As clubs settled on locking away the best young stars from across the nation at the AFL draft period, a shortlist of uncontracted Indigenous players are working their way to secure the final spots on closing team lists.
Jed Anderson and Quinton Narkle are the first two of the mob that are set to play for new teams next year.
Clubs inviting delisted free agents to join their pre-season training have the option to offer the players one-year deals during the AFL supplemental selection period.
Gold Coast signed Anderson on Thursday as its first supplemental selection. The two parties came to an agreement after the Suns ticked off the final logistical hurdles to reshaping their list.
The former North Melbourne midfielder will add further experience after Connor Blakely joined from Fremantle and Jake Stein from GWS Giants in the rookie draft.
Anderson had been left stranded on 99 AFL games, including 89 appearances with the Kangaroos, since transferring from Hawthorn at the end of the 2015 season.
The Warramungu man decided to return home briefly in the offseason to play for NTFL side Darwin Buffaloes in preparation towards joining a third AFL club.
Richmond has offered Narkle an invitation to join the Tigers' senior preseason at Punt Road under a train-and-trial deal. Geelong had tried to move Narkle on during the AFL trade week before just weeks later the Ballardong and Whadjuk man was also overlooked in the draft.
Narkle's management had confirmed to holding discussions with multiple clubs and it was favoured that West Coast would be the first club to welcome the West Australian to train in the preseason before earning a contract for the 2023 season.
The 25-year-old played 41 games in six years, including 17 last year, but could only manage eight in the Cats' 2022 premiership season.
Sydney Stack, Elijah Taylor and Jarrod Leinert were among the only Indigenous delisted AFL players, who nominated for the draft that did not find new home.
Leinert had only left St Kilda after the club had secured the Ngarrindjeri man in the supplemental selection period earlier this year.
Stack was a shock axing from Richmond's list after bursting onto the scene in the 2019 season following his signing in the supplemental selection period too.
The Ballardong man has yet to attract significant interest, but Stack's manager has publicly reassured clubs the one-time Tigers' best first-year player is preparing to play in the AFL next season.
Sydney cut first-year rookie Taylor in 2020 following a guilty plea to a domestic violence charge. The AFL banned Taylor from the 2021 season and ruled out of playing in all state competitions until June that year, but he returned to playing for East Perth in 2022.
