MELBOURNE says it would be prepared to trade one of its three first-round draft picks if the right player became available during this year's trade period.
The Demons are keen to use their strong hand at the 2012 draft to add the right mix of experience and talented youngsters to their list.
Melbourne elected to activate the two first-round compensation picks it received because of the departure of 2009 No. 1 draft pick Tom Scully.
As the ladder stands now, the Demons would have picks three, four, 13 and, depending on what compensation other clubs receive for losing players to free agency, a second-round pick around 30 in the 2012 NAB AFL Draft, with picks No. 4 and 13 being the Scully compensation picks.
Melbourne's general manager of list management, Tim Harrington, said all options were being canvassed as the club prepares for the most important draft in recent history.
"[We have] three first-round draft picks, so you'd be flexible in thought as to how you use each of them," Harrington said.
Harrington admitted that the possibility of adding a quality experienced player was part of the reason why the club activated the compensation picks it received after Scully left.
The Demons' first-round draft pick (No. 12) was vital in their negotiations to secure Mitch Clark from the Brisbane Lions in the 2011 trade period.
Clark said during the pre-season that one of the reasons Melbourne became an attractive destination was because he knew the Demons could get the deal done. Fremantle was only able to offer pick No. 16 in exchange for Clark, which did not satisfy the Lions.
However Harrington said the Clark experience wasn't driving any current decisions. "We have got to use our picks to best suit what the status of the list is," Harrington said.
The club's situation in this year's draft is also intriguing because of the memorandum of understanding Melbourne has with potential father-son selection Jack Viney, son of club champion and recruiting manager Todd Viney.
If, on current ladder position, Gold Coast or Greater Western Sydney nominated father-son pick Jack Viney, the Demons would have to make a choice as to whether to use pick No. 3 to choose Viney.
Harrington did not indicate where the club currently rated Viney in the draft but said it was no certainty that it would choose Viney with the early pick if clubs ahead of Melbourne's first pick nominated Viney.
"We pick the very best player at that pick. Supporters would demand that," Harrington said.
The Demons are not obligated to take Viney and any club other than Melbourne nominating Viney would need to be prepared for the possibility that he would end up with them if they chose to go down that path.
The 18-year-old Viney represented Vic Metro in the AFL Under-18 Championships at Simonds Stadium on Friday.
If no club ahead of Melbourne in the first round nominates Viney, but a club does so before the Demons' second-round pick then the Demons would need to decide whether to use their second-round choice to select Viney under the father-son rule.
Most believe that would be a formality, but nothing is guaranteed over the next six months.
