THE AFL careers of Collingwood premiership players Alan Didak and Darren Jolly appear over after neither player was selected in the rookie draft held on Wednesday morning.

Didak, 30, appeared to have accepted that his 218-game career had ended until Greater Western Sydney sparked some hope he might be thrown a lifeline when the Giants made contact on the weekend.

However, that faint hope was extinguished on Monday when the Giants declared via Twitter they were not going to recruit the forward.  

There was little expectation of Didak being selected in Wednesday's rookie draft. The popular Magpie is settled in Melbourne and understood to be comfortable with life after football.

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Jolly has had a difficult exchange period after the Magpies delisted him.

He looked likely to head to St Kilda at the conclusion of the trade period but talks cooled when Scott Watters was sacked as coach.

Jolly then met with Essendon as late as Tuesday but the Bombers preferred to go with ruckman-forward Fraser Thurlow from Labrador in Queensland.

It is a disappointing result for the veteran who played 237 games at three clubs (Melbourne, Sydney Swans and Collingwood) and in premierships at both the Swans and the Magpies.

The durable ruckman played 142 consecutive games between 2005 and 2011 and appeared to be over his knee problems by year's end.


Alan Didak's career is over after 218 games and a premiership at the Pies. Picture: AFL Media.



The former Magpie duo became the highest-profile names no longer playing in the AFL in 2014.

Former Richmond and Adelaide midfielder Richard Tambling announced his retirement on Tuesday night, while ex-Docker Josh Mellington decided to withdraw his nomination to be part of the rookie list after reaching a settlement with Fremantle.

Although Mellington had a year to run on his contract, he wanted to remain in Victoria and play in the VFL.

Former Collingwood and Carlton defender Jordan Russell did not get selected after 125 games.

The first-round draft pick in 2004 played just nine games in his only year with the Magpies in 2013. Andrew Krakouer's exciting period at Collingwood also ended after 35 games at the Magpies, including an appearance in the 2011 AFL Grand Final.

Delisted Melbourne rookie James Magner earned two Brownlow votes in his first game but his AFL career lasted just two seasons for 19 games. He played only two senior games for the Demons in 2013. Another ball magnet – former Lion and Eagle Bradd Dalziell – did not get picked up.

Former Demons Cale Morton and Jordan Gysberts are no longer on AFL lists after one year at the Eagles and North Melbourne respectively.

It means three of Melbourne's first-round draft picks since 2007 are no longer on an AFL list.

Other names whose careers look over include Essendon's Alwyn Davey (100 games) and former first-round draft picks Patrick Veszpremi (23 games with the Swans and Bulldogs), and James Sellar (44 games with Adelaide and Melbourne).

Ex-Bomber Alwyn Davey's career appears all but over. Picture: AFL Media. 



Former Hawthorn first-round pick Mitch Thorp was spruiked heavily in the lead-up to the draft and rookie draft after he starred in Tasmania.

However the 24-year-old was overlooked and his total AFL games tally remains at two with his most recent AFL game coming in round 2, 2009.

St Kilda's Ahmed Saad will not take to the field either after being suspended for 18 months for breaching the anti-doping code.

Although it is a disappointing time, players such as Thorp, former Saint Tom Ledger, Geelong's Cameron Eardley and Gold Coast's Joel Wilkinson will take heart from the tale of Cameron Wood, whose AFL career looked over until Carlton picked him up in this year's rookie draft.