THE GROWING 'go-home factor' will not force West Coast to go local with its prized first-round selections on Monday night, with the club set to remain focused on drafting the best available talent.
WA products Reuben Ginbey, Ed Allan, Elijah Hewett and Jedd Busslinger all sit in the range where the Eagles could swoop at picks No.8 and No.12, with Ginbey firmly on their radar.
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The Eagles have used their first selection to bring in players from other states in seven of the past eight NAB AFL Drafts, including last year's first-round selection Campbell Chesser.
List manager Rohan O'Brien acknowledged there would be locals available to the club but said talent would remain the decisive factor.
"We'll continue to back our club in and if we think there is a player there who is significantly better, we'll back ourselves to keep the player," O'Brien told AFL.com.au's NAB AFL Draft Countdown show on Friday.
"I don't think we've seen a trend over long enough to make us divert from what we've done in the past.
"If you think you've got two players close together in talent and one is in WA and one is outside, you probably lean towards the local."
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While regularly opting for players outside WA with their first selections, the Eagles have targeted local talent frequently with their later picks, with four of their five draftees last year coming from the WA pool.
Big-bodied midfielder Ginbey shapes as the first WA player called in Monday night's first round, with O'Brien expecting him to be snapped up somewhere around the Eagles' first pick.
"Reuben is certainly a very talented player, and he is in our draft range, no question," O'Brien said.
"He's had a very good year, starting off with league footy at East Perth and then going back to play school footy at Wesley and having a strong carnival for WA.
"He's in the range for our picks, I don't think there's any denying that, but there's a lot of other talented players in that range that present pretty well."
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The Eagles will use their four selections inside No.26 before deciding if they choose a fifth player in the draft or hold a list spot over for the NAB AFL Rookie Draft or a train-on player.
O'Brien said it was "unlikely at this point" that the Eagles would look to move up the order from No.8 to guarantee access to a player they are targeting.
"We did what we did in the Trade Period to get the extra first-round selection and we're very comfortable with where our selections are," he said.
"If someone comes to us you always think, but I think it's more unlikely than likely."
