IT IS increasingly likely Melbourne will have to use the No.3 NAB AFL Draft pick to snare father-son prospect Jack Viney, with Greater Western Sydney list manager Stephen Silvagni confirming the Giants will talk to Viney at this week's NAB AFL Draft Combine.
Silvagni said the Giants had yet to decide whether to bid for Viney at next Monday's father-son bidding meeting, but the Demons would have to use their first pick in the draft, No.3, to claim Viney if the Giants bid the No.1 pick for him.
The Giants' interest in Viney, the son of former Melbourne skipper and current player development manager Todd, follows reports the Suns, who hold the No.2 pick in the draft, met with Viney last week and were set to bid on him.
"Jack is an exceptional player and [whether we bid on him] is a decision we have to make once we go through all the testing results," Silvagni said at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
"We'll talk to Jack. It's like any other process. Obviously there's a bidding process with Jack and time will tell whether we bid for him or not.
"He's an exceptional player and if he gets to Melbourne they're going to have a very, very good player."
Melbourne signed a memorandum of understanding with Viney in November 2010 that it would nominate him as a father-son selection ahead of this year's draft.
But the Demons are not bound under that agreement to select Viney and have said recently they would not bid pick No.3 for him if a better player was available at that choice.
In the event the Giants do not use their No.1 pick on Viney, Silvagni was non-committal on whether they would use it to claim the player widely nominated as the best of this year's draft crop, Victorian midfielder Lachie Whitfield.
"I think he's one of several midfielders who are going to be quality players," Silvagni said of Whitfield.
"We've got Whitfield, you've got Jack Viney, you've got Ollie Wines, [Jimmy] Toumpas, [Jonathon] O'Rourke, just to name a few.
"Any club who gets their hands on those type of players from a midfield perspective would be very happy."
Silvagni said the Giants' most pressing need was to bring more senior players onto their list, but would not say whether they planned to bring in more uncontracted opposition players.
The Giants snared Tom Scully (Melbourne) Callan Ward, Sam Reid (both Western Bulldogs), Rhys Palmer (Fremantle) and Phil Davis (Adelaide) under their uncontracted player concessions last year.
This year, they remain eligible to select up to another eight uncontracted opposition players.
But when asked whether the Giants would use that concession, Silvagni said: "Possibly, possibly not, but that's all I can say at the moment."
Silvagni said the Giants regarded Dom Tyson, the No.3 pick in last year's draft, as a required player despite reports he wants to come home to Melbourne and play with Richmond.
Silvagni also said the Giants had offered ruckman Jonathan Giles a "fair and reasonable" contract and it was up to him whether he accepted it.
Nick Bowen is a reporter with AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Nick
