Afl trade, draft and free agency dates 2021

**Bornadog** · 04-10-2021, 11:25 AM

Re: Afl trade, draft and free agency dates 2021

Originally posted by bornadog

Monday 6 September: Draft Nominations Open

Friday 1 October: Free Agency opens

Monday 4 October: 2021 Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period opens

Friday 8 October: Unrestricted Free Agency closes / Restricted Free Agency bidding closes

Monday 11 October: Restricted Free Agency matching closes

Wednesday 13 October: 2021 Continental Tyres Trade Period closes

October/November: Selection Only Trade Period

Wednesday 17 November: 2021 NAB AFL Draft Nominations Close

Wednesday 24 November: 2021 NAB AFL Draft Round 1

Thursday 25 November: Mid-Draft Trade Period

Thursday 25 November: 2021 NAB AFL Draft Round 2 onwards

Friday 26 November: Pre-Season & Rookie Draft

Updated

**The Adelaide Connection** · 04-10-2021, 01:15 PM

Re: Afl trade, draft and free agency dates 2021

Originally posted by bornadog

Updated

Is the Mid-Draft trade period new? I assume this is just for pick swaps?

**Bornadog** · 10-11-2021, 12:45 PM

Re: Afl trade, draft and free agency dates 2021

AFL Draft to be held at Marvel

Clubs will be back at Marvel Stadium for this year's NAB AFL Draft after last year making their picks from separate locations around the country.

As the draft moved to a virtual event in 2020 to deal with COVID-19 restrictions and protocols, club recruiters made selections via their draft 'war rooms' where they linked into the broadcast via online meetings.

Last year's national draft was also staged over one night, seeing the event stretch out nearly four hours.

But clubs will be out of their bunkers and back in the corporate boxes at Marvel Stadium for picks on November 24-25, reverting to the same format of the draft in 2018-19 when it was the first two years of trading picks live during the event with the first round picked on the opening night, and the rest of the picks in the national draft used on the second night.

The League will run its selection process out of the AFL Review Centre, meaning a big function similar to 2018-2019 at Marvel Stadium won't take place.

As AFL.com.au reported in October the League is working through its plans for top prospects to be involved in the first night of the draft with events likely to be held in Melbourne, South Australia and Western Australia comprising players in contention for the top-10 picks.

Clubs are also discussing plans if they draft a player who has to cross state borders and whether prospects might not make the trip to certain clubs until January because of travel restrictions.

For instance, players heading from Victoria or New South Wales to Western Australia or Queensland may not be able to enter as soon as they are drafted under COVID-19 controls.

Similarly, if a West Australian prospect for example is picked by a Victorian club they may consider leaving them to train there until after the Christmas break to avoid having to quarantine on the return to Western Australia after a short stint of training.

Regardless the decisions on those situations won't be a factor in clubs' draft plans or how they rank prospective players.

Afl trade, draft and free agency dates 2021

Afl trade, draft and free agency dates 2021

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