But there’s another club that should be in the market and which is eyeing off the possibility of landing Reid:North Melbourne.
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The Kangaroos,who are Winx odds to hold pick No.2 at season’s end (regardless of the outcome of their match with West Coast on Sunday),can complete another swap with West Coast. It is much more feasible to give up pick one when you’re getting pick two back and have absolute certainty about who you can draft. Only Reid would be crossed off the list.
The price for trading pick one for pick two is not as exorbitant as giving up one for later choices. If Reid is as good as Chris Judd orNick Daicos,then the price must be steep. Conversely,if he’s merely exceptional,rather than generational,it should not be too hard for North to find an additional first-round choice to hand the Eagles.
North hold Port Adelaide’s first rounder – pick 17,based on current ladder position – this year from the Horne-Francis and pick one mega-trade.
North also could well be armed with an extra draft choice for losing key defender Ben McKay,probably to Essendon,as a free agent;in the dream scenario,North would gain pick No.3 and at worst,they’ll gain an end-of-first-round if McKay walks.
North are asking for (more) special draft assistance from the AFL. But the McKay compensation could be the equivalent,making it easier for the Roos to strike a deal to land pick one and Reid.
It is much more feasible to give up pick one when you’re getting pick two back and have absolute certainty about who you can draft.
To give up pick No.1,though,West Coast would need to know there’s a high-quality kid available at pick No.2. Ideally,that player would be a West Australian,too,following the same script of 2022,when the Eagles drafted local products Reuben Ginbey and Elijah Hewett in the first round after turning pick two into multiple choices.
Daniel Curtin,a 195-centimetre key defender who can play midfield,shapes as the best of the west,having succeeded in the midfield in the national under-18s. Recruiters have Curtin and Tasmanian Colby McKercher among those vying for picks 2-5.
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The decision on pick one hinges on a range of factors,not least of which is how the Eagles rate Reid compared with Curtin and others. They will be meeting with Reid and making a judgement on the risk/reward of drafting him versus trading the pick.
If pick one is usually sacrosanct,to give it up for pick two plus at least one first rounder is an easier sell.
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