"You look at your board and think 's***, two of your best players have just been taken out of your program'."
These are the words of Williamstown VFL coach, Justin Plapp, who has lived the brutal reality of the AFL's mid-season draft.
There are plenty of feel-good stories coming from the AFL mid-season draft, but the scary sight confronting Plapp, the former Richmond defender, is one very rarely spoken about.
The impact of ripping state-league stars out of their respective competitions to fill a list spot in the top level has profound impacts on the clubs directly hit.
And it's rarely, if at all, addressed.
"We love our players from the SANFL making their way and live out their dreams and find their ways to the AFL list, as do our SANFL clubs," SANFL footy boss Matt Duldig told Zero Hanger.
"We really celebrate that. We've seen a high volume of players go on to have great careers in the AFL.
"But the mid-season draft has a significant impact on our clubs. Winning premierships, having success at SANFL is still the No.1 priority at our clubs and our expectation as a league.
"Some of the coaches (noted) it's their job to win games of football for the club and members and fans, and to have that (mid-season draft) impact in the middle of the season with no ability to replace those players or get new players into the footy club is challenging.
"It's a really tough one for them to swallow.
"The (Woodville-West Torrens) Eagles for example, this year, are 6-1, on top of the ladder, lose their three best players at the end of May and they'll find it more challenging as the season goes on. They're a great footy club, they have a lot of depth so they will continue to be competitive and no doubt be there in September.
"But (to have those players pulled out) is going to be a difficult challenge to overcome."
SANFL clubs have joined in unison of their stance against the mid-season draft, which has existed since its re-introduction in 2019.
"They've been fairly vocal and united in they're not supportive of the mid-season draft as a whole. The SANFL, as a whole, we've been really clear on our position on the mid-season draft. We think there's plenty of opportunities for players to make their way onto AFL lists, essentially from November to March AFL clubs can attract players onto their lists," Duldig added.
"We think that's the right way to go about it, which allows players during the season to concentrate on where they are and have a good season and hopefully get themselves an ability to be listed during the off-season.
"Our coaches feel this the most out of anyone. Overnight, their list can change significantly."
SANFL powerhouse, Woodville-West Torrens, were hit hard in the most recent iteration of the mid-season intake, losing three players to AFL clubs.
Sitting comfortably on top of the table, the Eagles have dropped a game since the draft, and narrowly defeated cellar dwellers Central District Bulldogs by six points.
Last year, Glenelg faced a similar predicament when key defenders Harrison Ramm and Oscar Adams achieved their AFL dreams. The Tigers were searching for a third consecutive flag, but fell short of Sturt in the decider.
The same sentiment was shared by Williamstown Seagulls coach Justin Plapp, who is currently dealing with the departures of two VFL stars.
Hugo Hall-Kahan and Joel Fitzgerald joined the AFL via the MSD, and the Seagulls will struggle to replace their influence.
"My job as coach at Williamstown is to perform and win a flag. That is high on the agenda," Plapp told Zero Hanger.
"It's part and parcel with the job when you're developing young players and building relationships, it's important to understand what drives them.
"I'd be lying if I didn't say that it's been a really challenging time for our football club. When the draft comes and goes, I couldn't be more happy for them individually, and our club embraced that."
But the sun comes up the next day ... you've got to get to work pretty quickly and find who those next players are.
"At state-league level, people think it's easier said than done but it's a real challenge to replace quality players because we have a salary cap. There's money coming back but it doesn't free up salary space, so we can't go and spend money on A-grade listed players overnight.
"It does have a really challenging effect on our football program. We can't pluck kids out of local footy and another club like the AFL (aligned) clubs can."
So what is the AFL doing to rectify the situation?
All clubs who lose players to top-flight teams receive $10,000 fee per player. But is it enough?
"It covers potentially some costs incurred in developing these young players come through, or some cases, recruiting them, relocating them to South Australia," Duldig said.
"It recoups some of those costs but it certainly wouldn't cover any additional costs in trying to attract players to replace them in the following off-season. We think that figure should have increased.
"It's not all about money for our clubs, but the SANFL is a viable and clear pathway to the AFL and that money is not wasted. When it's invested into our SANFL clubs, they spend it wisely, they spend it on good coaching, quality players, who become ready to play AFL football when they're asked.
"We're cognisant to the fact that players choose to come to the SANFL for the opportunity to be drafted in the mid-season, so some players are making that decision to come to SANFL clubs and choosing the league to get drafted.
"They may not have been here if it wasn't for the mid-season draft. We're well aware of that, and we're trying to make the best of the situation.
"If there's an increase in compensation, or there's another model that sees internal trading between AFL clubs, we would really be keen to see what those sort of options are that the AFL are discussing."
More fees or the ability for clubs to find A-grade talent is high on the agenda of those teams affected by the mid-season draft.
Plapp even suggested a kickback to the local leagues should be a consideration given the "flow-on effect" of the mid-season draft.
The Seagulls coach, aside from increasing the monetary fee of losing a player, would hope the AFL is discussing ways to increase, or assist with the salary cap in the VFL.
The WAFL, albeit not affected in the 2026 edition of the intake, stands by the more assistance handed to state-league clubs when losing players to the AFL.
"We acknowledge the impact these selections may have on the performance of WAFL clubs by losing a player at a critical stage of the season, especially when it comes to the AFL Mid-Season Draft, with players of their quality tough to replace midway through a WAFL campaign," WAFL GM Luke Sanders said in a statement provided to Zero Hanger.
"We are open to discussions on the compensation model for state-league clubs."
Plapp presented it perfectly the bittersweet nature of the AFL's mid-season draft.
And despite standing with the individuals who turned their dream into a reality, the Williamstown coach, along with his counterparts at state-league level, feel the impacts on a much bigger level.
