Here follows the AFL news list for this week.

1 AFL OFFICE CLOSURE

The AFL offices will be closed this afternoon, Monday October 3. Regular updates on completed paperwork will be provided during the upcoming trade period. The AFL is greatly appreciative of all media coverage from Saturday’s 2016 Toyota AFL Grand Final and the wider season as a whole.

2 JOURNALISTS WORKING AT 2016 DRAFT IN SYDNEY – RETAIN YOUR ACCREDITATION

Media representatives who will be attending the 2016 NAB AFL Draft in Sydney on Friday November 25, please be advised you will require 2016 AFL media accreditation (home and away or finals accreditation). Media are advised to keep their accreditation after the finals series if you will be working at the draft. 

3 TRIBUNAL MATCH REVIEW PROCESS

The expected process for the 2016 AFL Season under the AFL Match Review system is that the AFL will issue a media release late on the Monday after each round detailing the penalties to be offered to players for incidents from that round of matches, or the reasons why no further action was to be taken.

The clubs and players then have until 11am on the Tuesday morning to decide whether to accept the penalty on offer, or whether they wish to contest the charge at a Tribunal hearing, to usually be held on the Tuesday night. The AFL will formally detail all instances on the Tuesday of whether cases will proceed to the Tribunal or not.

There were no players reported from the 2016 Grand Final.

4 CURRENTLY SUSPENDED PLAYERS

The AFL wishes to advise the players that have completed and currently serving MRP suspensions across the competition are as follows:

Completed:

Simon Tunbridge, West Coast. Three matches from round 21. Now eligible to play at start of 2017 season.

Steve Johnson, GWS Giants. One match from First Qualifying Final. Now eligible to play at start of 2017 season.

Currently Suspended:

Nil.

5 KEY DATES, NAB AFL TRADE PERIOD / DRAFT PROCESS

Please find below the key dates for the 2016 season around club list requirements, NAB AFL Trade Period and the NAB AFL Draft Process:

Thursday 6 October – Sunday 9 October – AFL Draft Combine

Friday 7 October - AFL Restricted Free Agency Offer and Unrestricted Free Agency Period Commences

Monday 10 October 10am - NAB AFL Trade Period Commences

Sunday 16 October 5pm - Close of AFL Restricted Free Agency Offer and Unrestricted Free Agency Period.

Wednesday 19 October - AFL Restricted Free Agency Matching Offer Three-Day Period Ends 

Thursday 20 October 2pm – NAB AFL Trade Period Closes

Friday 21 October 5pm - Application to Relist a Player Close

Monday 31 October 2pm - List Lodgement (1) ; Rookie Promotion to Primary List; Retained 2nd & 3rd Year Rookies; International Scholarship Player; Alternate Talent Player Nominations; Club Notification of Rookie Players Not Accepting a Contract of Offer; Nomination of Draft Eligible Father/Son Players Lodged; TPP Pre-Season Estimates (1).

Tuesday 1 November - AFL Delisted Player Free Agency Period (1) Commences

Tuesday 8 November - AFL Delisted Player Free Agency Period (1) Closes, Out of Contract Listed AFL Primary List Players Draft Nomination Form and Player Request for Removal from List Form Lodged with AFL

Wednesday 9 November 2pm - List Lodgement (2); TPP Pre-Season Estimates (2)

Thursday 10 November - AFL Delisted Player Free Agency Period (2) Commences

Friday 18 November 2pm - Delisted Primary List Draft Nomination Form Lodgement; Non–Retained Rookie Players Draft Nomination Form Lodgement; Players Not Registered or Played for Three years Rookie List Form lodgement; New or Expired (after 3 years) Draft Nomination Form Lodgement, AFL Father-Son Bidding Nominations.

Friday 18 November 5pm - AFL Delisted Player Free Agency Period (2) Closes

Friday 25 November - NAB AFL Draft Selection Meeting (Sydney) including Father/Son & Academy Players Bidding.

Saturday 26 November - AFL Delisted Player Free Agency Period (3) Commences

Sunday 27 November 2pm - AFL Delisted Free Agency Period (3) Concludes

Monday 28 November - AFL Club List Lodgement (3).

Monday 28 November 4pm - NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft Selection Meeting (Telstra Webex)

Monday 28 November 4.05pm - Notification of Pre-Selected Rookies if not selected in the Pre-Season Draft.

Monday 28 November 4.10pm - NAB AFL Rookie Draft Selection Meeting (Telstra Webex)

Wednesday 30 November 2pm - Final AFL Club List Lodgement; Final TPP Pre-Season Estimates

6 AFL PLAYER RULES SANCTION

The AFL advises the Brisbane Lions Football Club has been sanctioned for a failure to provide up-to-date player whereabouts information to ASADA. The Lions were fined $5000 (two players not providing up to date information). Under the requirements of the Anti-Doping Code, all clubs in the AFL competition are required to keep ASADA notified at all times of the whereabouts of listed playersfor testing purposes. AFL players may be tested 365 days of the year for WADA prohibited drugs.

Under the operation of the AFL’s code with ASADA, it is the club that is sanctioned for the failure to provide whereabouts information, not the individual player, but in both of these cases the players had failed to keep their club informed of all of his movements and contact details.

No tests were missed for either player and while no tests were missed, the club had been sanctioned as the rules needed to be fully complied with at all times.

7 2016 NAB AFL DRAFT – TRADED FUTURE SELECTIONS

As a reminder to all media, the following selections at this year’s 2016 NAB AFL Draft were traded during last year’s trade period.

Round One

Gold Coast Suns received Melbourne round one selection.

GWS Giants received Collingwood round one selection.

GWS Giants received Geelong round one selection, via Carlton on-trade. 

Round Two

Brisbane Lions received St Kilda round two selection, via Collingwood on-trade.

Gold Coast Suns received Fremantle round two selection.

Gold Coast Suns received Port Adelaide round two selection.

Gold Coats Suns received Richmond round two selection.

GWS Giants received Adelaide Crows' round two selection.

Round Three

Brisbane Lions received North Melbourne round three selection.

Carlton received Western Bulldogs round three selection.

Geelong Cats received Brisbane Lions round three selection.

Round Four

Western Bulldogs received Carlton round four selection.

Western Bulldogs received Sydney Swans round four selection.

Round Five

Geelong Cats received GWS Giants round five selection.