Shift to nationwide draft on the cards for AFLW from as soon as this season

AFLW players might be forced into following Montana Ham’s lead in moving interstate, with a switch to a national draft on the cards for the league as early as this year.

AFLW players might be forced into following Montana Ham‘s lead, with a switch to a national draft on the cards for the league. Picture: Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

Two-year contracts for AFL Women’s draftees are among a raft of considerations under discussion as the competition plots a path towards a national draft.

Previous AFLW drafts have allowed players to nominate for either the national pool or for a specified state, with some players – including 2022 top pick Montana Ham in what was a fully state-based draft – opt for selection outside of their home state.

A national draft could be introduced as soon as later this year, with club football bosses canvassed on the potential plan last month.

Players are understood to be supportive of a national draft model, depending on the framework that is established to surround it, with free agency for players another tool being discussed.

AFLW players might be forced into following Montana Ham‘s lead, with a switch to a national draft on the cards for the league. Picture: Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

Almost 70 per cent of players in last year’s draft nominated for the national pool.

AFLW players had previously harboured reservations around a national draft given the low wage for Tier 4 players in particular and the short-term nature of contracts.

By the end of the new pay deal – signed at the end of last year – Tier 4 players will rise from $56,077 this year to $72,373 in 2027.

For a draftee to uproot their life and move interstate for a short contract period had seemed unrealistic, but the most recent collective bargaining agreement delivered a boost in wages for all tiers, and 12-month contracts.

Being locked in for two years is considered by players to further stabilise the game’s youngest players who may be moving states to begin their careers.

Players would also be in favour of full free agency as in the men’s competition to allow for structure in the early years and then an allowance for flexibility later in their playing careers.

The collective bargaining agreement that was signed last year set out the potential free agency mechanisms for AFLW but that they still had to be agreed to “by all parties”.