Collingwood, Gold Coast and Fremantle are set to be among the most active clubs through the Supplemental Selection Period, with just five clubs having open list spots for the pre-season window.
Collingwood (three spots), Fremantle (two), Gold Coast (one), North Melbourne (one) and Richmond (one) can reach add to their list via the SSP, with the Roos the only club not to have a current train-on player.
The SSP is used over the course of the pre-season to allow clubs to give AFL-hopeful talent a chance to trial themselves for a vacant list spot at training during the summer period.
Last year's window saw a total of 16 SSP signings made, with the likes of Conor McKenna and Darragh Joyce (both Brisbane), Mark Keane and Tyler Brown (both Adelaide), Liam Stocker (St Kilda), Jed Anderson (Gold Coast), Liam Shiels (North Melbourne), Oskar Baker (Western Bulldogs) and premiership Magpie Oleg Markov (Collingwood) all earn lifelines at new clubs.
Mature-aged recruit Alex Cincotta and Anthony Caminiti also earned chances in the top flight via Carlton and St Kilda respectively, with more opportunities set to be on offer to players from the state league and local levels ahead of the 2024 season.
VAFA footballer Sam Sofronidis has a live chance to earn a list spot with reigning premiers Collingwood after it was revealed the 23-year-old will be one of several prospects in contention for a vacant list spot at Olympic Park.
The medium-sized defender is set to train under coach Craig McRae alongside a number of fellow list aspirants, including ex-AFL listed trio Brynn Teakle, Joshua Eyre and Jack Bytel.
Teakle could fill a role across all three lines of the field after being recruited to the Power midway through last year as a ruck-forward hybrid, while he was also trialled as a defender in the SANFL earlier this year.
Eyre, who trained with St Kilda earlier this year following his departure from Essendon, could also be trialled as a key position talent at either end of the field.
Bytel played 22 games over five seasons with the Saints, amassing just six appearances this year after falling out of favour under Ross Lyon. The 23-year-old could be a viable depth option for the Magpies following the loss of Taylor Adams through the recent trade period.
Collingwood VFL captain Campbell Hustwaite is a fourth player who will train with the senior list over pre-season following a strong campaign with the Magpies' reserves, while Footscray captain Lachie Sullivan is the latest to land at Victoria Park following an SSP invite.
Delisted defender Will Kelly was flagged as a chance to earn a lifeline in the black and white following his recent delisting, however isn't training for a second chance.
With two training spots available for each list vacancy, Collingwood can have up to six training additions at once given they have a trio of openings on their rookie list, while another list spot could open by moving forward Dan McStay to the inactive list.
The Pies have reportedly welcomed former Hawthorn midfield-forward Ned Long to train with the AFL squad after the 20-year-old signed with Collingwood's VFL squad for next year, according toย AFL.com.au.ย
Fremantle recently opened up a pair of list spots after moving Sebit Kuek and Josh Corbett to the inactive list due to respective shoulder/knee and hip injuries.
The list move has already seen cut Sun's flanker Jeremy Sharp earn a second chance in the AFL with the Dockers, who had expressed an interest in the East Fremantle product last year.
Former Essendon forward Patrick Voss is training with Fremantle for a list spot, while Woodville-West Torrens teenager Max Beattie is another name in the mix.
Local forward Sam van Rooyen - the younger brother of Demons tall Jacob - has also begun training at Cockburn.
After wanting to add to their attacking options through the recent National Draft, Voss (194cm), van Rooyen (193cm) and Beattie (173cm) will give Justin Longmuir and his team differing options for their forward mix.
Gold Coast has handed multiple ex-AFL figures trials for list spots at Carrara, with ex-Saint Jack Peris and delisted North Melbourne backman Aiden Bonar both set to train under new coach Damien Hardwick over the coming weeks.
Peris was cut by the Saints after two years and one game in the red, white and black, with the Northern Territory junior looking to earn a new chance with the Suns, while Bonar could land at his third club after recent stints with the Giants and Roos.
A big-bodied defender, Bonar could add to Hardwick's defensive options, while Peris is another name to consider among the Suns' small forward stocks.
Peris' old club had planned to bring on delisted wingman Dan McKenzie before "unanticipated" draft plans forced them to bid farewell to the 27-year-old.
After a year riddled with injuries, McKenzie was set to train for a list spot over the summer after initially not being offered a deal for 2024. The Saints added five players through last week's National Draft before selecting ex-Port Adelaide backman Riley Bonner at the Pre-Season Draft.
While McKenzie's hopes of re-joining his old club have waned, Melbourne made a similar move by adding former defender Marty Hore to their list.
Hore last played for the Demons in 2019 and was delisted by the club two years ago, with the defender having since represented North Melbourne and Williamstown in the VFL.
The 27-year-old has trained with the Roos' senior squad ahead of the 2022 season in the hope of landing a free list spot before being overlooked. He ventured to the Seagulls ahead of this year and went on to earn Team of the Year honours alongside Williamstown teammate and ex-Demons tall Oscar McDonald.
McDonald has since earned a new chance in the AFL via delisted free agency with Fremantle, with Hore becoming the second Seagull to do so after being the first SSP signing ahead of the 2024 season.
Richmond currently have East Perth forward Mitch Schofield and VFL-listed prospect Mykelti Lefau training at Punt Road, with both options potentially bolstering Adem Yze's attacking plans ahead of his first season with the Tigers.
Lefau has spent the last two seasons at Richmond as part of their VFL program, while Schofield enjoyed a strong year for the Royals to earn an invite east.
The Western Bulldogs acquired recently delisted Hawthorn half-back Lachie Brambleย on the opening day of the window in what was a surprise move.
Bramble joined the Hawks as an SSP signing ahead of the 2021 season and has joined the Dogs through the same mechanism, with the former Williamstown talent starting training at Whitten Oval on day one of pre-season.
The SSP opened on November 27 and will run across two signing windows, closing on December 14 before opening again on January 15. The final signing deadline will come on February 19.
