AFL list lodgement closed on Wednesday, with the impacts of reduced list sizes forcing teams to move veteran players onto their rookie lists in order to save spots and money.
The likes of Eddie Betts, Grant Birchall, Shane Mumford, Jarrod Harbrow, Mark Hutchings, Matthew Kennedy and more have been moved to the rookie list by their respective teams.
David King, who last week anticipated this scenario playing out, believes this loophole needs to be closed as it goes against the spirit of the rookie list.
“The rookie list should be for players who haven’t played the game and that are a speculative pick and the reason why the rookie list was brought in was clubs didn’t want to take a punt on someone at $85,000 or $90,000 a year back in those days,” King told SEN Breakfast.
“So they subsidised it, they made it a half-pay type of arrangement. So the rookies were asked to do less during the week. ‘Keep your job, keep your university or whatever it is and we’ll give you $45,000 to earn some opportunities at senior football’.
“It was an outrageous success. Players like Dean Cox and those sorts of guys who would take the risk.
“You can’t have it now as a facility to hide another spot for your list and that’s what it has become.
“If that’s what it is, then that’s what it is, but let’s not call it the rookie list.”
King believes teams should simply have to let the additional player go if the rookie list is the only alternative.
“If we didn’t have it, you’d have to delist someone to keep Eddie Betts on your list,” he said.
“There’s only a certain amount of spots. They’re basically using the rookie list spots for senior level experienced players and that’s not correct.
“And by the way it’s not the club’s fault here. Credit to Carlton and West Coast and GWS and Brisbane and all those teams, credit to them. Right now you’re able to do that and be subsidised to the tune of $80,000 per player as well, let’s not forget that.
“It doesn’t sit well with me that Birchall after winning four flags with the Hawks and is now seen as a rookie list player.”
“Why don’t we just not have it and force the clubs to manage their own lists.
“If you’ve run your list so tight that this one shift is going to cost someone a position, well so be it. Make your decision on that player.
“2020 has been a different year and maybe we just have to live with this one. Everyone’s losing players off every list this year, maybe this is the time to give some flexibility, but let’s put a line through this in 2021.”
The AFL’s delisted free agency window opens on Thursday.