St Kilda, the likely wooden spooner, appear in pole position, with chief executive Matt Finnis says the Saints are gunning for out-of-contract stars from GWS and Sydney.
But the Saints won’t be alone. Richmond and Western Bulldogs will be desperate for some new forward guns after struggling in front of the big sticks, while Melbourne will also be in the market, given the sudden retirement of Mitch Clark and Jesse Hogan’s back issues.
And, don’t discount Collingwood and Essendon wanting a few back-ups to Travis Cloke and Joe Daniher respectively.
In their sights are high 2012 draft picks Jono O'Rourke and Kristian Jaksch from the Giants, along with Swans Dean Towers and Tim Membrey. All these players may be on the market and could be open to returning to their native Victoria.
The Saints, now four points behind the pack at the bottom of the ladder, will likely be in the prime bargaining position with the No.1 draft pick.
Finnis said St Kilda would be ruthless as it started to search for a big-name recruit as it continues rebuilding its list.
The Saints desperately need a developing forward to replace Nick Riewoldt and will also look to boost depth in its midfield and defence.
"If there's players that are coming out of contract up north over the next couple of years, we'll be in that," Finnis told radio station SEN.
"We'll be after those players. We'll be wanting to bring people into our club and we'll have the room in our (salary) cap to do that.
"We're not going to just rely on the draft.
"We'll be ruthless. We'll be innovative. We'll be creative and we won't die wondering."
Swans Dean Towers and Tim Membrey have struggled for opportunities at the powerful Sydney line-up, with superstars Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett making it almost impossible for a young forward to break into the Swans seniors.
The scrapping of Sydney’s cost-of-living allowance will make it harder for the Swans to retain players.
GWS's Jaksch has played as a defender this year, only because the Giants have an oversupply of key forwards.
There are other Victorian-bred stars north of the Murray River attracting interest from Melbourne clubs.
Clubs scouts have reportedly kept a close watch on state league, the NEAFL, this season.
There is still uncertainty over the futures of last year's No.1 draft pick Boyd and 2013 All Australian Cameron.
Both are contracted until the end of next season but are reportedly the targets of Victorian clubs.
The Giants last year traded Dom Tyson to Melbourne despite the onabller having a year left of his contract.
THE FIVE UNCONTRACTED PLAYERS FROM 2012 DRAFT
Jono O’Rourke (pick 2, GWS — midfielder) Games: 3
Lachie Plowman (pick 3, GWS — defender) Games: 11
Kristian Jaksch (pick 14, GWS — key forward/back) Games: 2
Dean Towers (pick 22, Sydney — forward) Games: 0
Tim Membrey (pick 47, Sydney — forward) Games: 0