The AFL has notified all 18 clubs that the 2023 Mid-Season Rookie Draft will be held on Wednesday May 31.
For any club to participate and select a player, they must have an available spot on their list by 5pm (AEST) on Tuesday, May 30.
How a list spot can open up:
- An AFL-listed player retires during the season
- An AFL-listed player is placed on the long-term injury list
Clubs that participate in the Mid-Season Rookie Draft will select in reverse ladder order, which is set at the conclusion of Round 11.
Eight clubs currently have available list spots, with Essendon, Fremantle, Geelong, GWS, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, Richmond and the Western Bulldogs all holding an opening.
AFL Mid-Season Draft selections and results
Pick 1: West Coast Eagles - Ryan Maric (Gippsland Power)
Pick 2: North Melbourne - Robert Hansen Jnr (Subiaco)
Pick 3: Hawthorn - Clay Tucker (Eastern Ranges)
Pick 4: Richmond - Matt Coulthard (Glenelg)
Pick 5: GWS - Pass
Pick 6: Sydney - Harry Arnold (Brisbane Lions VFL)
Pick 7: Geelong - Mitch Hardie (Woodville-West Torrens)
Pick 8: Fremantle - Ethan Stanley (Box Hill Hawks)
Pick 9: Essendon - Jaiden Hunter (Perth)
Pick 10: Western Bulldogs - Caleb Poulter (Footscray)
Pick 11: Port Adelaide - Quinton Narkle (Essendon VFL)
Pick 12: Hawthorn - Brandon Ryan (Northern Bullants)
Pick 13: Richmond - James Trezise (Richmond VFL)
Pick 14: GWS - Pass
Pick 15: Sydney - Jack Buller (Claremont)
When is the 2023 AFL Mid-Season Draft?
The Mid-Season Draft will be held on Wednesday, May 31.
The event will be held remotely with the AFL operations at the ARC (AFL Review Centre) with clubs selecting players online.
AFL Mid-Season Draft Order
Clubs that participate in the Mid-Season Rookie Draft will select in reverse ladder order.
Eight clubs currently have available list spots, with Essendon, Fremantle, Geelong, GWS, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, Richmond and the Western Bulldogs all holding an opening.
Current draft order (22/5):
- West Coast
- North Melbourne
- Hawthorn
- GWS
- Richmond
- Gold Coast
- Sydney
- Carlton
- Fremantle
- Essendon
- Adelaide
- Geelong
- Western Bulldogs
- St Kilda
- Melbourne
- Port Adelaide
- Brisbane
- Collingwood
AFL Mid-Season Draft Eligibility
A player is now eligible to nominate for the Mid-Season Rookie Draft (MSRD) under any of the following:
- The player nominated for the most recent National Draft but was not selected;
- Players who committed for a further year as a 19-year-old Northern or NGA Academy Player are available to all clubs should they nominate for the MSRD.
- The player has previously been on the list of an AFL club (and are therefore not required to have nominated for the most recent National Draft). This refers to the following situations:
- A delisted player. A player delisted by a club cannot be reselected in the MSRD by the same club in the period immediately following their delisting unless they nominated for the most recent draft.
- A retired player and/or a player who has delisted himself and has not been on an AFL list for one year or more.
- A player currently registered in one of the WAFL, SANFL, TSL or VFL and have played a minimum of three matches by the close of nominations on Wednesday 24 May, 2023.
- The player must have been 18 years of age prior to 1 January 2023
- A player meeting the above criteria does not need to have nominated for the most recent National Draft.
The Herald Sun revealed the full list of player who have nominated for the mid-season draft.
State League participation:
Players who are selected in the 2023 Mid-Season Rookie Draft that stay in their original state are subject to the following:
- They will not be permitted to play against original club unless otherwise agreed by all parties.
- The player has the right to return to their original club to participate in finals if their service is no longer required at their AFL club.
AFL Mid-Season Draft prospects
Former Collingwood player Callum Brown is seen as one clubs are keeping their eye on.
Delisted by the Pies at the end of last year, Brown returned to the VFL for Box Hill after training with Hawthorn over the summer.
The 25-year-old has been in scintillating form in the reserves which could earn himself an AFL lifeline.
Ex-Sydney ruckman Sam Naismith is another one who could fill a role come the middle of the season.
