This year’s mid-season draft, the first since 1993, will be welcomed by AFL clubs already staring at long injury lists.

It also has the potential to decimate state competitions such as the WAFL, SANFL and the VFL.

The draft, which will take place after round 10, will only be open to clubs with inactive players on their lists and vacancies available, created by long-term injuries or retirements.

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Players recruited during the mid-season draft will earn contracts for the remainder of the season, though they will have the option of negotiating terms for an extension at any period throughout the year.

At the start of the season only four clubs were likely to participate, yet at round three there are now 15 clubs that need players. And that number is growing by the day.

Who knows how many it will be at round 10?

At the rate of attrition currently it could be as many as 60 players.

I am not exaggerating.

So far this season there have been three retirements.

Western Bulldogs premiership player Liam Picken retired this week after suffering ongoing concussion issues, while Essendon’s Luke Lavender and Carlton’s Tomas Bugg have also called it quits.

The list of long-term injuries is becoming an AFL horror story with 18 players already done for the season and as many again in the indefinite or TBC category.

Where will their replacements come from?

Lower level competitions will be impacted significantly if clubs choose to replace all eligible players in the newly created mid-season draft.

Already almost two full teams from the VFL, WAFL and SANFL are required to fill the holes in AFL clubs lists.

These are the strongest traditional football states but they will not cope.

Play Video Injury ravaged Essendon has had multiple players opt out of a training run only hours before the team is to be confirmed. The West Australian Video Injury ravaged Essendon has had multiple players opt out of a training run only hours before the team is to be confirmed.

It is going to be great for players who get an opportunity in the AFL, but a disaster for many lower level clubs who are going to be stripped of their elite talent.

Clubs at these levels are struggling to survive. Taking their best players will affect their chances on the field, where success is paramount to their financial viability.

A case in point is West Perth.

The AFL has made a massive mistake introducing the mid-season draft.

It is not fair on state league clubs who are striving for the same thing AFL clubs are – winning a premiership.

Should they be ravaged after creating their own plan to win the flag, recruiting and developing players just like AFL clubs.

The AFL should have bitten the bullet and increased club lists to 50 and increased the salary cap to accommodate it.

Immediately increasing AFL list numbers creates more competition for spots and gives clubs struck by injury the ability to cover all bases without damaging lower level competitions.

It also allows clubs to keep older talented players on their books, rather than casting them adrift in unsavory circumstances.

Players such as West Coast’s Matt Priddis and Essendon’s Brendon Goddard wanted to keep playing but were shown exit door when they still have plenty to offer.

Rather than pensioning them off clubs could keep them around, as long as they are prepared to take a pay cut.

They are more than cabable back up players and can help clubs develop kids.

I was so grateful to get the opportunity when I was young to train and play with Ross Glendinning and Phil Narkle.

Both were in the twilight of their careers and with the list of 52 the Eagles had at that time it gave the club more options to integrate the old and the new and not boot players out because they were old and considered past their use-by date.

These players are far more valuable to a club than the player who is yet to prove himself and history tell us many never measure up given the guess work and risk that takes place in a national draft.

The mid-season draft is going to disenfranchise more fans from the game. Many of these fans toil away at lower level clubs as volunteers because they love the game, but they will start to question whether it is all worth it.