Former Geelong and Port Adelaide forward Francis Evans has impressed Carlton officials enough during his pre-season with their VFL team to become a wildcard consideration to fill the club’s vacant list spot via the pre-season supplemental selection period.
The Blues have several candidates under their nose as they weigh up whether to make an SSP selection ahead of the February 21 deadline, including official train-on players Liam McMahon and Denver Grainger-Barras alongside VFL-listed players Will White and Ethan Phillips.
Francis Evans has impressed Carlton at training this pre-season as part of the club’s VFL squad.Credit: Getty Images
With injured defender Nic Newman not officially ruled out for the season and Matt Carroll already added as an SSP selection, the Blues have one vacancy on their list and are expected to consider all options during the match simulation matches next weekend before making their decision.
Saturday’s sold-out practice matches at Whitten Oval between the Western Bulldogs and Essendon is also shaping as the final shoot-out for five players hoping to land a spot on the lists of those clubs during the pre-season supplemental selection period.
The Bulldogs are certain to wait until after the match before deciding whether to offer either recycled ruckman Brayden Crossley or VFL workhorse Dom Brew the final spot on their list.
Crossley, who played 10 matches with Gold Coast in 2018, was suspended for 12 months for an anti-doping violation that the AFL found was not intentional, before reviving his career in the VFL with Southport.
He received a last-minute invitation to trial for the spot as the Bulldogs look for a mature ruckman to support Tim English. Crossley played in last year’s VFL grand final against Werribee’s Brew, who has been training with the club throughout the pre-season.
The Bombers are also considering three players to fill their final list spot. They are likely to wait until Saturday’s AFL and VFL practice matches against the Bulldogs before finalising their decision.
Delisted defender Kaine Baldwin – who was added to the club’s list as an SSP selection ahead of the 2020 season – kept training with the Bombers this summer in the hope of regaining his spot via the SSP process. Swan Districts’ forward Tom Edwards began training with the Bombers in late January and remains in contention, as does VFL-signed player Will Hoare. Former Brisbane Lion Jaxon Prior joined the club via the SSP process as soon as the period opened.
Brew’s Tigers’ teammate Jack Henderson also had his AFL dream revived when West Coast invited him to train for a spot on their list this week following the knee injury that ruled premiership midfielder Dom Sheed out for the season.
Essendon’s Nic Martin has been the standout player to be listed during the pre-season supplemental selection period.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Henderson won the Norm Goss Medal for being best on ground in the 2024 VFL grand final. Every Norm Goss medal winner since 2011 has played AFL, although the four-game AFL career of 2022 medal winner Mitch White was over when he won the medal playing for Casey.
The 25-year-old has kicked 54 goals in 103 games with the Tigers. The Eagles already have ex-Gold Coast defender Sandy Brock, the nephew of car racing legend the late Peter Brock, and former Saint James Van Es, on trial for a spot. They are keen to build depth in their key defensive stocks, but former Giant and Demon Adam Tomlinson won’t train with the club this week after meeting with the Eagles.
Port Adelaide are considering adding a player to their list during the pre-season supplemental selection process for the first time. Victorian speedster Josh Lai and North Melbourne VFL captain Jack Watkins are in contention. Watkins is lifelong friends with Port Adelaide star Zak Butters. The Power will wait until the deadline before making a decision.
The Dockers signed former Cat and Port Adelaide midfielder Quinton Narkle on the first day of the period. Small forward Isaiah Dudley has been training with the Dockers after Odin Jones was put on the inactive list after he suffered a spinal injury in an accident.
St Kilda signed Harry Boyd and Gold Coast also added Ben Jepson to their list as pre-season supplemental selection period recruits.
The pre-season supplemental selection period was irst introduced ahead of the 2018 season. Clubs have made 81 selections since then (ruckman Keegan Brooksby was selected twice as an SSP), however very few players have excelled after being selected.
Essendon’s Nic Martin, Sydney’s Hayden McLean, Carlton’s Matt Cottrell, Adelaide’s Nick Murray, St Kilda’s Mason Wood and Collingwood premiership player Oleg Markov are the standout players to join lists as SSPs.
Geelong is the only club other than Port Adelaide who have not added a player to their list as an SSP recruit.
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