GENERAL consensus in football circles is that the talent pool for the 2009 NAB AFL Draft isn't as strong as in recent years, but Port Adelaide football manager Peter Rohde suspects that the bad rap might turn out to be incorrect.

All 18 AFL clubs – including the Gold Coast and Western Sydney – have descended on Canberra to watch this year's draft hopefuls go through their paces at the NAB AFL Draft Camp and Rohde has liked what he's seen so far.

"People talk about good and bad drafts, but when you see them all here together there are still a lot of good players to pick from," he said on Wednesday.

"I'm sure there will be some very good players emerge out of this draft pool."

The Power are set to be a big player in the draft, with Shaun Burgoyne set to join the Hawks for their first-round pick and possibly a later pick in return. Rohde declined to comment on the status of negotiations between the two parties, saying that no statements would be made until at least next Monday – the first day of the trade period.

Several other Port players have been told they could be on the trade block if the right deal comes along, leaving the Power with plenty of draft ammunition.

When it comes time for the Power to make their first selection, wherever that may be in the draft order, Rohde said class would always triumph over specific player needs.

"We need a good player," he said.

"I think most clubs would say, certainly with the early picks, just pick the best player and maybe square it up in terms of your needs basis later on in the draft."

The draft hopefuls are poked, prodded, measured and tested exhaustively during the four-day camp, but Rohde said the greatest benefit to clubs was getting to know the character of a person.
 
"We've got a good handle on how good they are as players at the moment, but what we want to do here is find out what sort of person they are and whether they've got a good idea of where they're at," he said.

"You probably look for someone who's got a good, balanced outlook on where they're at and who understands exactly the strengths and weaknesses of their game.

"But basically you're looking for someone who you think has got that real drive to improve."