The first of three delisted free agency windows is officially open, with new chances for discarded ex-AFL players set to arise over the coming weeks.
The first signing window will run until next Wednesday, November 8 at 5:00pm. Following a further list lodgement for AFL clubs, delisted free agency will then re-open on Friday, November 10 between 9:00am and 5:00pm. The last signing window will open at the cessation of the National Draft on November 21.
North Melbourne have already made the first move of delisted free agency in 2023, having announced the acquisition of former Sydney defender Toby Pink earlier this month.
Pink makes the move to Arden Street four years on from his departure from the Swans, where he couldn't break into John Longmire's AFL side across three seasons in the red and white. The 25-year-old enjoyed a dominant 2023 season with SANFL premiers Glenelg this year to emerge on the Roos' radar, having earned Team of the Year honours as the competition's leading full-back.
The demand for key defenders on the open market was evident during this year's trade and free agency space, with the likes of Tom Doedee, Ben McKay, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, Esava Ratugolea, Joel Hamling and Bigoa Nyuon all finding new homes.
Pink has added to that list by earning a second chance with North Melbourne, while former Melbourne and Carlton backman Oscar McDonald became the next tall defender to land at a new AFL club on Wednesday.
McDonald was delisted by Carlton at the end of 2022 and spent this year with VFL outfit Williamstown, where he too would earn Team of the Year honours as a standout backman.
Fremantle officially signed the 27-year-old following Hamling's departure, with McDonald the first of several names in line to earn another chance through this year's delisted free agency window.
The Dockers have also been tied to delisted Gold Coast flanker and Western Australian Jeremy Sharp as a potential bargain recruit, with Fremantle able to sign Sharp via delisted free agency, the draft mechanisms or during the pre-season Supplemental Selection Period for 2024.
Sharp isn't the only recently discarded AFL player potentially earning another chance this off-season, with departed Port Adelaide forward Orazio Fantasia reportedly agreeing to a two-year deal with Carlton.
Fantasia had met with GWS this year as he weighed up his options for 2024, with Port Adelaide confirming this week that the former Essendon goalsneak wouldn't have his contract extended.
The Blues are reportedly set to make a move for the South Australian, hoping his ongoing battle with injuries is behind him.
Fantasia mightn't be alone in finding a new club after leaving the Power, with ruckman Scott Lycett understood to still be on the radar of Victorian clubs keen to add experience to their ruck stocks.
St Kilda, Collingwood and Richmond have been linked to the premiership Eagle and could still hold hope that he's open to containing his career after Lycett's decision to hang up the boots.
Lycett's ex-teammate Brynn Teakle had gained reported interest from a trio of clubs this year and could also suit a side looking to add an emerging ruck talent on cheap money following the 24-year-old's Alberton departure.
The Tigers added former Sydney ruckman Sam Naismith instead, with the luckless ex-Swan signing on at Punt Road on Wednesday after spending the past year with Port Melbourne on a clean bill of health.
The move for Naismith follows Ivan Soldo's trade to the Power this recent trade period, with new Richmond coach Adem Yze keen to add further support to first-string ruckman and co-captain Toby Nankervis for next year.
Half a dozen clubs have confirmed they've decided to delist players this year but are committed to re-selecting them to their list later this month either through the Rookie Draft or Pre-Season Draft.
Gold Coast's Sam Day is expected to be cut by the Carrara club before being re-added to the Suns' list via the Pre-Season Draft, while Adelaide's James Borlase, Bulldogs pair Taylor Duryea and Lachlan McNeil, Demon Jake Melksham, Sydney's Sam Reid and Giant Adam Kennedy will all be selected at the November 22 Rookie Draft after being delisted.
While those list manoeuvres aid clubs in shifting their primary and rookie list positions ahead of the National Draft to accommodate their number of draft selections, it has backfired in the past.
The Gold Coast Suns looked to pull the trigger with midfielder Hugh Greenwood two years ago, delisting him with intentions to draft him later in the off-season, North Melbourne acted swiftly and signed Greenwood as a delisted free agent.
While a similar outcome is unlikely as clubs now look to assure themselves the security of selecting their delisted players, a young talent that fits the key defensive mould like Borlase could pique the interest of rivals.
AFL clubs will have more than 80 players who were listed this year to consider as delisted free agents over the coming weeks, while former players like Naismith and Pink could work their way back onto a list after spending time at the state league level.
A host of recently departed AFL players have already found new homes for 2024, with five of West Coast's six cut players already signing on elsewhere for next season.
Luke Foley and Greg Clark have returned to WAFL club Subiaco, while Connor West (West Perth) and Isiah Winder (South Fremantle) will also remain in WA.
Cut Eagles midfielder Xavier O'Neill will link up with ex-Adelaide onballer Jackson Hately in the VFL with Essendon next year, while former Dockers tall Eric Benning (Claremont) and delisted Collingwood midfielder Arlo Draper (South Adelaide) have reunited with their old sides.