Four AFLW teams have been given unprecedented powers to steal rival clubs’ star players without requiring a trade.
The league’s four expansion teams – Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney – have all been given varying levels of power to sign “priority period signing” players before the season eight trade and sign period, which gets underway on March 10.
A PSP signing can be any player to have played three or more AFLW seasons. The AFLW’s list committee will determine compensation for clubs that lose players.
There's a huge change to the player movement period.
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) February 20, 2023
Break it down here: https://t.co/416EBAx8oO pic.twitter.com/dqrDJ9MlUa
Players from the remaining 14 clubs can walk to their expansion club of choice if desired. The four expansion clubs can offer a “secondary relocation reimbursement/payment” to the players they sign during the PSP.
Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney have been given varying restrictions given their list profiles and performances in season seven.
Among them, the Bombers can sign two players during the period, Hawthorn and Port Adelaide are permitted three, while the Swans have been given an allowance of four players.
The Swans can also offer longer contracts for five players, while Port has been allowed to sign one underage player during the PSP.
The league has also put in protections for clubs to prevent them from an exodus. Clubs that finished first to fourth post-finals can lose no more than five players, clubs between fifth and eighth can lose no more than two and the remaining sides can lose just one.
Both AFL Media’s Sarah Black and Code Sports’ Daniel Cherny have reported that Collingwood’s Chloe Molloy is set to walk to Sydney as a byproduct of the new rules.
The PSP kicks off on March 1 and runs through until March 8, before the sign and trade period takes over from March 10-20.