ESSENDON leader Bess Keaney has rejoined the Bombers' primary list after giving birth to a daughter.

Keaney sat out the entire 2025 season and was also named inactive for 2026, but rules within the Collective Bargaining Agreement allow for players returning from pregnancy to come off the inactive list at any point.

Replacement players signed in the meantime will be able to see out the entirety of their one-season contract, with the team in question allowed to have a squad of 31 for the remainder of the season.

In order for a player to return from the inactive list after pregnancy, they must be assessed as medically fit by the club doctor or an AFL medical officer.

Keaney has played two VFLW games over the past three weeks, most recently recording 22 disposals and five marks in a draw with Darebin.

The rule's flexibility allows for post-partum players to take their time in their return to elite sport, as well as removing any possible list management pressure from clubs.

If a pregnant or post-partum player is out of contract, a club is not beholden to offer them a new deal (as Carlton chose not to in the case of former skipper Kerryn Peterson).

Players will continue to receive full payment for the duration of their pregnancy and leave period, even if their contract expires during their 12 months of parental leave.

Last year, Greater Western Sydney and Haneen Zreika mutually agreed to the latter's delisting while pregnant (due in December), with an agreement she could return to train at any point with no obligations, and would be re-listed when ready in the coming years.

Keaney is not the first player to utilise the AFL's return-to-play policy mid-season, with Giant Emily Goodsir and Dee Sammie Johnson also returning mid-season.