Not all clubs made the trip across the Pacific Ocean last month. In fact, only 11 of the 18 clubs deemed the recruiting mission important enough to send a club representative.

For St Kilda and list and recruiting manager Tony Elshaug, the fact finding journey was a no-brainer.

With the AFL Academy holding its training camp at the IMG Academy in Florida, 33 of the best prospects eligible for this year’s draft were in attendance.

So for Elshaug, the opportunity to broaden his player profile dossiers was an opportunity not to be missed.

“We feel like whenever we make a decision it needs to be an informed decision and build up a profile in our own mind of their football, their athleticism, their character. To be able to see it firsthand we think is gold,” Elshaug told saints.com.au.

Like every draft class, this year’s contingency have been forensically scrutinised for over a year already, in some instances closer to two. But in Florida, Elshaug and his band of recruiting brothers were able to bundle together a more in-depth analysis.

“It was great to see the boys again. We’ve followed their football for over 12 months now – maybe even 18 months going back to the under-16s,” Elshaug said.

“We’ve had some good opportunities to talk to them along the way and we got that opportunity again when we were over there to talk to them and watch them train. So it was a really good insight to see how they’re coming along.”

Elshaug explained that the Academy camp was only one part of the jigsaw puzzle. And whilst the insights were invaluable and gave those in attendance a leg up, the trip was only one part of the recruitment picture. A picture that is painted over a long period.

“It’s all important. They are at all different stages of their development, all things are important, whether it’s the combine or their football during the season,” he said.

“But just to be able to see them away, out of their comfort zone, under pressure at training, training with the best, against the best and by some of the best coaches.

“To see them in a position they have rarely faced before, and naturally we consider what they’ll be like if they move interstate, well here we see them in an overseas environment where they had to fend for themselves a lot.”