FROM the Ovens and Murray Football League to the VAFA and all the way to Ireland. From teenagers to a 26-year-old and everything in between. This summer's pre-season supplemental selection period had a bit of everything.

Opening on December 5 and closing on Wednesday, the SSP saw 16 players secure a rookie spot at an AFL club, while a handful of others fell just short.

AFL.com.au dives into what happened at each active club and takes a closer look at those who have been given a chance.

Adelaide

The Crows didn't have a list spot available when they returned to pre-season training at the start of January, but they soon had two following the surprise retirement of former top-ten pick Fischer McAsey and the decision to put Paul Seedsman on the inactive list due to his ongoing battle with concussion. Adelaide signed former Collingwood midfielder Tyler Brown after considering him during the delisted free agency window and the Rookie Draft, providing the 23-year-old with a lifeline after playing 27 games across five seasons with the Magpies. Crows list boss Justin Reid then did some work on adding some depth down back, exploring a couple of options before signing another former Pie in the form of Irishman Mark Keane. The 22-year-old decided to remain in Cork last year rather than return to Collingwood, playing Gaelic Football and hurling before he was signed by the Crows late last month.

Brisbane

The Lions added not one, but two Irishmen during the SSP window. They signed former Bomber Conor McKenna on the opening day of the period after the 26-year-old had made the decision to return to the AFL. St Kilda, Port Adelaide and Essendon all met with McKenna before he committed to Chris Fagan's program last November. Brisbane list manager Dom Ambrogio then added some key position depth down back following the announcement Marcus Adams won't play in 2023 due to his concussion struggles. The Lions invited Darragh Joyce to trial with the club before signing him shortly after, continuing his AFL journey after he was delisted by St Kilda at the end of last season following 13 games across six seasons.

Carlton

Things happened late at Carlton during the SSP window, and it wasn't without some drama. The Blues didn't have a list spot open until Zac Williams' 2023 campaign ended before it started in devastating fashion when he tore his ACL. That forced Carlton list manager Nick Austin to scour the market for available half-backs in the final week of the window. Oleg Markov was invited to train before Collingwood swooped late, just days after the Pies had released the South Australian. That was last Friday and by the close of business, Carlton had signed Hudson O’Keeffe after the ruckman had been released by Essendon following a two-week audition at The Hangar. Alex Cincotta was invited to join Michael Voss' program for the closing few sessions of the window and the Blues signed the 26-year-old half-back, who finished second in Carlton's VFL best and fairest last year, just hours before the deadline.

Collingwood

With Brodie Grundy moving to Melbourne last October, the Magpies were in the market for another ruckman to add depth behind Darcy Cameron, Mason Cox and Aiden Begg. That led them to trial South Australian Oscar Steene across December and January before the club chose to sign the 19-year-old ahead of Oleg Markov, who was released by the Pies and looked set to claim the vacant spot at Carlton. But when Charlie Dean was moved to Collingwood's inactive list just days later due to another foot injury, the Pies swooped in and offered Markov a deal. Markov was coached by Craig McRae and Justin Leppitsch during his time at Richmond and was considered unlucky to depart Gold Coast last year, but is now setting his sights on breaking into a stacked Collingwood half-back division.

Essendon

New coach Brad Scott had a good look at a handful of options across the pre-season before the Bombers opted to keep a spot open for the Mid-Season Rookie Draft. Hudson O'Keeffe and Mitch Szybkowski spent the first fortnight of the January pre-season block training at The Hangar before both were released, while former Collingwood and Hawthorn wingman Tom Phillips joined in some training sessions across the summer as part of the VFL program, but never trained full-time. Essendon invited West Australian teenager Jack Cleaver to train in the final fortnight of the window but decided not to sign him ahead of the deadline. He is expected to join the Bombers' VFL side instead and could be considered in the mid-season draft.

Fremantle

Much like the Bombers, Fremantle trialled some players across the summer before eventually deciding to pass and keep a spot open for later in the year. Gippsland Power key position prospect Liam Serong and Perth forward Sam Stubbs both trained across the entire SSP window but didn't do enough in the end to win a spot. Serong, who is the younger brother of Dockers midfielder Caleb and Hawthorn forward Jai, experienced an injury interrupted 2022 while Stubbs put himself on Fremantle's radar after an eye-catching season in the WAFL, where the 25-year-old led the goalkicking for Perth. But he missed a crucial intraclub game last weekend due to injury, which might have hurt his chances late to convince Fremantle list boss David Walls to take a chance on him.

Gold Coast

The Suns signed former North Melbourne and Hawthorn inside midfielder Jed Anderson at the start the window after speaking to the Northern Territory product for months following his departure from Arden Street. Gold Coast then looked at Southport star Boyd Woodcock, academy product Brinn Little and Frankston forward Brodie McLaughlin across December. McLaughlin was the only player to be invited back after the Christmas break and produced enough across January to earn a spot. The 25-year-old produced an impressive VFL season in 2022 after an injury-interrupted few seasons, putting his name on the radar of recruiters across the competition.

