With the Western Bulldogs in need of a key forward, the fact the Giants are prepared to trade potential No.1, Tom Boyd, seems like a golden opportunity for the club. But the public admission has made Dogs coach Brendan McCartney suspicious.

McCartney has admitted in the past he 'would like' to acquire a forward in the off-season, and Boyd fits that category.

But he has now become wary of the Giants' motives for shopping around the No.1 pick,

"They were so public with that, then all of the sudden you get twelve to fifteen clubs jumping over each other," McCartney said on Thursday.

"Sometimes you get in those boat races [and] you give up more than you really want to give up.

"It's an interesting ploy to throw the big carrot up and watch everyone go snapping after it."

Despite his concerns, the Bulldogs may still trade for the pick. When asked about making a play for Boyd, McCartney responded with "maybe".

"We just meet every three or four weeks and talk about what we want to do to shape our team, what we need, and all those things are part of the discussion, as probably sixteen other clubs are talking about," he said.

"You make provisions and plans, and we're no different.

"There are still three ways to get players to your club. We'll look at all those like we did last year. We know we have young forwards here who are carrying a lot of responsibility.

"We'll get a dividend out of that in time, but they probably could do with a little bit of help, and could do with some better supply.

"It's not as simple as put a player in the forward line and say, 'right there you go, everything's fixed'. You need the right type of player and the right type of person that fits what we're doing."