AFL trade 2023: Kangaroos and Dees circle top pick with arsenal of draft choices
Both the Dees and Roos have gone to the well to acquire a bounty of draft picks, but have they got enough to make the Eagles give up a chance to draft Harley Reid?
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North Melbourne has acquired five draft picks inside the top-20 to help complete a mega deal for pick one from West Coast as Melbourne also dramatically bolstered its draft hand.
The Kangaroos have picks 2, 3, 15, 17 and 18 to try and tempt the Eagles to release the No. 1 selection to Arden St which will secure Tongala prodigy Harley Reid.
Alastair Clarkson’s men also have their future first-round pick to swap with West Coast if required, as part of one of the biggest attempted deals in AFL draft history.
In a bumper day for the Kangas on Wednesday, the club added speedy outside midfielder Zac Fisher (Carlton) and left-footed wingman Dylan Stephens (Sydney Swans) to add to their midfield brigade.
But their work is not complete as the Roos also landed pick 18 from Gold Coast (for an end-of-first-round assistance pick in 2024) and pick 21 in the Fisher deal from Carlton as they get set to move on Reid.
The Roos secured Fisher and pick 17 for picks 21 and 25 in a deal with the Blues.
The Roos have targeted outside midfield speed to help bolster their outside running power and transition game to compliment the inside hard nuts George Wardlaw, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Will Phillips.
But Melbourne is also circling with picks 6 and 11 after securing pick 11 from Gold Coast in a deal which cost Melbourne picks 14, 27 and 35.
The Demons have had eyes for Reid all season and could also group in their future first-round pick as part of a deal with the Eagles for the goal kicking star Reid, but it may not be enough.
West Coast remains adamant it will take a spectacular deal to entice the club to trade-out pick one given how highly it rates Reid, who has been likened to Richmond champion Dustin Martin.
The Eagles want picks two and three from North for Reid and it remains unclear whether multiple picks in the teens or even a later selection inside the top-10 would cut it without two and three involved.
Scouts say the talent drops off after 10 in this year’s draft.
GWS Giants (pick seven), Geelong (pick eight) and Essendon (pick nine) have all indicated they are open to offers for pick swaps to move up or down the draft order next month, potentially assisting North.
It means North could use pick two, another pick inside the top-10, plus multiple picks in the teens or a future first-rounder to offer up to West Coast.
But West Coast has fallen in love with Reid after an impressive interview at the draft combine last week scotched any threat of homesickness.
One recruiting source said any decision to overlook Reid could cost a recruiter their job given the high level of confidence in him to have an outstanding AFL career.
He would sign a three-year deal at West Coast as part of the new AFL rules on top-20 picks if they held on to the prized first selection.
Reid is expected to make an immediate impact at AFL level with the 85kg powerhouse showing in an Essendon pre-season game and at VFL level he already has the physical attributes to excel.
West Coast and Carlton champion Chris Judd told the Herald Sun the Victorian draft prospect should not fear heading to West Coast despite the club’s lowly position.
Judd had a brilliant career in the west over six years winning his first Brownlow Medal and a premiership, before securing a trade to Carlton.
“It is a brilliant footy club. It is a beast of a footy club,” Judd told the Herald Sun.
“They’re down the ladder now, but if you look at the things (personnel) that are causing them to be down the ladder now, they are largely temporary and the brilliant bits about them as a footy club are much more permanent than the things that are costing them at the minute.
“They were down the bottom when I went there and it was a great experience for me.
“I had a great time there, a great six years there, but was ready to come home, and enjoyed that move as well, and was lucky enough to play at another footy club.”
Recruiters are convinced there is a drop-off in talent after pick 10, meaning the selections are less certain and less appealing in the teens and second round.
However, there is a high level of faith in the players inside the top-10, including Colby McKercher and Zane Duursma (linked to North), Nick Watson (linked to Hawthorn), Ryley Sanders (Western Bulldogs), Nate Caddy (Melbourne) and Daniel Curtin.
The Roos are keen to get their hands on Reid who would be a marketable figure for the club as it attempts to bounce off the bottom of the ladder and draw fans to games.
The Roos have missed out on key recruiting targets in recent years including Dustin Martin, Josh Kelly, Isaac Heeney and Andrew Gaff, prompting the AFL to hand it a generous assistance package.
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