The AFL today wrote to the Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, Melbourne and St Kilda Football Clubs to advise it would not allow any extra top-up players to be signed by the clubs, to replace those suspended players who had previously played at Essendon FC. 

The AFL advised last month that the four clubs would be allowed to upgrade a rookie list player to replace their respective suspended players (two at Port Adelaide and one each at the Bulldogs, Melbourne and St Kilda), but the AFL received submissions requesting the league reconsider its initial decision to alter the Rules and allow extra primary or rookie list players to be signed. 

AFL General Counsel Andrew Dillon sought feedback from across the competition, before determining the AFL would not allow any extra players from outside the current player lists to be signed. 

“The circumstances do not call for special treatment or exceptions to the Rules, beyond those already granted,” Mr Dillon advised the clubs. 

“An exception has been made for Essendon only because of the sheer number of suspended players it has on its list and on the basis that they must be able to field a side that that can compete at a basic level each week. 

“If Essendon were not granted list concessions, there may be legitimate health and safety concerns for young and inexperienced players forced to play senior football over a full 22 week season,” he said. 

Mr Dillon said the AFL had determined that it is a fact of the competition that clubs may have players suspended for various breaches of the rules, when that player’s current club may be an innocent party due to a breach that occurred while the player was at a previous club. 

It was the AFL’s view that the risk of a player being suspended for previous actions was possible for all clubs whenever it recruited any player, and it was not appropriate to make a further exception to the Rules when the clubs had already been granted the right to upgrade a rookie player.