The 23rd man rule is for players who are currently on a TAC Cup list or were in the previous year to play up to three games for an affiliate VFL side. It’s mostly used for 19 year olds who have returned for a third year in the TAC Cup.

Last year Jack Sinclair, Daniel Howe, Nathan Drummond and Reilly O’Brien played VFL under this rule and then found themselves drafted at the end of the year. The 23rd man rule allowed these players an opportunity to prove themselves against bigger bodies and at a higher standard, which would have helped recruiters assess whether their TAC Cup performances were due to their extra age and development or genuine ability.

This year, one week after his amazing 52 disposal, 17 clearance and four goal effort in the TAC Cup, Kieran Malone was rewarded with an opportunity to play VFL due to the 23rd man rule. Although he only had eight disposals and three tackles, he was able to give recruiters a taste of what he can do if he is drafted and whether he will have an immediate impact. Having not made the Vic Metro side, this was an opportunity for Malone to show what he could do at a level above TAC Cup.

Another example of the rule being used to aid development of youngsters is with Tom Cole, a top 30 hopeful in this year’s draft. In round four, he lined up for Geelong’s VFL side and amassed 18 disposals and eight marks. Though Cole did not have the most impressive under 18 championships, having played well in a game at VFL level can go some way to easing the doubts over whether he can play up a level.

Compare this to Malone who rocketed onto the radar with his excellent TAC Cup performance, but did not impress in his VFL debut. At the higher level, it became evident that Cole had more game than Malone, allowing more accurate assessments to be drawn.

As a junior, Matt Crouch was considered a high level accumulator but a player with some noticeable flaws. His game in the VFL yielded 25 disposals, which went some way to appeasing these concerns. He was later drafted with pick 23.

Father-son prospects like Luke McDonald and Jack Viney played with their fathers’ club affiliate teams during the season before they were drafted. McDonald played 15 games for Werribee during 2013 and was named in the bests four times. This gave the North Melbourne recruiters extra reassurance that he was going to make the grade as a player. Viney only played three games for Casey Scorpions, but showed he was a consistent ball winner throughout those games.

This year, players like Nick Coughlan, Mark Kovacevic and Daniel Capiron have played very good VFL football. Coughlan has played a few games now and has done well as a versatile tall for Footscray. His performances down back have allowed him to re-emerge on clubs’ radars. Kovacevic has done well and is probably one of the standout ruckman in this year’s crop after being passed over in last year’s draft, while Daniel Capiron has excelled at VFL level off half-back and has brought that form into the under 18s competition.

But perhaps the greatest success story of the rule is Tom Langdon. Over a six-game stretch in 2013, he averaged 16 touches in the VFL and highlighted his aerial prowess behind the ball. After being passed over the year before he was able to show some real AFL qualities at a higher level, and ended up being drafted that year and having an excellent first season at AFL level

2015 first round prospect Kieran Collins has stated his desire to play some VFL football at the end of the year, and, for a big bodied defender like Collins, the opportunity to prove that he can shut down the bigger bodied forwards not found at TAC Cup level would be invaluable.

Last year, we did not get the opportunity to see midfielders like Christian Petracca at VFL level, despite being able to see players like Cory Gregson and Alex Neal-Bullen, prospects with lower stocks, at SANFL level. Having seen the succcess it has had over the past few years, expanding this rule to further encourage clubs to give talented draft prospects the opportunity to prove themselves at a higher level to recruiters – and for fans to be able to see them, is important.