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Top pick on table as Eagles wait for AFL trade offers

Hawthorn and North Melbourne head the list of clubs eyeing moves up the draft order as West Coast weigh up whether to trade the No.1 pick.



Rival clubs are set to ramp up their trade bids for West Coast's No.1 draft pick as the battle intensifies for top prospect Harley Reid.


The Eagles are open to trading the top selection, most likely in a deal that would land them multiple high-end picks that could kick-start their rebuild.


They have fielded some initial interest from potential suitors who no doubt have their sights set on Reid.


The 18-year-old, from Tongala in Victoria's Goulburn Valley region, has been likened to Dustin Martin and is regarded by some club recruiters as a generational talent.


Hawthorn and North Melbourne have been most vocal about their desire to move to the top of the draft order since the trade period opened on Monday.


"We'd look to definitely explore that," Hawks list boss Mark McKenzie said.


"If there's potential opportunities to move up the draft order that's something that you want to look at.


"Obviously that's in West Coast's court from there about what they'd require for that, so there's still plenty of conversations to be had to see what their priorities are for this draft.


"But that's something that we definitely want to explore."


North Melbourne are still waiting on other trade pieces to fall into place.


The Kangaroos must decide whether to match Essendon's contract offer to restricted free agent Ben McKay or accept a compensation draft pick.


That pick could land as high as No.3 or as low as the end of the first round.


"We don't know our full hand yet with our draft this year," Kangaroos list boss Brady Rawlings said.


"We'll see what happens with compensation for McKay, whether we match or whether we let him through.


"Then we'll start to have a look at what we can do with our draft hand from there.


"We just want to make sure that everything's concrete before we start talking picks that aren't ours yet."


North Melbourne have been clear on what they will do around McKay, who is determined to reunite with former Kangaroos coach Brad Scott at Essendon.


"We're not accepting end of first round for a 25-year-old key defender in our leadership group," Rawlings said.


"If it's first round then it's a different story."


West Coast have been willing to trade high-end picks in the past.


They split their top selection last year, trading pick No.2 in return for No.8 and No.12.


They used those picks to land West Australian youngsters Reuben Ginbey and Elijah Hewett, and have local top-five prospect Daniel Curtin on their radar this year.


"This time last year we didn't think we were going to do that but things evolved and we thought it was the best option," Eagles list boss Rohan O'Brien said.


"That's why we're keeping an open mind at the moment.


"It depends on where those picks are and who we feel we can get with those picks."


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