MID-SEASON draft hopefuls may not be able to nominate financial terms to be selected unless they have previously been on an AFL list, as the League reviews the rules ahead of the mid-year intake.
Last year Box Hill Hawks midfielder Jai Newcombe was the only player among more than 600 prospects to nominate under 'other terms', which meant he could only be drafted under the increased financial levels in his nomination.
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Hawthorn selected the then 19-year-old with the No.2 pick at the mid-season draft on a 30-month contract (for the remainder of 2021 through to the end of 2023) on a deal that spikes at a base of around $170,000 this year with potential additions for incentives and match payments.
Newcombe, who had been playing under new Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell in the VFL, then made his AFL debut a week later.
His nomination led to calls from rival clubs that players who had not previously been through the AFL system should not be able to put financial terms on their head at the draft, as it could see some players choosing to sit out of certain drafts to ensure their desired outcome.
The standard first contract under the AFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement means that previously unlisted players – no matter their age or experience – cannot place any financial terms on themselves at the end-of-year NAB AFL Draft.
But the anomaly was left open for the mid-season rookie draft, reintroduced in 2019, as a way to attract former AFL players to nominate for the mid-year intake rather than wait for the end of the season.
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The AFL is set to look at the rule in the lead-up to this year's mid-season rookie draft, likely in discussion with the AFL Players' Association. This year's mid-year draft is set to be held between rounds 11 and 12.
The practice of nominating financial terms is usually left to players who want to stave off interest from rival clubs to ensure they get to their preferred team through the draft mechanisms.
Jack Martin, for instance, nominated high financial terms when he moved from Gold Coast to Carlton at the end of 2019, to ensure his passage to the Blues after a trade fell through.
Newcombe was among Hawthorn's best in its Easter Monday win over Geelong with 31 disposals.