Alistair Lynch wants the Brisbane Lions to go and get Tom Boyd

THE Brisbane Lions must do everything within their power to try to secure the No.1 pick in this year's draft via the upcoming trade period.

THE Brisbane Lions must do everything within their power to try to secure the No.1 pick in this year's draft via the upcoming trade period.

Confirmation last week that the Giants will look to trade off first choice in the draft has presented the Lions with a golden opportunity to snare a ready-made replacement for ageing superstar Jonathan Brown and launch a premiership campaign.

SuperCoach scores, stats and more

It is widely accepted that Tom Boyd, a 17-year-old key forward from the Eastern Jets in Victoria's TAC Cup, will be the hottest property in the draft.

And with Buddy Franklin set to head to Western Sydney to add to their experience and join Giants young guns Jeremy Cameron and Jonathon Patton in a dream forward set-up, Boyd would be overkill.

What the Giants desperately need and will demand in a trade for the treasured first pick, assuming they finish bottom, is an experienced key defender and a big strong ruckman. Brisbane should leave no stone unturned.

But I fear they will be long odds in what is going to be a hot chase during trade week. Carlton, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne also shape as heavyweight suitors for the coveted No.1 pick.

And maybe even Essendon on the basis that they are best equipped to meet the GWS demands.

The Blues, with the Lions, Saints, Dogs and Kangaroos, cannot win the flag in the next five years with their current playing stocks, so they will all be desperate to get hold of the 199cm, 102kg Boyd.

Hopefully, the minute the Lions heard the No.1 pick was on the table, they started work on a plan to bring Boyd north. It will take some ingenious thinking and possibly a multi-club trade to meet the GWS asking price.

The Lions won't be able to trade out reserve graders they will have to offer up-and-coming stars or serious A-graders.

Unless Brisbane are prepared to live with some serious short-term pain for long-term gain, they can't compete with a Carlton offer that may include full-back Michael Jamison and ruckmen Robbie Warnock or Shaun Hampson.

Essendon may even raise the bar and put up ruckman Tom Bellchambers and Michael Hurley as a key defender.

On Brisbane's list GWS may fancy Billy Longer, who is anchored behind Matthew Leuenberger in the Lions ruck division. Although the Giants overlooked him in the 2011 draft, he is a player of the future.

The only other Brisbane player GWS would think is a fit for their needs is star fullback Daniel Merrett.It would be a huge issue for Brisbane to consider trading Merrett, just as it would be for Carlton to offer Jamison.

Yet this sort of opportunity doesn't come along often.Merrett is contracted to Brisbane and could veto a move to the Giants.

But if they can find a win-win situation for the clubs and the player, it is worth at least considering.

Perhaps, too, the Lions could try to work a three-way deal with Essendon that sent Hurley and Bellchambers to GWS.

Regardless, Brisbane must be active and aggressive in the trade period.A talented but homesick Patrick Karnezis has never settled in Brisbane and is already being courted. Likewise Jared Polec.