The Sydney Swans will re-draft Robbie Fox as a rookie after originally delisting the defender.

Fox was axed by the Swans earlier in the week, but with a late rule change by the AFL, club's were able to put two players from their 2020 senior list on the rookie list, which could granted Fox another opportunity with the club along with Sam Gray, who was also delisted.

Swans football boss Charlie Gardiner said the club is thrilled to be able to re-rookie Fox.

“Robbie had a breakout year almost with the team. He played 14 games in the end and was pretty consistent for us,” Gardiner told SEN.

“The challenge this year is just the squeeze on for list spots and you’ve got to weigh up a whole lot of things around your list needs and your priorities when you’re making calls.

“We’re actually very keen to re-rookie Robbie and have committed to doing that with him.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t aware of a late rule change the AFL made to now allow players to be directly transferred from a primary list onto a rookie list. That was our intention, but we weren’t aware of the light rule change. So had we known that, the messaging would have been different in relation to Robbie.

“But we’re certainly hopeful he can continue the development and the progress he made last season with us next season.”