AFL mid-season draft cancelled as COVID-19 continues to impact the game

Sydney’s big man injury crisis has taken another turn for the worse following the AFL’s COVID call on the mid-season rookie draft. The next Marlion Pickett may have to wait. THE BIGGEST LOSERS

Lance Franklin during Sydney Swans training. Picture. Phil Hillyard

The mid-season draft has been abandoned.

The AFL on Tuesday wrote to all clubs to advise them that the mid-season rookie draft - which last year unearthed 13 players including the likes of premiership Tiger Marlion Pickett - is the latest victim of coronavirus cuts.

“The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone involved in Australian Football at all levels remains paramount,” the league said in a statement.

“And the current situation relating to COVID-19 continues to impact clubs, players and pathway competitions across the country.”

The league will also make a call on when the free agency period, trade period and 2020 draft will be held at a later date.

Sydney coach John Longmire flagged the idea of a player loan system as the Swans fight an injury crisis

The injury-ravaged club was hoping against hope that the AFL backfliped on a decision to bin this year’s mid-season draft.

The Swans have an astonishing eight key position players unavailable through injury, with Lewis Melican (groin) joining the likes of Lance Franklin, Sam Reid, Sam Naismith and Callum Sinclair on the sidelines, and would be desperate if big man reinforcements came onto the market.

West Coast star Nic Naitanui polled a perfect 10 coach’s votes against the crippled Swans, further highlighting how badly Sydney needs a ruckman.

Sydney drafted Michael Knoll and Cody Hirst in last year’s mid-season draft.

The Swans will now have to soldier on with the list that they’ve got.

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Lance Franklin is still several weeks away from a return to senior action. Picture: Phil Hillyard

They were hammered on the injury front again against West Coast, and things don’t get easier this week against Richmond at the Gabba.

“Lewis (Melican) developed some groin soreness during game and had to withdraw,” said Swans head of football, Charlie Gardiner.

“He has a groin strain and will miss a couple of weeks. It’s really disappointing for Lewis. He just found his way back into the team.

“Ben (Ronke) had some back soreness after the game. Scan showed a bit of a stress reaction in lower back. We’ll know more later in the week but he won’t be available this week.”

Reid and Sinclair – and likely Tom McCartin (concussion) – also won’t take on the Tigers, while Franklin is still at least a month away.

Sam Reid is another injured Swans big man. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Meanwhile, resurgent GWS forward Jeremy Finlayson has claimed the reason for the Giants’ alarming slump a fortnight ago was the impact of only being allowed to train in small groups.

AFL clubs have been forced to make unprecedented alterations to training plans due to COVID-19 protocols, with the most drastic of all being they can’t have contact sessions as a full team.

Finlayson hasn’t trained alongside namesake and forward partner Jeremy Cameron all year, and it was a hurdle in continuity GWS struggled to get over.

“We weren‘t gelling together,” said Finlayson.
“It’s hard. We‘re only training in smaller groups, so we can’t get that connection between all our forwards, mids and backs.

“If you don’t see any of the other boys, it does make it hard because you don’t have that connection.”

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Originally published as AFL mid-season draft cancelled as COVID-19 continues to impact the game