The WAFL, SANFL and respected coach Todd Curley have slammed an AFL decision to introduce a pre-season and mid-season rookie draft, warning of damage to the integrity of second-tier competitions.

Curley repeated his warning from earlier in the year that the move would not give players their best chance to succeed at AFL level.

The AFL yesterday revealed it would allow its clubs to rookie list players between December and mid-March if list spots became available through injury or retirement.

And it would also conduct a mid-season draft, which players would have to nominate for, in which clubs with vacant list spots could rookie-list players from second-tier leagues.

The move came despite warnings from both the WAFL and SANFL earlier in the year.

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“While this presents an exciting opportunity for more WAFL players to fulfil their AFL dream, we have immediate concerns about how this may impact on the quality and integrity of the WAFL competition,” WA Football Commission CEO Gavin Taylor said.

“This decision obviously creates significant anxiety for our WAFL clubs in a period where they are beginning to build their playing lists for the 2019 season.”

SANFL counterpart Jake Parkinson accused the AFL of cherry picking talent mid-season.

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“While we naturally want to encourage players to aspire to the highest level, we do not believe that should come at the expense of clubs who are trying to win a SANFL premiership, only to have their best players cherry-picked midway through the season,” he said.

South Fremantle coach Curley said players drafted would be up against it breaking into the AFL, saying it was further evidence that the AFL did not care about the integrity of these leagues. The only example he could see working was if a player like Zac Clarke, fresh from the AFL, was recruited by a team that had no ruckmen left.

“I think there would only be a select few blokes who could do it and they would almost all be guys only recently out of the AFL system,” Curley said.

“It would be an enormous jump. Tim Kelly had a fantastic year but he had an entire summer to prepare. He was a full-time footballer for five to six months before the season started. They would have to go from working, moving interstate mid-season. What sort of contract do you get offered? Do you leave your job for that?”