Former Hawthorn premiership star Terry Wallace believes Melbourne could use Tom McDonald as trade bait at the end of the season.
McDonald has struggled to regain the form that saw him kick 53 goals in 2018 and could find himself on the outer as youngsters Sam Weideman and Luke Jackson develop.
Wallace said on AFL Nation that he can not see McDonald fitting into Simon Goodwin's team as a forward and with an abundance of key defenders at their disposal, the Demons could opt to test the waters with McDonald, who is contracted until the end of 2022.
“I don’t think he (McDonald) fits in,” Wallace said on AFL Nation.
“I think he has slowed up to a degree over the last couple of seasons and I think the more athletic forwards are a better option.
“I think playing (Luke) Jackson as a forward along with (Sam) Weideman) is your better option. I think it has shown over the last month that Jackson and Weideman has been a better option than anything else.
“I don’t say it’s necessarily a bad thing – Tom McDonald could potentially be really good trade bait for Melbourne so that they can go and get something that they need.
“You don’t want somebody of Tom McDonald’s stature to be a backup. So he wants to play, if there’s not a spot in that side, there’ll be a spot somewhere.”
McDonald's versatility would be handy for any team looking for the key forward or defender.
An option could potentially be Sydney who are looking for experience at both ends of the field. The Demons could also see it as a potential opportunity to lure Tom Papley back to Victoria, a year after he tried to force a move to Carlton.
Papley would give Melbourne that added class in their forward line that they have been craving.