The Western Bulldogs are said to have Eastern Ranges small forward Nick Watson on their radar as the Whitten Oval club plans to move up the draft order via the trade period.
The Bulldogs have been backed as the front-runner for the Gold Coast Suns' opening selection of Pick 4, which has been put up for offer as the Queensland club looks to split the selection into later picks and acquire more draft points.
That manoeuvre will give the Suns a stronger hand at next month's National Draft and have them in line to match bids for Academy trio Jed Walter, Ethan Read and Jake Rogers - who could all fetch bids in the opening 10 selections.
AFL clubs can get more draft points by trading early selections for a handful of later picks, with the Bulldogs' reported offer of Picks 10, 17 and a future-first likely to please the Suns in talks for Pick 4.
The Dogs will be willing to part with their pair of first-round picks for 2023 as they too look to stockpile later selections and prepare to match a bid for father-son prospect Jordan Croft, which could be required in the second half of the opening round.
MORE: Full 2023 AFL Draft Order
Melbourne, Richmond, St Kilda and Adelaide will also be interested in advancing their place in the queue, however the Dogs are primed to secure a deal with the Suns unless a stronger offer arises.
According toย CODE Sports,ย the Western Bulldogs' plans to move up the order come amid interest in potential top five talent Watson, who kicked 14 goals from his four National Championships appearances this year for Vic Metro.
Standing at 170cm, Watson is a ground-level goal threat who has an unmatched bag of tricks when compared to the rest of his draft class.
Should he land at Footscray to start his AFL career, the teenager would nicely complement tall forwards Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Aaron Naughton, Rory Lobb, Sam Darcy and Croft while also working in tandem with sprightly Bulldogs small forward Cody Weightman.
Weightman kicked 34 goals in 2023, with the next best small forward at the Kennel being Anthony Scott, who amassed just a dozen majors for the season.
AFL clubs managed to get a good glimpse of this year's leading draft names over the weekend at the Draft Combine, however Watson was limited due to a foot issue.
The weekend meeting between list managers, recruiters and draft stars was also an opportunity for clubs to hold interviews with prospects of interest.
The 2023 National Draft will take place across November 20-21, with pick swapping able to take place over the next nine days during the trade period as well as an additional window strictly for pick swapping between October 23 and November 10.
Clubs are also able to trade picks on the days of the draft.
