WEST Coast remains "more than likely" to use its prized No.1 selection in Monday's opening night of the AFL Draft, with the club unmoved by its rivals' efforts to arrange live trades to secure young star Harley Reid.
The Eagles have fielded offers from clubs including North Melbourne and Melbourne that gave them "a little bit of thinking to do". The Kangaroos have all but given up, however, while the Demons hold a "glimmer of hope" for a last-minute deal.
West Coast coach Adam Simpson and football manager Gavin Bell have joined the club's recruiting team in Melbourne ahead a significant night for the club, with list boss Rohan O'Brien expecting the Eagles will be welcoming their first pick No.1 since 1996.
"I think that's more than likely. Obviously there's a little window tomorrow where things can change, but we've said all the way through that we feel we’re likely to take it (pick No.1) to the draft, and nothing has changed," O'Brien told AFL.com.au's Gettable Draft Countdown on Sunday.
"With all clubs that have made offers, they've all been good offers, and we had a little bit of thinking to do. But by the same token, pick No.1 doesn't come along very often.
"When we weighed it all up and we thought the opportunity was there to take a player that we really rate, we decided to sit with where we were."
O'Brien said the Eagles had not made any indication to Reid about how they would use their pick No.1 and would not until they were 'on the clock' on Monday night.
He paid tribute to the way Reid had handled himself this year, with the long-time recruiter and list manager believing the teenager had been surrounded by a level of hype unmatched by previous draft prospects.
"I think he's done a marvellous job. It’s something I have not seen before to the level it has been, which just goes to show the interest in the draft these days and the young boys in the draft," O'Brien said.
"He's been exposed to a lot more than anybody I've seen going through the draft system before and he's handled himself remarkably well the whole way through."
The Eagles are central to the draft's opening round tomorrow night given they hold pick No.1, but there is also intrigue around what efforts they make to secure another selection in the first round to nab talented WA teenager Daniel Curtin.
O'Brien said the club had explored using its future first-round selection to trade for another early pick, with the potential that Curtin could fall in the pick No.5 to No.10 range.
"We've discussed potentially trading back in with a few clubs, which is something we do most years," he said.
"Whether it's Dan or anyone else, you're always looking to get access to the best talent, so if that becomes a possibility tomorrow night we will certainly look at it.
"But we won't know that until clubs are on the clock, and they won't know what they're going to do until they are on the clock and see what players are available.
"I started making those calls earlier this week, just to give the clubs a reasonable amount of time to digest whether they were interested or not and what it means for them. We'll touch base again tomorrow just to see if there's any progression."
