GOLD Coast will re-draft promising defender Henry Schade as a rookie if he is not picked up as a delisted free agent.
The Suns delisted Schade, who has played 20 games since being the club’s first selection in the 2011 NAB AFL Draft at No.24, because they needed a list spot to use their plethora of early draft picks this year.
The Suns have four of the first 10 selections in this year's national draft, as well as picks 73, 98, 116 and 134.
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They are expected to pick up promising Academy graduate Jack Bowes, as well as three more of the country’s most talented youngsters.
The Suns may have to use points available at pick No.10 to obtain Bowes if Sydney choses to make a bid on Bowes at pick No.9, with a slim chance he might attract a bid even earlier.
The 23-year-old Schade, who stands at 197cm, has been a good contributor with the Suns after making his debut in round five, 2015, and was contracted until the end of 2017 so his AFL career will continue one way or another next season.
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The national draft will take place on Friday, November 25 with the rookie draft three days later on Monday, November 28.
Schade will be picked up again by the Suns in the rookie draft if he isn’t signed in the next week as a delisted free agent.
Gold Coast faces an important season with Jaeger O'Meara and Dion Prestia traded from the club, and Fairfax reporting early last week that Gary Ablett had enquired as to whether the Suns would consider trading him back to Geelong, a request that was quickly rejected.
However, they added Jarryd Lyons, Pearce Hanley and Jarrod Witts to a line-up that includes some of the game’s best talls in Tom Lynch and Steven May, and with a reasonable run with injury should bounce back into finals contention.