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First pick tradeable for right deal

By Nathan Schmook 4:20 PM Tue 18 August, 2009

Mark LeCras is leading West Coast's goalkicking this season but could soon become a permanent midfielder

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JOHN Worsfold has left open the possibility of West Coast trading its first pick at this year's NAB AFL Draft.

Worsfold said the club would pursue a small forward either during trade week or at November's draft and would part with its round one selection if the right player was available.

"That's probably one area that we think we can add something different that we don't have on our list," Worsfold said from Subiaco Oval on Tuesday. "Just a Peter Daicos, someone like that, that'll do.

"Your first draft pick for a player who's worthy of trading – that would be a fair deal, because you're getting something that's equal to a first-round draft pick. It would make sense that we'd trade that.

"The other areas, I'm very confident with the players we've got we can fill all positions."

Mark LeCras has booted 51 goals this season to be in All-Australian contention, but the 22-year-old has also excelled up the ground and is on midfield coach Scott Burns' radar.

West Coast traded first-round picks to secure premiership pair Tyson Stenglein (No.12) and Daniel Chick (No.8), and Worsfold said the club would do it again if it was the best option.

"I didn't say we're going to trade it [but] if Nick Riewoldt wants to come and play for us for the first-round pick, we'll do it," he said.

"In previous years we would have done it. Riewoldt, Jonathan Brown, Chris Judd – if he wants to come back and play we'd be prepared to trade our first pick.

"It's certainly not something that we're saying we're going out to do, but if the best possible player was available to us and it took the first pick to get that, and that was going to be a better option than drafting another young player, then we'd go that way."

Worsfold said the current landscape created by the Gold Coast and western Sydney franchises' imminent arrival had made this year's trade week something of an unknown.

Gold Coast will have picks one, two, three, five, seven, nine, 11, 13 and 15 in the first round of the 2010 NAB AFL Draft, and the next meeting free of concessions will take place in 2013.

The Eagles boast a number of promising youngsters secured with early draft picks in recent years and are in a strong position to negotiate the compromised drafts.

"There's no doubt the lay of the land is a little bit different and it's a bit of an unknown how different clubs want to use that," Worsfold said.

"All clubs will perceive it a bit differently. Some clubs will know, 'We're definitely going to use our high draft picks, we're not trading them out'. Others will be looking to shore up with some more mature players by trading in from other clubs.

"Not many [trades] get done and we're aware of that. (But) that could be different this year. We'll go in there and make decisions on what's best for the club."

for westcoasteagles.com.au

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