What a story the Melbourne Demons have been this season.
First-year coach Steven King is firmly entrenched in Coach of the Year debates, such is the magic he's worked at Casey Fields.
Max Gawn, the ageless wonder, continues to go from strength to strength. Kysaiah Pickett has established himself as a match-winner on a more regular basis than ever before, and "moneyball" acquisitions of years gone by (Harry Sharp, for example) are really strutting their stuff for a Demons side playing a brand of attacking football as intoxicating as it is potent.
King has touched on the club's preparedness to deal its first-round picks, for the right player/s, but just who are the players that could make the jump to the red and the blue this off-season?
King ruled his club out of the Zak Butters sweepstakes, but there are plenty of other fish in the sea, as they say.
Bailey Macdonald
Another Hawk on the Demons' radar is Bailey Macdonald.
The Hawks have a two-year deal in front of their flanker, after he has impressed in recent times. The Wesley College product featured in every match between Rounds 11 and 21 inclusive, before being managed for Hawthorn's recent loss to Brisbane.
He has speed to burn, an ever-improving disposal, and the flair that Steven King seems to celebrate. Macdonald shapes as a perfect replacement for the likes of the ageing Christian Salem, for example, and will no doubt be weighing up long-term opportunity as the season approaches its conclusion.
