Suns swoop to pinch ruckman from Dockers

Hawthorn veteran Jack Gunston has headlined a listing of 14 gamers redrafted by their AFL golf equipment, whereas Gold Coast have pinched ruckman Max Knobel from below Fremantle’s nostril.

In a quirk of the league’s advanced playing-list and salary-cap guidelines, golf equipment should have at the very least three senior-list vacancies to be able to participate within the nationwide draft, which was held over two nights this week.

Golf equipment are more and more opting to delist gamers to open up a few of these spots, with the promise of re-selecting them via varied drafts.

However often the transfer backfires, as Gold Coast famously came upon the onerous means in 2021 when North Melbourne snapped up delisted utility Hugh Greenwood as a free agent earlier than the Suns might re-draft him.

This time it was Gold Coast who pounced, deciding on Knobel with decide 4 in Friday’s rookie draft.

“Max is a participant we have now tracked intently since his draft 12 months and in addition monitored his progress within the WAFL for Peel Thunder, the place he is continued to develop,” Suns recruiting supervisor Kall Burns mentioned.

The 20-year-old ruckman did not play a senior sport in his two seasons with Fremantle, however had been promised a listing spot for 2025.

“It was a listing spot squeeze the place you need to have your three nationwide picks within the draft,” Dockers head of participant personnel David Partitions mentioned.

“It is all the time a possible while you ship a delisted participant again that they’ll get picked by one other membership, and on this case Max has.

“We want him all the very best and thank him for his professionalism and the way he is utilized himself during the last two years.”

Fremantle rapidly signed a substitute, taking Claremont teenager Aiden Riddle so as to add depth to their ruck shares.

Riddle was among the many 9 gamers with out earlier expertise on an AFL record who had been picked up within the rookie draft.

AFL Academy prospect Archer Day-Wicks was the primary of them, becoming a member of Essendon at decide six.

AAP