New Hawthorn ruckman Keegan Brooksby has called for improvements to the AFL’s pre-season supplementary period
For the second season running, South Adelaide has lost star ruckman Keegan Brooksby on the eve of the SANFL season to the AFL, this time to Hawthorn.
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Newly recruited Hawthorn ruckman Keegan Brooksby has pushed for improved communication between the AFL, state league clubs and players regarding the pre-season supplementary period.
Brooksby, who joined West Coast during the same period last year, signed with the Hawks last week from South Adelaide, leaving the Panthers without one of their prized recruits just weeks from the start of the SANFL season.`
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Speaking on SEN SA Breakfast on Monday morning, Brooksby said the players selected during the supplementary period and the mid-season draft make significant sacrifices.
“There probably needs to be a better conversation around all these rules and the way it works for these clubs, both AFL and state league,” he said.
“Then you get to the players, you see like Josh Deluca who was a super player at Subiaco, did everything right again and Carlton has sort of turned around and said thanks but we’re changing our mind.
“Subiaco went on and won the flag, but it puts players in a very difficult situation when things like that continue to happen.
“He’s at the bottom of the AFL pay ladder, the guys doing this aren’t necessarily being paid a huge amount of money.
“To have to relocate and move across states with very little guarantee about what’s going to happen at the end of the season, it’s something that’s difficult to do.
“I think it puts the wellbeing and welfare of players at risk, and it may put off players wanting to have a crack if they get his opportunity in the future.
“There definitely needs to be more things put in place to help in these situations.”
The impact has been felt at local level for a number of clubs, but Brooksby said he’s been in constant with coach Jarrad Wright and CEO Neill Sharpe.
“As soon as I got a call from my manager asking if I would be interested (in Hawthorn), I relayed that onto Jarrad and Neill immediately,”
“I understood the lateness of the situation and wanted to be as open and as honest with them to make it as easy as possible.
“I said at the end of my time at West Coast if another club came calling I wouldn’t know what I’d do.
“I literally sat there and thought I didn’t know what to do, I thought about it for a week, did the pros and cons and I had to do it.
“That’s the person I am, I want to be the best I can be and get the best out of myself.
“I don’t want to be left wondering what might happen.
“At the end of the day it was difficult, but I believe it’s the right decision.”
Locally, the Adelaide Crows still have a spot on their list, and with the club’s ruck stocks lacking depth, it was suggested Brooksby may be the perfect fit.
However, he said he heard nothing concrete from West Lakes.
“The way the rules are at the moment through the pre-season supplementary period, clubs have the opportunity to leave list spots open through the draft, then decide what’s going to be best,” he said.
“I think the ruck is the one position most clubs don’t want to go into the year too ruck heavy cause it takes up a number of spots on the list.
“If you look around the competition, there’s a few clubs that still have list spots open.
“Through the whole period, my manager has taken care of a lot of things, and unless there’s real interest, then I don’t need to know about it.
“No-one ever got to the point where there was real solid interest aside from Hawthorn.”