Paul Roos to cull top picks in bid to regenerate Melbourne’s list

MELBOURNE will continue its clean-out of top draft picks at season’s end with another three players taken in the top-20 in the club’s firing line.

Round 21: Melbourne v GWS

MELBOURNE will continue its clean-out of top draft picks at season’s end with another three players taken in the top-20 in the club’s firing line.

The club is set to make decisions on the uncertain futures of out-of-contract trio Sam Blease (pick 17), Luke Tapscott (18) and James Strauss (19) when player reviews begin next Monday.

The three players, who were once considered cornerstones of the club’s failed rebuild, have managed only five senior games between them this season.

If big man James Frawley (12) finds a new home under free agency rules as expected, the club could have either lost or cut a total of eight players chosen in the top-20 of the 2006-10 national drafts.

Demon Sam Blease in the firing line. Picture: Sarah Reed

All four players taken in the 2011 national draft are also no longer on the Demons’ list.

It is widely considered the most dismal recruiting chapters since the draft began in 1986, however the club is buoyed by moves to recruit Dom Tyson, Christian Salem (9) and Jay Kennedy-Harris (40) late last year under new recruiting bosses Todd Viney and Jason Taylor.

They yesterday re-signed promising trio Dean Terlich, Rohan Bail and Aidan Riley, but Blease, Strauss and Tapscott remain in limbo.

To quicken their recovery from seven years at the bottom of the ladder, Melbourne has applied to the AFL Commission for another priority pick, possibly giving it selections No. 2, 3 (priority) and 4 (Frawley compensation) in November.

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But the league has already flagged it is unlikely to grant the Demons’ request for special draft assistance.

Melbourne has already parted ways with Cale Morton (No. 4), Tom Scully (1), Jordan Gysberts (11) and Lucas Cook (12).

In comparison, reigning premier Hawthorn has drafted only three players with top-20 selections in the past seven national drafts. They are Cyril Rioli (12), Ryan Schoenmakers (16) and Isaac Smith (19), who all remain on the club’s list.

Tapscott, who has been dogged by knee injuries this year, and speedster Blease have averaged 10 possessions each in their limited outings this season.

Strauss’s cards already appear to be marked after failing to crack senior level in 2014.

Demon Luke Tapscott has struggled to make an impact at the club. Picture: Simon Cross

The Herald Sun understands Tapscott and Blease (23 years old) and Strauss (24) will all attempt to reignite their careers elsewhere next season if they are unable to secure new deals at AAMI Park.

Melbourne coach Paul Roos has already indicated he is prepared to make hard decisions on players who cannot help the club move forward. The coach has questioned whether some players remain mentally scarred by the team’s lack of success and previous culture.

They have won four games this season and play North Melbourne in the final round on Saturday night.

“There’s clearly some who might not be able to get over what’s happened here in the past,” Roos said.

“You’ve got to go back to the mindset and we’re waiting to get beaten. Of course if you’re waiting to get beaten, generally what happens is that you get beaten.”

Frawley is being courted by a bevy clubs including Geelong, Gold Coast and Hawthorn. His transfer but could net the Demons a pick as high as No. 3 in return if he can land a long and lucrative deal elsewhere.

Originally published as Paul Roos to cull top picks in bid to regenerate Melbourne’s list