THE LIKELY move to a national AFLW draft at the end of the year has left some clubs scrambling to boost recruiting resources.

In the past, the state-based draft meant clubs focused purely in their own backyards – which for the Queensland clubs, for example, often meant just players in their academies – but the potential shift to a fully national pool in just seven months' time is putting clubs under the pump.

Closing the gap

Most – if not all – clubs agree that a national pool is an appropriate step to take to boost equalisation across the competition and close the gap between the top and bottom sides.

Inaugural teams Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne have long dominated the competition, North Melbourne has now also made the leap to the top tier, while fellow 2019 graduate Geelong is making positive strides.

The bottom end of the competition – while improved – is still a cause for concern with the young West Australian talent pool having not been as deep in recent years and New South Wales well and truly in a development stage.

Clubs pointed to the recently completed under-16 national championships, which was dominated by South Australia, winning its two matches against Western Australia and Vic Metro by a cumulative 158 points.

Barring a full-blown rebuild, Adelaide and Port Adelaide would realistically only be drafting 4-6 of those top-age players in 2026, meaning many would miss out without a national draft.

Clubs are required to draft two players, forcing sides to delist or trade at least two of their squad of 30. That can have a knock-on effect, with those players from stronger sides able to be recruited by weaker teams who are searching for a particular boost – Jess Hosking was let go by the Tigers, but added by the Eagles, who were after players in her age profile to help provide leadership and competitiveness for their young squad.

The increased money on the horizon for tier four players – the payment category the vast majority of draftees will fall into – and 12-month contracts have opened the door to the move, with tier-four payments rising from $56,077 to $67,337 in 2025, $70,030 in 2026 and $72,373 at the end of the CBA in 2027.

Small AFLW football departments

AFLW football departments are much smaller than their men's counterparts, and while a slowly growing number have now appointed full-time list managers (some of whom also work across men's programs, such as supporting the Next Generation Academy), their own recruiting and scouting networks across the country have not yet been set up or are in their infancy.

Recruiters are either part-time or casual employees, who work with a club’s list manager to firstly identify talented players, and then drill down on those who may better suit the team's needs (ie a key forward) or game-plan (strong endurance skills, speed, contest work).

One club noted they were happy with the move to a national draft, but would prefer the mooted move to happen next year, as their soft cap budget has already been allocated ahead of the upcoming season.

The soft cap essentially includes all program costs – such as staff (coaches, recruiters, physios, doctors, dieticians) wages, medical costs, equipment and the like – outside of player payments.

Supporting player welfare

Another club flagged the need for clubs to ensure they have enough welfare support in place before bringing in four or five 18-year-olds from other states, given the ongoing wellbeing needs of younger players new to the system, let alone moving across the country.

Clubs work with players to help with their move, as well as the possible need to transfer universities or study providers, along with ongoing, general wellbeing support.

Scouting out and surmising national talent at the top end of the draft is less of an issue for teams, but clubs who have better resourced their recruiting network will generally have an advantage in uncovering hidden gems on the other side of the country.

Some clubs have said they're more than happy to go full-steam ahead to a national draft, having either read the tea leaves and already having contacts on the ground in other states, or preferring to do their talent scouting from recorded games ("online vision has never been better", claimed one recruiter), rather than needing to be there in person.

The current quasi-national draft

Players in last year’s draft were given the option to nominate for either the national pool or their home state. Previous full (not supplementary) drafts saw players nominate for one state only, which did not have to be their home state. 

Of the 51 players drafted last year (excluding the re-listings of Lucy Burke and Airlie Runnalls), 23 nominated their home state, and 28 nominated the national pool.

Breaking down the 23 home-state players, 10 were drafted in the first round. Four of the 23 were tied to northern academies, including Sophie Peters, who was a first-rounder.

Of the 28 national nomination draftees, 18 were selected by interstate teams, with an additional three nominating for the full pool while also being tied to northern academy teams.

Generally speaking, last year New South Wales sourced its talent from Victoria, while the three Tasmanians – who all played in the Coates Talent League – were all recruited by Victorian sides.