Ahead of the 2018 national, pre-season and rookie drafts on Thursday and Friday, here's what you need to know...

Where and when: 

The 2018 NAB AFL Draft returns to Melbourne for the first time since 2009, taking place at Marvel Stadium in a two-day event. 

The first round will begin at around 7pm AEDT on Thursday, with the remaining rounds resuming at midday on Friday.

The pre-season and rookie drafts will commence at around 6pm on Friday, following the conclusion of the national draft.

Broadcast: 

The national draft will be live on FOX Footy across both days. Coverage begins at 6:30pm AEDT on Thursday, and midday on Friday.

Essendon's picks:

The Bombers currently hold picks 34, 66, 81, 89 and 95, but that is likely to change with clubs able to trade picks across the two days.

Final draft order 

Picks will also be pushed down the order when clubs place bids for father-son and academy selections.

Each club is required to make at least three selections in the national draft. 

Live trading:

For the first time ever, live trading will be allowed between clubs during the national draft. Current and future picks can be traded, allowing clubs to move up and down the order. 

Father-son and academy bidding:

Though clubs may already be attached to academy and father-son youngsters, rival clubs have the right to bid on those players. The nominated clubs would then have to match the bid to secure the player, or risk losing him to the club who made the bid.

This news is brought to you by Orchard HRO, the club's Official Recruitment and List Management Partner.