The Sydney Swans have announced that they will delist veterans Dane Rampe and Jake Lloyd but will re-draft them as 'rookies'.
The pair have been delisted to allow the Swans to open up spots on their list to pick players up in the national draft. Still, the loophole of reselecting players has been criticised by some who believe rookie spots should only be used on players who haven't played AFL before, hence the name rookie.
Rampe has played 272 games and was the co-captain of the Swans from 2019-2023, winning an All-Australian blazer in 2016 and a best and fairest in 2019, while Lloyd has won two best and fairests during his 271-game career at the Swans, winning them in 2018 and 2020.
Ironically, both players were rookie selections with the Swans picking them up in the 2013 rookie draft with pick 16 (Lloyd) and pick 37 (Rampe) showing the original point of the rookie draft, which was to give a chance to a player without the commitment of a national draft selection.
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Sydney's executive general manager, Leon Cameron, explained the Swans expect their pair to play a valuable role in 2026.
“Dane and Jake have both been fantastic servants of this football club for a long time, so we’re excited they will be going on again in 2026,” Cameron said.
“Both boys are extremely well-respected members of the playing group and contribute to the club on so many levels, on and off the field.
“We have committed to taking both Dane and Jake in the upcoming rookie draft, because we believe they will continue to play valuable roles for us next year.”
Famously, Gold Coast delisted Hugh Greenwood to redraft him as a rookie; however, North Melbourne ended up selecting him in the draft, which could theoretically happen with Lloyd and Rampe.
The definition of a rookie, according to Merriam-Webster, is 'a first-year participant in a major professional sport', which will juxtapose two players who have been in the AFL for what will be their 14th year, so perhaps a change of name for the rookie list is required.