AFL should reduce lists and offer short-term contracts to get more stories like Milan Murdock and Chris Scerri

The AFL dream is closer than most people think, and the remarkable performance from Milan Murdock last week, plus the impending debut of Chris Scerri on Saturday, shows the AFL must open the door for more players to get onto lists mid-season. The talent levels in state league football provide more immediate opportunities for players to instantly compete compared to under 18s once you get deeper into the draft. Time and time again we have seen experienced players who have been overlooked in the draft step into the AFL and have an immediate impact. Look at Dayne Zorko. Tim Kelly. Michael Barlow. Tom Stewart, Nic Martin, Sam Switkowski and Shaun Mannagh. Marlion Pickett’s grand final debut was ridiculous. We can go on and on and on. The mid-season draft has provided players with wonderful opportunities to step into AFL after impressing in the state leagues. But there’s no window between now and that mid-season draft for any player to suddenly get an opportunity. Scerii’s last competitive game of football was the Essendon District Football League grand final last season. Now he’s going to run out onto Optus Stadium. That’s a sign of what is possible. Yes, Scerri played VFL during the season for Northern Bullants and that’s what made Fremantle take notice. But his last competitive game was at suburban level where he was best on ground in Strathmore’s premiership. Players develop at different rates. Scerri couldn’t get a game in Victoria’s elite under 18 competition but now he’s an AFL player. Fremantle targeted small forwards during last year’s draft, but Scerri overtook them all in one summer. Murdock had barely even been at West Coast before making his debut for the Eagles last week. He didn’t train with the club during the pre-season. He was signed shortly before the SSP deadline and then debuted just over two weeks later. He had proven himself in the WAFL for years. Murdock had almost been drafted several times, and then he just walked straight into West Coast’s team, had 22 possessions and kicked two goals. Like Scerri, he jumped above players who were drafted in November or had spent all of last season developing themselves. Talent and experience stood out. If he can do that, others can too. Tom Blamires played for North Melbourne last week, also was impressive on debut and will play against West Coast on Sunday, again. He also stepped into the team as a mature SSP player and had an immediate impact. The AFL shouldn’t be a development league. It doesn’t need the number of players that are currently on the list, especially with Tasmania about to enter the competition. There are 791 listed players for this season. Last year, only 668 played, and 50 of those played in either one or two games. The league should dramatically reduce the size of the lists and allow clubs to bring players in on short-term contracts to fill needs if they are impressing in the state leagues I’m not talking about bringing players in so they can sit in the reserves. I’m talking about a two-week deal where they must play in the AFL. Clubs may need a key position player, ruckman or small forward, or wingman. Let them find one and let the state league players show what they can do. Imagine the excitement leading into the mid-season draft if a bunch of players had spent the first half of the season jumping into AFL teams and proving their worth. You may argue that taking players out of state leagues will rob WAFL, SANFL and VFL clubs of talent at important times. But more players would play in the state leagues instead of chasing money at suburban or country level if they genuinely knew it could lead to an AFL opportunity. De-listed AFL players would also see a genuine pathway back into the league. Younger players with AFL dreams would benefit from learning from experienced heads at the state league level. And AFL clubs wouldn’t be spending so much time trying to develop massive lists when they could be focused on utilising their best players. The 10-day contract rule works in the NBA. Players get opportunities from the G League and from other countries around the world as well. This would be a great opportunity for the AFL to change the way clubs recruit and provide genuine excitement during the season. Recruiters are constantly trying to predict what an 18-year-old will become in a few years, how much their body will change and if their potential will flourish at an AFL club. It’s tough to find players later in the draft, so why not focus on players who are ready to play? Fremantle’s David Walls picks a mature player most seasons. We all thought it would be too hard for players to walk into a footy club and perform instantly. That theory has been blown out of the water. So reduce list sizes, create a new pathway, open doors and inspire players to chase their dreams every single week. The game needs more brilliant stories like Milan Murdock and Chris Scerri.