Former Brisbane youngster Jaxon Prior and Port Adelaide forward Quinton Narkle have avoided nominating for the upcoming National Draft with the hope they'll be signed through another mechanism.
The pair opted against putting their hand up for the national pool, paving the way to be signed as a pre-season supplemental selection (SSP) when the window, which generally runs across the summer months.
Narkle is reportedly set to sign with Fremantle as an SSP signing, heading to his third AFL club following stints at Geelong and the Power.
Whereas Prior's future isn't as clear cut, he holds out hope that he'll join Essendon, who flagged initial interest during the trade period.
The manoeuver to avoid the National Draft is to prevent any rival clubs from swooping on the player during the intake on November 20-22.
To be eligible for the SSP, players must have nominated for the most recent AFL Draft or previously been on an AFL list.
In last year's crop, 10 players found AFL clubs through this mechanism.
As we near the 2024 National Draft, a total of 1044 players have nominated for this year's intake with one name absent from the list.
Retired Richmond star Dustin Martin has long been linked with a move to Gold Coast as a reunion with former coach Damien Hardwick on the cards.
However, as of Wednesday (November 13) 3pm - the deadline for the lodged list of nominations - Martin's name wasn't to be seen.
Channel 9's Tom Morris revealed that the three-time premiership player has no chance of returning to an AFL list, with reports indicating he might trade out the boots for the microphone instead, with Fox Footy hunting the star footballer.