The Mid-Season Rookie Draft (MSD) is the only chance clubs have during the season to add players to their list. Outside the Trade Period and National Draft at the end of each season, the only opportunities clubs have to sign new players is during the Pre-Season Supplemental Selection Period – which runs over summer – and the MSD.
The MSD was reintroduced in 2019, having been scrapped way back in 1993. It’s designed to limit the impact long-term injuries and premature retirements can have on a club and allow teams to replenish their list for the second half of the season.
Clubs must have a vacant list spot in order to take part. List vacancies can occur through a retirement or if a player suffers a long-term injury and is moved to the inactive list.
Brisbane (four picks), Richmond and Adelaide (three each) are the clubs with the most picks, while Collingwood and North Melbourne have two each.
West Coast, St Kilda, Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs, Carlton, Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Essendon and Sydney all have one pick each.
Greater Western Sydney, Geelong, Fremantle and Gold Coast either have no list spots available or have indicated they will not take part in the draft.
Like the National Draft, the Mid-Season Draft order is determined by reverse ladder position. The team at the bottom of the ladder after round 11 (assuming it has a list vacancy) gets the No.1 pick, with the second-last team to have the No.2 pick, and so on.
The start of the mid-season byes in round 12 means the MSD could not be held any later in the year because the bye weeks mean not every club will have played the same number of games.
