In limbo: The players who missed out on a rookie lifeline

[Glasgow]

THE AFL careers of Brendon Goddard, Nathan Freeman and Tom Campbell remain in limbo, after they were among a host of delisted players overlooked at the NAB AFL Rookie Draft.

The sole hope remaining for those not picked up on Friday is now the Pre-Season Supplemental Selection Period (SSP), introduced only last week, which enables clubs to sign players to their rookie list from December 1 through until March 15 next year.

Ruck duo Zac Clarke and Shane Mumford are among the players likely to sign for clubs via the SSP, having not heard their names selected across the afternoon.

Clarke is destined for Essendon after a year in the WAFL, while Mumford looks set to return to Greater Western Sydney despite initially retiring from the game at the end of 2017.

Hugh Goddard, Tom Bugg, Josh Smith and Tim Mohr were among those previously delisted players to find new homes during the rookie draft, which saw only 40 players selected – including 17 who were re-drafted and four who found a new club elsewhere.

However, the news was less than ideal for the likes of Goddard, Freeman and Campbell.

Goddard, 33, looks set to retire from the AFL, with a third home unclear, while Freeman and Campbell are left to survey their options having drawn interest from rival sides recently.

Freeman, a former top-10 pick at Collingwood, toured Gold Coast this month in the hope of putting his injury history behind him and earning another chance at an AFL club. However, he saw his chances of getting recruited to a third side dissipate during the rookie draft.

Campbell was another to receive rival interest, having been delisted from the Western Bulldogs, with Essendon and North Melbourne considering adding him to their ruck stocks.

North Melbourne pair Billy Hartung and Mitch Hibberd couldn't find new homes, while fellow former Roo Alex Morgan had also been training with the club but wasn't selected.

Highly rated ex-Hawthorn midfielder Kieren Lovell and former Port Adelaide forward Jake Neade are also left in limbo after they went unselected throughout the rookie draft.

Experienced Fremantle defender Cam Sutcliffe had drawn minor interest from Sydney, but wasn't recruited on Friday, while Cory Gregson and Luke Partington also missed out.

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