While Essendon's immediate Dreamtime focus is tackling Richmond at the MCG on Saturday night, another dream is to lure Dustin Martin to the club. But coach John Worsfold insists the Bombers' focus must be on re-signing key forward Joe Daniher.
"I'm not too interested in worrying about anyone else until we get Joey locked away, as well as 'Zacka' (restricted free-agent David Zaharakis) and Darcy Parish as well. There's a huge amount of work going into that," he said on Friday.
After an inconsistent start to the season, Daniher's currency is on the rise. He has booted 10 goals in his past two matches, and will earn a rich contract - whether he stays with the Bombers or leaves.
"My keenness is on Joe Daniher. He's the No.1 priority and we're working really hard to get Joey signed," Worsfold said.
"I don't sit in all the meetings that are on-going with his management - but it's progressing really well.
"I don't talk to Joey about his contract negotiations and I don't think Joey talks about it that much other than with his parents and his manager. That's all been dealt with through his management and our list manager."
Daniher, 23, was taken as a father-son in the 2012 national draft and has led the club's goal-kicking over the past three seasons.
The Bombers have discussed at list-management level how Martin would fit into their side but whether they seriously pursue the Tigers' restricted free agent has not been debated by the club's executive.
Martin, 26 next month, is off contract this season and he and his manager Ralph Carr will wait until the end of the season before determining whether he remains at Punt Rd or accepts a rival offer. Regardless, he appears almost certain to enjoy a new contract worth at least $1 million a season.
As reported by Fairfax Media, North Melbourne appears set to offer Martin a lucrative deal, while St Kilda says it has the room to lure two players on an $800,000 a year contract. That then would mean they could offer Martin a "godfather" deal. The Saints have front-ended contracts in recent years, have "banked" money by not paying the full salary cap and also have the benefit of a salary cap set to explode by an extra $2 million this year under the new collective bargaining agreement.
The Bombers will clear salary-cap space for Brent Stanton, Jobe Watson, James Kelly and Heath Hocking are among those who may not be wanted next year or decide to retire.
As Worsfold points out, Parish - a midfield star on the rise and projected to be one of the club's planks over the next decade - is also a coveted signature. Discussions over a new deal have stretched for months.
The Bombers know first-hand how damaging Martin can be, for he was best on ground in both matches between the clubs last year, albeit the Bombers were a depleted unit because of anti-doping suspensions.
Worsfold said it was unlikely the Bombers would tag Martin on Saturday.
"We're a different team now. We're certainly aware of what their midfield brings. It's more around how we attack them as a team," he said.
"We have used players in the last four or five weeks in semi run-with roles but not straight tagging, so it's unlikely we'll tag. But we've got the ability to go to that if we want to."
The Bombers have regained their mojo over the past fortnight, with wins over Geelong and the West Coast Eagles. Victory this weekend could vault them into the top eight, prompting Worsfold to declare his side would be a threat in September.
"If we can show the form that we have played over the past couple weeks, then I can't see why we can't have a strong finals series," he said.
