A WINNING percentage ladder will determine the AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft order due to the postponement of Gold Coast and Essendon’s Opening Round game.
The mid-season rookie draft order is usually generated the same as the end of year draft order in reverse fashion, however the upcoming mid-season draft after round 11 will see a unique arrangement deployed by the AFL.
As AFL.com.au‘s Inside Trading forecast last month, the League has decided on a reverse win percentage basis, with clubs on the same winning percentage to be separated by their regular for and against percentage.
This is because the Bombers and Suns, who both have spots available to use in the mid-season draft, have played one fewer game than all the other clubs after the postponement of their Opening Round game due to Cyclone Alfred.
The AFL sent a memo to clubs on Friday with details on the mid-season draft change and explanation on the mid-season draft order fix.
Under the change, a draw will be listed as a 0.5 win and a 0.5 loss.
As an example, the Bombers started round seven in 11th position on the ladder but under the winning percentage ladder, combined with the usual percentage, the Bombers actually would have been in eighth spot on the draft ladder because they had played one fewer game than all their rivals, except Gold Coast.
The Bombers have the possibility of using three mid-season picks due to the season-ending injuries to Sam Draper, Nick Bryan and Tom Edwards, while the Suns also have one position due to the injury of Charlie Ballard.
Clubs will have the capacity to nominate up to five players each for a medical evaluation, with Richmond VFL talent Tom McCarthy and Greater Western Victoria Rebels forward Floyd Burmeister among the potential mid-season picks.
