Essendon Takes Pick No. 1 Into Mid Season Draft 2026
Essendon is set to take pick No. 1 into mid season draft 2026, with Tuesday night’s Telstra Mid-Season Rookie Draft shaping up around which clubs can still open a list vacancy. The draft order will lock in after close of business on Monday evening, so the teams that act before then will decide who can actually move on the night.
Essendon And Richmond
Essendon created its opening by moving Brayden Fiorini to the inactive list last week. That puts the Bombers first in line, while Richmond will take pick No. 2 into Tuesday night and West Coast will follow at No. 3.
That top end matters because the first few picks can move quickly once the order is fixed. Richmond’s place at No. 2 and West Coast’s position at No. 3 give those clubs immediate access if they choose to use the spots they have available.
Collingwood And Port Adelaide
Collingwood and Port Adelaide sit on the biggest possible haul. Each can potentially open a league-high three selections on the night, giving both clubs more room than anyone else to reshape a list before the season moves deeper into winter.
Port Adelaide’s need comes after Josh Sinn suffered a lengthy shoulder injury, Ollie Lord went down with a season-ending knee problem, and Ivan Soldo retired earlier this year. Collingwood has also been hit hard, with Jamie Elliott suffering an ACL injury on Saturday evening after Reef McInnes and Oscar Steene both had knee issues earlier in the year.
Carlton, North Melbourne, West Coast
Carlton now has the option of making a selection after Matt Carroll suffered an ACL injury on Saturday evening. North Melbourne is also in position to pick after sliding Blake Thredgold to the inactive list late last week, while West Coast can use two selections after losing Deven Robertson and Jacob Newton for the remainder of the year to ACL injuries.
Greater Western Sydney has a list spot open because of Tom Green’s knee injury, and St Kilda already entered the year with a list vacancy from pre-season. The Western Bulldogs will weigh up one or two selections because of Sam Darcy’s knee injury and Riley Garcia’s long-term hamstring issue, while Melbourne could use two picks to cover Jai Culley’s knee injury and Tom Campbell’s retirement.
Brisbane, Gold Coast and Fremantle do not currently have list spots available. Geelong and Sydney are being viewed as unlikely to make a selection despite long-term absentees on their lists, which leaves the clubs with vacancies to sort the order before Monday evening closes the door.
