AFL News

Date for mid-season draft locked in

Does your club have a spot open for a new draftee this June?

Published by
Michael Georgiou

The date has been set for clubs to focus of replenishments to their lists on the run, with the AFL NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft announced for Wednesday, June 1.

The AFL has set the event between rounds 11 and 12, a date prior to each of the league's bye rounds.

Given the draft order is determined by ladder position, this date was chosen due to a potential discrepancy of games played during this particular juncture.

Currently, five clubs have a list spot open, Carlton, Fremantle, Geelong, Hawthorn and Sydney.

Adelaide could join that list, with captain Rory Sloane suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Other teams who could move a player to the inactive list are Gold Coast and St Kilda for Ben King and Nick Coffield respectively.

Last year 22 players were selected in the mid-season draft, where talls were the focus, given seven ruckman were chosen.

However, it seems unlikely that this number will be reached this season with very few long-term injuries sustained across the competition thus far this season.

The success of the recently implemented draft period bore fruit over the Easter weekend, with the second selection from last year, Jai Newcombe, was this week's NAB AFL Rising Star nominee after a commanding performance against the Cats.

2019 saw the first mid-season draft operate since 1993, with Marlion Pickett and John Noble the cream of the rookie crop.

Since then, the likes of Cooper Sharman, Jed McEntee, Sam Durham, Ned Moyle and former Saint Matthew Parker earned places on AFL lists.

 

 

 

Published by
Michael Georgiou