Mitchell's radical proposal
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has proposed a radical idea that would transform AFL list management. Under current AFL regulations, clubs can have between 36 and 38 primary-listed players, between six and eight Category A rookie-listed players, and up to two Category B rookies. In practice, most clubs list between 44 and 46 players across all categories.
Change is coming, however. It is understood that from 2028 onwards, when Tasmania enters the competition and a new collective bargaining agreement is due to begin, rookie lists will become a thing of the past. “Rookie lists appear to be dead. At the end of next year, club CEOs are expecting the rookie list to be gone, and the AFL to move forward with one list and then Category B rookies as well,” Tom Morris told The Agenda Setters on Wednesday night.
No maximum list size
But Mitchell said he would go a step further in the shake-up. “My personal opinion is that there should be a minimum list, but no maximum,” the Hawks coach told reporters. “You should have any number of players on your list that you think you can manage. So, if you want to have 34, (that) might be the minimum, so be it. But if you want 60 and you think that’s the best way to manage your salary cap, then my take is you should be able to do that.”
St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt said list managers should be excited by the idea. “If you’re a list manager, it’s Christmas, because it means it adds a layer of complexity and some discretion for clubs to be able to get a little bit more strategic,” he said. “I think it puts list managers in a position where if you’re clever and you’re more strategic, then you can get an even bigger gap on the competition.”
Strategic implications
The concept would give clubs the ability to either concentrate their total player payments on a limited few, or do the opposite and dilute it. “Depends where you are on the ladder,” Riewoldt said of how clubs could approach it. “Yes, if you’re in contention, (you might just list 34 players). But if you’re at Richmond, well, maybe you’ve got 60 on your list and you’ve got a bigger pool to be able to maybe pluck one or two stars from.”
Mitch Cleary added that “developing clubs struggle to hit the 95 per cent minimum on the salary cap as it is”. “They’re already front-ending contracts, paying players above, and paying players on potential at the moment,” he said. “So, if you’re playing 45, 50 players, you might be able to spread that money more even.”
