The 2018 AFL draft consisted of the various periods where the 18 clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL) traded and recruited players following the completion of the

2018 AFL season The 2018 AFL season was the 122nd season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...

. For the first time, the AFL draft featured live trading of picks and was held over two days, with the first round held on the evening of Thursday, 22 November and the remainder of the draft being held on Friday, 23 November The draft was held in Victoria for the first time since

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

Key dates

Player movements

Previous trades

Since 2015, clubs have been able to trade future picks in the next year's national draft during the trade period. As a result, a total of 29 selections for the 2018 draft were traded during the 2017 trade period, and the selection order for each of these picks is tied to the original club's finishing position in the 2018 season.

Free agency

* received an end of second round compensation pick for Reece Conca, however this pick was withdrawn due to Tom Lynch signing with them

Trades

Retirements and delistings

Sydney Swans Fan Day Kurt Tippett(cropped)

Pre-draft selections

Prior to the draft, the two bottom teams and applied for Priority Picks in the National Draft, which the AFL denied. However, were granted pre-draft access to up to three and up to two mature-aged State League players each, these selections could be traded to other clubs.

2018 national draft

:''Indicative draft order as of 21 November 2018''

Rookie elevations

Clubs were able to promote any player who was listed on their rookie list in 2018 to their 2019 primary playing list prior to the draft.

2019 rookie draft

Category B rookie selections

Clubs were able to nominate category B rookies to join their club in 2019.

Pre-season supplemental selection period

Shortly before the National draft, the AFL introduced a new mechanism to allow clubs to sign certain eligible players direct to their Rookie List, rather than through the draft, provided the club had vacancies on their rookie list. Eligible players could be listed between December and March.

References

{{Afldraft Australian Football League draft 2018 Australian Football League season