coming off five wins across the past two seasons, the Eagles had toyed with the idea of trading the sought-after pick for multiple high-end selections.
North Melbourne, Melbourne and Hawthorn all made bids for the top pick - and access to the highly rated Reid.
But none could tempt West Coast, who flew cult figure Nic Naitanui to Melbourne to present Reid with his new jumper at Marvel Stadium on Monday night.
Naitanui handed over the No. 9 West Coast jumper, which he and fellow Eagles great Ben Cousins wore during their illustrious careers.
Reid is arguably the most-hyped draftee in history, viewed by many recruiters as a generational talent.
"I was pretty laid back with it all, to be honest," the 18-year-old midfielder told Fox Footy.
"I was just super grateful for the people around me and all my friends and family."
Before the draft, Reid was forced to defend himself amid speculation he was less than happy to move outside of Victoria.
But the Eagles are satisfied the young star, who hails from the country town of Tongala in Victoria's Goulburn Valley region, does not represent a flight risk.
Reid is the third player taken by West Coast with the No. 1 pick at a draft and the first this century.
The Eagles previously picked Drew Banfield (1992) and Michael Gardiner (1996) with the top selection.
Reid was also presented with the inaugural Allen Aylett Medal as the competition's No.1 draft pick.
The award is named after former North Melbourne champion and VFL president Aylett, who died in September last year.
With the second selection, North Melbourne selected Tasmanian Colby McKercher, and Gold Coast landed highly-regarded academy product Jed Walter with pick 3, matching a bid from North Melbourne.
...more to come.
Full draft order:
1. West Coast Eagles - Harely Reid
2. North Melbourne - Colby McKercher
3. Gold Coast Suns (matching bid from NM) - Jed Walter
4. North Melbourne - Zane Duursma
5. Hawthorn - Nick Watson
6. Western Bulldogs - Ryley Sanders
7. Melbourne - Caleb Windsor
8. Adelaide Crows (pick traded from GWS) - Daniel Curtin
9. Gold Coast Suns (matching bid from Geelong) - Ethan Read
10. Essendon (pick traded from Geelong) - Nate Caddy
11. Geelong - Connor O'Sullivan
12. GWS Giants - Phoenix Gothard
13. Melbourne - Koltyn Tholstrup
14. Gold Coast Suns (matching bid from Sydney) - Jake Rogers
15. Western Bulldogs (matching big from Sydney) - Jordan Croft
16. Sydney Swans - Will Green
17. GWS Giants (pick traded from St Kilda) - Jame Leake
18. St Kilda - Darcy Wilson
19. Hawthorn (father-son - bid matched from North Melbourne) - Will McCabe
20. North Melbourne - Taylor Goad
21. Adelaide Crows - Charlie Edwards
22. North Melbourne - Wil Dawson
23. North Melbourne - Riley Hardeman
24. Sydney Swans (matching bid from Collingwood) - Caiden Cleary
25. Collingwood - Harry DeMattia
26. Gold Coast Suns (matching bid from Adelaide) - Will Graham
27. Adelaide Crows - Oscar Ryan
28. St Kilda - Lance Collard
29. Carlton - Ashton Moir