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2012 AFL draft

2012 AFL draft
General information
Date 22 November 2012
11 December 2012
Location Gold Coast Convention Centre,
Gold Coast, Queensland
Country Australia
Sponsored by National Australia Bank
Broadcast Fox Footy
First selection Lachie Whitfield (Greater Western Sydney)
2011
2013

The 2012 AFL draft consisted of five opportunities for player acquisitions during the 2012/13 Australian Football League off-season.

These were:

Of the players not yet eligible for free agency, Kurt Tippett from Adelaide, Sharrod Wellingham and Chris Dawes from Collingwood were the highest profile players who were linked to trade discussions. Geelong have reached an agreement with Gold Coast regarding Josh Caddy, which would involve Geelong's mid-first-round compensation pick, for losing Gary Ablett Jr. to the Suns and other picks to be confirmed, with paperwork for this trade to be lodged to the AFL at a later date.

During the 2012 AFL season, in the leadup to the first ever free agency trade period, there was speculation about high profile players who had contracts that expired at the end of the season, including Travis Cloke, Travis Boak, Brendon Goddard and Troy Chaplin. However, during the season, Cloke and Boak both re-signed with their current clubs. Brent Moloney from Melbourne became the first player to announce that he would become a free agent He was followed by Carlton pair Bret Thornton and Jordan Russell, West Coast's Quinten Lynch and Port Adelaide's Steven Salopek to declare themselves as free agents.

The initial list of free agents, published in March 2012, consisted of 62 unrestricted free agents and 19 restricted free agents. A restricted free agent is a player who has served eight or more seasons of AFL football at one club, is one of the top 25 per cent highest-paid players at his club, and is now out of contract for the first time since reaching eight seasons of service. Unrestricted free agents are players who have been delisted by their club, played more than ten seasons at one AFL club or has played eight or more seasons at one club and is not one of the top 25 per cent highest-paid players at his club. Restricted free agents must allow their current club to match any offer from a rival club, whereas unrestricted free agents are free to sign with any other club.


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