AFL draft set to suffer if club list sizes are reduced to 35 players

Dane Swan was pick 58 in 2001, but savage list cuts could slash the AFL draft in half with fewer than 50 players picked each year. One AFL champion says that’s a disaster for footy hopefuls.

Collingwood v Hawthorn. MCG. Dane Swan

Potential stars of the future would be left on the scrap heap and the number of players drafted to AFL clubs halved if a move to reduce list sizes to 35 is ticked off.

While clubs are yet to receive clarity from the AFL over list sizes beyond this year, some believe there would only be room for them to draft two or three players each year if they are limited to a list of 35.

That would mean between 36 and 54 new players being drafted to the competition’s 18 clubs.

Last year 107 new players joined the AFL ranks through the national draft, rookie draft, Category B rookie program, mid-season draft and pre-season supplemental selection period.

In 2018, 126 new players were added to AFL lists through the same channels.

Adelaide great Mark Ricciuto, who is also part of the Crows’ list management team, said he struggled to understand how players who missed out on being drafted would be better off developing at lower levels.

“If there’s only 30 or 40 less players picked, that’s a lot of players that are going to go to secondary leagues and have less resources than they’ve ever had,” Ricciuto told the Herald Sun.

“There’s so many good players that were picked up after pick 60 or were rookie picks. All I’m saying is, what’s going to happen to them? They’re going to go to secondary leagues that are more financially affected that the AFL. The AFL’s copping a massive whack, but just spare a thought for those leagues who are going to be probably even harder hit.”

The Crows recruited Taylor Walker with pick 75 in the draft.

Dane Swan was a steal in the 2001 super draft. Picture: Michael Klein

Ricciuto said some players would cope at lower levels if they missed out on being drafted to the AFL, but many would not.

“Lots of players are self-driven and they can handle any scenario, but there’s also lots of players who aren’t as self-driven that need to be driven by coaches and welfare people,” he said.

“I just can’t see how they can be in a better place than they would have been at an AFL club.”

Under current rules, clubs can have as many as 44 players on their lists, including up to six rookies.

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Ricciuto warned that under a list size of 35, draftees would have little time to show they are worthy of an AFL career.

“If players haven’t proven themselves at the end of year two, they would have to be in serious trouble,” he said.

“You could only carry five or six players that are not capable of playing AFL on that list because you need 30 players to be able to play.”

Originally published as AFL draft set to suffer if club list sizes are reduced to 35 players