Hawthorn

Tasmanian small forward Brandon Leary was invited to train at the Hawks before Christmas but was released ahead of Hawthorn's pre-season camp in Gippsland. The Hawks then invited a handful of Box Hill listed players to train across the pre-season, including Callum Brown, Cal Porter and Patrick Naish. Brown was then invited to join the AFL squad full-time for the final week of the SSP window, allowing him to attend meetings and complete weights and craft sessions. The former Collingwood midfielder played in the Hawks' intraclub on Wednesday night ahead of the deadline, but the club decided to keep the spot open for the mid-season draft. After enjoying so much success via the SSP or mid-year from Box Hill, it means they will continue to monitor Brown and others in the VFL program across the first half of 2023.

Melbourne

Melbourne made a deadline-day decision on Kye Turner, informing the VAFA star he had made the cut ahead of Wednesday's training session at Gosch's Paddock. The Demons had invited him to trial across the pre-season along with former Port Adelaide rookie Trent Burgoyne – the son of Power great Peter – and gave both players as much time as possible to press their claims. Burgoyne was limited by a hamstring injury for the first half of the trial before returning to full fitness, while Turner impressed with his application and improvement. This time last year, the 21-year-old was preparing for a season of B-Grade amateurs football with Old Haileybury. He produced a season that led to two VFL games with Frankston late in the year before Melbourne came calling, and now he is on an AFL list.

North Melbourne

Much like what happened with Jed Anderson at Gold Coast, the Kangaroos committed to Liam Shiels long before the window opened and signed him straight away. The 31-year-old retired at the end of last season after playing in three premierships across 255 appearances for the Hawks. But it didn't take long for his old coach, Alastair Clarkson, to pick up the phone and convince him to go around again. The veteran midfielder is on track to feature in round one following a pre-season at Arden Street that many expected him to deliver.

Richmond

With one spot open and two compelling cases to choose from, Richmond was forced to make a tough call on a familiar name earlier this week. The Tigers opted to fill a need rather than going with a proven commodity, signing untried forward Kaelen Bradtke instead of former Cat Quinton Narkle. Narkle made a slow start at Punt Road but after dropping eight kilograms during the Christmas break, he couldn't have done much more across January and early February to win the spot. However, Bradtke had also made a strong statement with his application, impressing many inside the Swinburne Centre with his training standards. Much like Turner at Melbourne, Bradtke has come from obscurity to land an AFL contract. The 21-year-old played in the Ovens and Murray League last year, where he kicked 39 goals to earn two appearances with Sydney's VFL side. With Richmond lacking depth behind star pair Tom Lynch and Jack Riewoldt, the Tigers made a call based on needs, given its midfield is stacked following the recruitment of Jacob Hopper and Tim Taranto, plus the retention of Jack Graham. Richmond also looked at Oakleigh Chargers product Luke Teal before Christmas.

St Kilda

The Saints had two spots available across the window and looked at two players for most of the SSP period. They signed former first-round pick Liam Stocker in January, months after the 23-year-old wasn't offered another contract at Carlton following 28 appearances across four seasons. St Kilda then released former Bomber Josh Eyre after he suffered a serious hamstring injury at training, just when the Saints really needed more key position depth following injuries to Max King, Jack Hayes and Matt Allison. With Eyre's dream over, the Saints invited Anthony Caminiti to train and the rest is history. The Northern Knights product produced arguably the most dominant audition since the SSP rules were introduced, earning a contract before he left the club after just his second session.

Western Bulldogs

With Lachie Hunter moving to Melbourne during the trade period, the Bulldogs identified months out that Oskar Baker would be the man to improve their wing depth. The 24-year-old was signed when the window opened after reaching a commitment before then, months after being delisted by Melbourne after playing 15 games across five seasons. Now the Queenslander is in the frame to play against his old side in round one following an eye-catching pre-season with Luke Beveridge's squad.

Players signed during the SSP (Dec 5 to Feb 15)

Conor McKenna - Brisbane
Oskar Baker - Western Bulldogs
Liam Shiels - North Melbourne
Jed Anderson - Gold Coast
Tyler Brown - Adelaide
Liam Stocker - St Kilda
Mark Keane - Adelaide
Darragh Joyce - Brisbane
Brodie McLaughlin - Gold Coast
Oscar Steene - Collingwood
Oleg Markov - Collingwood
Hudson O'Keeffe - Carlton
Anthony Caminiti - St Kilda
Kaelan Bradtke - Richmond
Kye Turner - Melbourne
Alex Cincotta - Carlton