AFL clubs are interviewing draft prospects currently deemed ineligible for the mid-season draft

Melbourne, GWS and North Melbourne are among clubs to recently interview players who are currently deemed ineligible for this month’s mid-season draft. However, the rules around who can be taken may change.

AFL general manager football operations Steven Hocking. Picture: Getty Images

Melbourne, Greater Western Sydney and North Melbourne are among clubs to recently interview players who are currently deemed ineligible for this month’s mid-season draft.

It emerged on Thursday night the AFL was unlikely to make a ruling on whether to let the unlucky footballers into the draft pool until next week.

The Herald Sun revealed that dozens of prospects are ineligible because they did not nominate for the 2018 national draft.

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That rule is primarily in place to prevent clubs hiding players away and making secret agreements to draft them halfway through the following season.

The AFL confirmed it had the power to grant special exemptions. It is likely to sift through the complete list of nominations before deciding. Online nominations close at 5pm on Friday.

Integrity officer Ken Wood’s memorandum on the mid-season draft, issued to clubs on April 10 and obtained by the Herald Sun, states that the complete nomination list will be distributed to all clubs on Monday.

But that faces a potential delay, given the league first has to decide whether to give clubs access to prospects who don’t meet the eligibility criteria.

Clubs who have conducted recent interviews on ineligible prospects could have done so as part of their research for November’s national draft.

“Just open it up,” player manager Adam Ramanauskas said today.

“Whoever wants to nominate can nominate, make it simple.”

The AFL’s timeline states that clubs have until 5pm next Wednesday to lodge three names they want to undergo medical testing with AFL academies and high performance manager Paul Sealy. Those medicals are booked for May 22 and club medical staff are invited to attend.

Clubs can participate in the mid-season draft if they have an available rookie spot or a registered inactive player. They must advise the AFL by 12pm on May 27 — the day of the draft — if they intend to participate.

The eligibility criteria has also ruled out retired North Melbourne goalkicker Jarrad Waite, despite recent speculation the Kangaroos should consider re-drafting him to help struggling spearhead Ben Brown.