Playing for Port Melbourne, Naismith has proven to be a valuable asset to his new club, with clubs asking the question if he can return to the elite level.
Ryan Maric and Ryley Stoddart are others flagged by journalist Cal Twomey on SEN.
AFL Mid-Season Draft History (1990-1993; 2019-present)
The Mid-Season Draft was brought in in 1990, the same year the VFL was rebranded the AFL due to its expansion including non-Victorian teams.
With the same purpose it has now, the draft was introduced to provide players more opportunities to make it on AFL lists as well as ensure clubs weren't left at a disadvantage.
Laurence Schache, father of current-Bulldog Josh Schache, was the first pick in this new-found approach implemented by the AFL, as Schache was selected by the Brisbane Bears from the SANFL.
Despite former AFL chief executive Ross Oakley deeming the draft a failure, there were some feel-good stories in the very brief four years in the 1990s.
Sydney Swan legend Daryn Cresswell is still one of the biggest names coming from the mid-season draft over the years. Cresswell was playing in Tasmania in 1992 for North Hobart before being selected with pick 39 by the Swans.
Since then, Cresswell played 244 games for the club, including a Best and Fairest in 94' and All-Australian selection in 97'.
The mid-season draft was quickly scrapped after the 1993 season and was excluded from the game, given the lack of desire to keep it from the clubs and League.
However, outgoing AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan re-introduced the mid-season draft in a bid to expand the game to all corners of the country, providing more opportunities for players to get on an AFL list.
Teams were given an option to top up their list if players were deemed inactive given their long-term injury or retired.
2022 AFL Mid-Season Draft
- West Coast - Jai Culley
- North Melbourne - Kallan Dawson
- Essendon - Massimo D'Ambrosio
- Adelaide - Brett Turner
- GWS - Wade Derksen
- Hawthorn - Max Ramsden
- Gold Coast - Oskar Faulkhead
- Port Adelaide - Brynn Teakle
- Collingwood - Josh Carmichael
- Richmond - Jacob Bauer
- Sydney - Hugo Hall-Kahan
- Geelong - Zane Williams
- Carlton - Sam Durdin
- St Kilda - Pass
- Fremantle - Sebit Kuek
- West Coast - Pass
- North Melbourne - Pass
- Essendon - Jye Menzie
- Adelaide - Pass
- Hawthorn - James Blanck
- Collingwood - Pass
- Carlton - Will Hayes
- Fremantle - Pass
AFL Mid-Season Draft success stories
Jai Newcombe - Hawthorn (pick 2 in 2021)
Newcombe was taken with pick two in the 2021 Mid-Season Rookie Draft and hasn't disappointed.
Playing in 34 games since, the 21-year-old was named the 2022 AFLCA Best Young Player and is a prime mover through the Hawks midfield.
With plenty of upside, Newcombe's career can be long and could easily turn into one of the best mid-season selections.
John Noble - Collingwood (pick 14 in 2019)
Taken with pick 14 in the 2019 Mid-Season Rookie Draft, Noble has arguably been the pick of the bunch.
Son of former North Melbourne coach David Noble, the South Australian has rarely missed a game.
Featuring in 74 matches, the running defender has become a key cog of Collingwood's backline.
Marlion Pickett - Richmond (pick 13 in 2019)
Pickett was selected by Richmond in the 2019 Mid-Season Rookie Draft with pick 13.
Following Shaun Grigg's retirement, the South Fremantle talent joined the club and made an immediate impact.
After winning a premiership medal in the VFL side the week earlier, Pickett was brought into the senior side for the decider against GWS and debuted in the Grand Final.
The now 31-year-old has played 62 games and has two medals (2019, 2020) around his neck.
Darryn Cresswell - Sydney (pick 38 in 1992)
Cresswell is largely considered the best mid-season pick to date given his success at Sydney.
Featuring in 244 games, he was a best-and-fairest winner in 1994 and an All-Australian in 1997.
Cresswell is also named in the Swans Team of the Century on the interchange.
Dale Lewis - Sydney (pick 2 in 1990)
Lewis was one of the first players selected when the AFL introduced the mid-season draft.
Taken by Sydney, he was picked up after impressive form for North Ballarat.
Lewis played 182 games for the Swans across 12 seasons, playing across multiple positions.