MELBOURNE has reaffirmed it is willing to trade pick No. 2 in the NAB AFL Draft, according to new manager of football operations Josh Mahoney.
Mahoney said Melbourne was eager to boost its midfield stocks over the upcoming recruiting period and was open minded with its second selection, which it currently has for the November 21 meeting.
“Our focus will be for midfielders and we understand the value of pick two, so we’ve got a shortlist of three or four players through the AFL who would be worthy of pick two,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“If clubs are willing to part with those players, it’s definitely an opportunity.”
The likes of Collingwood duo Heath Shaw and Darren Jolly, Richmond’s Dustin Martin and Western Bulldog Daniel Cross have already been linked with Melbourne via the media.
Mahoney said that at this stage, no player had been ruled out of contention.
“They all fill different roles. Daniel Cross and Darren Jolly are at the end of their careers, so there may be an opportunity for those guys. Heath Shaw is still playing some really good football and Dustin Martin is still very young into his career,” he said.
“We don’t shut off any player. If we think they’re going to help our footy team, strengthen us and make us better, we’re certainly open to that.
“Whenever you’re looking at bringing a player in, it works out – what is the cost, what do you have to give up and how much money are they going to be on? So there are a lot of factors around selecting a player and getting a trade done.”
Although the players are on annual leave, Mahoney said he, Viney and Taylor had been heavily preparing for the free agency, trade and draft period.
“It’s interesting, because when the season finishes, a lot of people say ‘do you take holidays now or have a bit of time off?’ But people in this role and also Todd Viney … and Jason Taylor, this is the busy time for the footy club,” he said.
But Mahoney added that the club would be active during October and November and was not averse to trading its draft picks.
“We have to make some changes to our playing list - we have to get better on the field and we’ll be very active during the trade period. I’ve already spoken about our aim being to get some midfielders in,” he said.
“We’re very comfortable with our tall forwards and our tall defenders. We think they’re as competitive with any other team in the comp, but our midfield, we have to add some depth to that. That’s been our focus and we’ve had a lot of discussions with clubs over the last three or four weeks.
“We meet now daily as a list management group, and that’s going to be our focus going into trade period. Pick two, at the moment, if the right deal is there, that’s certainly there at the moment, as well as every other pick we’ve got.”
Mahoney said the club was delighted to secure Jack Watts for the next three seasons and was optimistic talented midfielder/forward Colin Sylvia would also remain in the red and blue. Sylvia is considering his future as a free agent.
“For Jack Watts to sign on is a really good sign for the footy club. He took his time during the year, which he had every right to do, and to sign on for three years shows that he’s starting to see the club moving forward,” he said.
“We also saw him improve in the second half of the year - he’s played a variety of roles and Roosy is very keen on him and to have a look at him through the midfield, so that’s a great opportunity for Jack.
“Col Sylvia is a required player for us, and we think that he will help with our midfield and he’s showing some better consistency this year, so he’s got an offer on the table from us. He’s taking his time and is a free agent this year, so he’ll have other offers from other clubs no doubt. We’re hoping that he’d like to stay as well.”
With Aaron Davey, Joel Macdonald and David Rodan having retired, plus Troy Davis, Tom Gillies, James Sellar, Josh Tynan and Tom Couch (rookie) being delisted, Mahoney said the club still could make further list changes.
“We’ve still got a couple of players out of contract at this stage and unfortunately at this stage of the year, there are some players who are in that boat, where they have to just wait and see what happens with trade period,” he said.
“It’s not ideal - I’ve been through it as a player myself and I’ve had some really anxious moments, but as soon as we do know, if it’s a good result for them or unfortunately we don’t offer them a contract, we’ll let them know as soon as we can.”