Melbourne are having one of their best years in recent memory and sit top of the ladder at the halfway point in season 2021.
Their system has elevated new players to unseen heights, with figures such as Ed Langdon, Tom McDonald and Luke Jackson all having incredible seasons.
5 Trade Targets: Adelaide
5 Trade Targets: Brisbane
5 Trade Targets: Carlton
5 Trade Targets: Collingwood
5 Trade Targets: Essendon
5 Trade Targets: Fremantle
5 Trade Targets: Geelong
5 Trade Targets: Gold Coast
5 Trade Targets: GWS
5 Trade Targets: Hawthorn
We continue our ‘Five trade targets for every club’ series with Melbourne.
In no particular order, here are five players which the Dees recruitment team would do well to target and potentially poach.
This Suns defender has been in-and-out of the side in recent years and has only now cemented his spot in the side. The South Australian has put up some decent performances for Stuart Dew's side, and would likely be able to kick on in Melbourne's side should he be traded.
He is quick and is able to blanket smaller attackers should he need to. The Demons don't really need any big name stars to add to their lineup - more role players to help Simon Goodwin's system continue to flourish.
Defender
Disposals
Marks
Rebound50s
Lemmens wouldn't break the bank to go and nab, and would fit in nicely alongside Lever and May down in defence. It would be smart of Goodwin and his recruitment team to make a play for him.
The Roos winger is a solid prospect for any side, let alone premiership contenders in Melbourne. He is often overlooked when listing the best Kangaroos players, but has finished inside their best-and-fairest's top five on three occasions.
Dumont averages four intercepts, 2.2 rebound 50s and seven effective kicks per game, all relatively good stats for his position. As with most of the players on this list, he isn't one of the game's true stars, but Melbourne don't need one with their star-studded list.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
He is off-contract at the end of this year as a restricted free agent, so if the Dees come in with a big offer, then North might be inclined to let him make the move.
The Adelaide forward was playing solidly for Matthew Nicks' side before suffering a toe-injury which has kept him out of the side since Round 6. His ability drift on the wing as well as being a goal threat is the dynamism that Melbourne would love even more of.
In the six matches he has played for the Crows this year, Lynch has averaged 77.8% disposal efficiency, 9.3 kicks and 222 metres gained per match, all above average or elite level figures for a man of his position.
https://twitter.com/Adelaide_FC/status/1241254333770956800?s=20
He has spent the majority of his time on-field this season forward of the wing, setting up attacks with his neat kicking. At 30 years old, Lynch will be a free agent come season's end and seeing he hails from the Melbourne suburb of Beaumaris might be tempted into finally coming home.
Switkowski presents as a reasonable target for a few teams from Victoria and for good reason. His ability to read the play coupled with a great eye for goal would be integral to whatever team he is at come 2022.
Similar to Hawthorn, his zippiness and pressure is what coach Simon Goodwin would love about him. Switkowski has averaged 2.2 intercepts, six score involvements and 6.3 contested possessions per game in season 2021, meaning he is a player who loves to get in the thick of it and be central to the team's attacking play.
If Melbourne consider making a play for the 24-year-old he should be easy to lure home considering he is a Melburnian. Switkowski would bring a great new dimension to Melbourne's attack, accompanying players like Kysaiah Pickett and Bayley Fritsch in worrying the opposition defence.
Fox has been at the Swans for the best part of five years, debuting at age 24 after going at pick 34 in the 2016 Rookie Draft. Despite only playing 43 games for John Longmire's side and only getting a decent string of games together last year, Fox still has time left to make a move which could kickstart his career.
Fox has only featured five times for the Swans this season and considering the plethora of young talent they hold, it might be best for him to search somewhere else for footy. Although he will likely be second fiddle to the likes of May, Lever and co., Fox will still be able to play a roll should any of them succumb to injury.