The AFL has confirmed, following a meeting with club bosses on Monday, that AFL teams will be able to continue to match bids on father-son and Academy talents in 2026 and beyond, according to AFL Media's Cal Twomey.
However, the AFL is likely to enforce stricter rules on the bidding system, meaning clubs will have to pay a greater price for the selection of top-end father-son and Academy prospects in the National Draft.
The changes will see a grading system be put in place, where a club's ranking on the ladder will influence the zones they'd need to be in to match bids, as well as their level of access to the bidding system.
Clubs are expected to be given further details on the next iteration of the bidding system as soon as next week, ahead of this year's free agency and trade period.
The changes play into the favour of recent submissions by Carlton and Port Adelaide, who requested the AFL avoid a "lockout" of matching Academy and father-son bids early in the draft, considering the number of prospect-linked players in the 2025 and 2026 intakes.
Carlton is poised to select father-son prospect Cody Walker in the 2026 National Draft, who is expected to be drafted inside the top 10 at minimum.
The AFL is also expected to finalise the list of concessions for Tasmania's AFL team in the coming week.
