West Coast Eagles list manager Rohan O’Brien drops big hint about Harley Reid future

West Coast list boss Rohan O’Brien has dropped his biggest hint yet as to how the embattled club will use the first pick in the draft.

Debate has raged all season over the Eagles’ handling of the pick and whether it should be split for multiple first-rounders, or used on Victorian sensation Harley Reid.

Now O’Brien has revealed they will listen to offers from rival clubs, but that it would take an extraordinary package to pry the No.1 selection from the hands of the wooden-spooners.

“We think that’s the likeliest outcome that we keep that selection and we’ll take it to the draft and pick the player on the night,” he said on SEN WA Breakfast.

“We’ll see what unfolds through the trade period but to be honest, it feels like we’re likely to keep that unless something pretty special comes along.”

However O’Brien didn’t completely rule out of the possibility of trading pick one.

“This time last year, we didn’t think we were going to trade pick two and then the right offer came along and we picked Elijah (Hewett) and Reuben (Ginbey) at the draft so we’ll go through the same process again and see what happens,” he said.

“We can wait as long as we like really up until when we’re on the clock for pick one and we’re not putting a price on pick one at all.”

O’Brien admitted that keeping pick number one would make it virtually impossible to bring highly-touted West Australian prospect Daniel Curtin to the club.

“That’s an interesting question, I’m not sure with what we’ve got at the moment that that’s achievable,” he said.

“It’s difficult to talk about individuals but you know, you think that those two boys are very highly rated by all clubs so to pull off something where you end up with both players are typically pretty difficult.”

As the race for draft picks heats up so does the race for players with Melbourne reported to have jumped in the ring to try and lure GWS ruckman Matt Flynn away from a potential move out west.

However O’Brien remains confident that the club can land the Giant.

“I think our discussions with Matt and his management have been going well, we’ve we’ve had that for a little while,” he said.

“I don’t think the suitors are new, I think they’ve been there the whole time so we’re probably ramped that up a little bit in the last week.”

“We’ve made some really good progress there I think it’s been a positive discussion, and I think we’ll get a feel for what he’s doing in the next day or two.”

With the club needing to invest so heavily in the draft some have criticised the price West Coast paid for Tim Kelly giving away picks 14, 24, 37 and future first round pick, but O’Brien stands by the deal they made.

“I think we’ve done okay and I can understand the commentary around all that I think probably what you’ve got to understand too is maybe where we’d be without Tim who I think, you know, really growing into playing his best footy,” he said.

“You can judge it in hindsight forever, but we’re really comfortable with what we did and we’re ready to have Tim and I don’t regret any part of that deal at all.”