All AFL clubs will be able to trade future first-round picks in the coming years - regardless of their previous decisions with draft capital.
The AFL has a rule in place that clubs need to use two first-round picks in the draft across a five-year period - designed to stop clubs from selling their future and not bringing in young talent.
However in a recent rule alteration - communicated by an AFL memo - all AFL clubs will be able to trade out future first-round picks across the next two player movement periods from 2026 to 2027 - even if they traded the selection out in 2023 and 2024, as reported by Tom Morris on AFL Trade Radio.
The new rule essentially sees all AFL clubs being designated as using first-round picks at the 2023 and 2024 drafts - even if they traded them out.
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This means that clubs like Collingwood, who traded out a first round selections in 2024 and currently don't have one in 2025, could trade their first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 because the rule alteration designated they drafted with their 2024 pick.
The AFL has made this change to the rules in order to help existing clubs with their options for Tasmania's introduction into the AFL in 2028.
It is also designed to encourage clubs to trade future draft picks two years in advance - with no clubs opting to take that option as of yet.
The rule alteration is intriguing as it benefits clubs who traded out first-round picks in 2023 and 2024, while clubs that wanted to deal first rounds in those years but didn't because of the initial rule were disadvantaged.
It will be interesting to see if the AFL eventually scrap restrictions on what clubs can do with their draft selections after giving this unprecedented against their initial rule.