Josh Jenkins believes the AFL rookie draft needs a “complete overhaul” in the wake of clubs using loopholes to assist their list strategies.
The rookie draft was completed on Friday and featured many familiar names, including Jared Polec, Lochie O’Brien, Lewis Taylor, among many more.
Those players were delisted by their clubs and then reselected in the rookie draft as teams look to maximise flexibility with their lists.
While 24 selections were made, only 10 had not played AFL football.
Jenkins, who was a rookie selection himself back in 2010 before going on to play 149 AFL games, doesn’t appreciate how delisted players have “taken over” the rookie draft, using the example of Polec.
“Straight away it doesn’t sit well,” he told SEN Drive.
“It’s a financial decision as far as I’m aware, for him (Polec) to come back on the list and them to take care of him from a financial point of view.
“I think if he was out of contract he’s not coming back.
“Jarred Polec pick one, Levi Casboult pick three – which is fine, I can understand that because he’s going to a different club – Ben Davis from the Crows has been re-rookied, Lochie O’Brien has been re-rookied by the same club, Lewis Taylor at pick 10, Cam Ellis-Yoleman at pick 12, so there are a lot of players who have just been re-listed.
“In some situations you can understand, but it’s taken over the rookie draft.
“It needs a complete overhaul.”
Trent Dumont was also handed a lifeline by Port Adelaide to continue his career at Alberton, having been delisted by the Roos in October with 113 games to his name.