OUTSIDE-THE-BOX PLAY EAGLES COULD MAKE FOR BAKERWest Coast is reportedly open to parting with its premium first-round selection in order to secure Richmond’s Liam Baker.
Currently, the Eagles hold Pick 3 at November’s national draft, but they could offload that high-end selection in a potential trade to acquire the wantaway West Australian.
However, such an arrangement would also see Richmond surrender one of its first-rounders, reports Herald Sun journalist Jon Ralph.
The Tigers could land two of Fremantle’s first-round picks in a trade involving Shai Bolton, and theoretically, one of those selections — and Baker — would go to West Coast for the third overall choice.
Richmond could wield the first and third picks at this year’s draft as a result — with the top of the order evenly spread with attractive talent.
While the 26-year-old Baker is expected to nominate his childhood club West Coast as his destination of choice, he hasn’t officially declared his intentions one way or the other.
Meanwhile, Baker’s teammate Jack Graham has also been strongly linked to the Eagles as he weighs up his AFL future.
The dual premiership midfielder is eligible for free agency this year and has reportedly been offered four-year deals by both West Coast and Richmond.
It is entirely possible both Baker and Graham are waiting for the Eagles to announce their new senior coach before coming to definitive decisions.
West Coast premiership player Will Schofield on Wednesday night reported his ‘expectation’ that Geelong assistant Steven King would be confirmed as the Eagles’ new mentor once the Cats’ finals campaign came to an end.
Herald Sun journalist Jay Clark reported on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle that Melbourne’s Andrew McQualter — who has Tiger ties to Baker and Graham — was firming as a strong contender for the job, adding that the Eagles were also into Brisbane’s Danny Daly for a ‘director of coaching’ sort of role.
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