The second-chance saloon: How one club’s trash becomes another’s treasure

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It is the time of year for second (or third) chances in the AFL.

This week, reigning wooden-spooners West Coast signed delisted trio Deven Robertson, Fin Macrae and Harry Schoenberg in a bid to find extra midfield depth on the cheap, while Mason Cox (Fremantle) and Jayden Laverde (GWS) have received career lifelines, too.

Ex-Bomber Patrick Voss has made the most of his second chance at Fremantle.

We also saw ex-Bomber-turned-Docker Patrick Voss remind everyone that Essendon cut him two years ago, despite him kicking 37 goals in a breakout 2025 season for Fremantle.

Voss commented “Smart by dons” – with a clown emoji after it – on delisted Bomber Ben Hobbs’ farewell post to the club on Instagram.

Ben Hobbs was delisted by the Bombers after 65 games. He was taken with pick No.13 in the 2021 draft.

This all got us thinking: which players have succeeded at each club after a false start, or starts, elsewhere? Where possible, we tried to select active or relatively recent players.

Adelaide

Ben Keays
The Crows took a punt on Keays in the 2019 rookie draft after the Lions delisted him. Keays has barely missed a game since, playing 131 matches across six seasons and becoming a key contributor as both a midfielder and forward. He has finished top five in Adelaide’s club champion award in four of those seasons, including sharing the best-and-fairest award with Jordan Dawson last year. Another ex-Lion, Mitch Hinge, also warrants a mention.

Brisbane Lions

Joel Patfull
Port Adelaide delisted Patfull without him playing a senior game, but a strong season for SANFL club Norwood convinced the Lions to select him in the 2015 draft. The 190-centimetre defender went on to play 182 matches for Brisbane, and was club champion in 2012 and 2013. Patfull played another 38 games for GWS. Mitch Robinson and Jarryd Lyons also enjoyed success at the Lions after being delisted, but already played plenty of games before that.

Carlton

Andrew Carrazzo
Carrazzo pips Ed Curnow by virtue of his 2007 best-and-fairest win, but both were terrific servants as ball-winning defensive midfielders after failing to play a game at Geelong and Adelaide, respectively. Carrazzo played 194 games from 2004-15, while Curnow – older brother of dual Coleman medallist and new Swan Charlie – made 221 appearances between 2011 and 2023. Ex-Crow Matthew Wright was a solid contributor for three seasons, too, even winning the club’s goalkicking in 2016.

Collingwood

Ned Long
After playing only five games for Hawthorn, Long received a second chance at the Pies – and grabbed it with both hands. The big-bodied midfielder showed enough in seven matches last year before enjoying a breakout season in 2025, averaging 18 disposals, three clearances and seven tackles across 25 appearances. That was enough for Long to finish ninth in the best-and-fairest count. Ex-Tiger and Sun Oleg Markov had claims, too, after playing in Collingwood’s 2023 flag.

Essendon

Jaxon Prior
Cut after 39 games at Brisbane, Prior jumped at the chance last off-season to join the Bombers, one of two clubs his father Michael played for. He slotted straight into Essendon’s backline and played a career-high 23 matches, providing much-needed stability for an injury-ravaged list. That effort predictably, and deservedly, earned Prior another deal for next season. Josh Green also had a brief but productive stint for the Bombers after starting at the Lions, kicking 25 goals in 24 matches in 2017-18.

Fremantle

Patrick Voss
The “Prancing Pony” has been a revelation for the Dockers’ attack as a one-man hype machine since Essendon cut him loose after zero senior games but winning the club’s VFL best-and-fairest award. Voss loves celebrating a goal – and he had plenty of opportunities this year while kicking a career-most 37 in 20 games, including six against Darcy Moore and Collingwood. Winger Jeremy Sharp played 37 matches across the past two seasons since Gold Coast delisted him.

Geelong

Tyson Stengle
Lack of opportunity at Richmond then an off-field incident at Adelaide meant Stengle did not realise his potential at his first two AFL stops. However, the Cats were willing to take a risk on the small forward. Stengle made an instant impact in 2022, kicking 53 goals, earning All-Australian honours and playing in a premiership. He has been a regular goalkicker in the years since. James Podsiadly and Sam Menegola also enjoyed remarkable careers at Geelong after not breaking through at previous clubs.

Gold Coast

Sam Collins
From delisted and playing in the VFL, to winning two best-and-fairest awards for the Suns, Collins is a poster boy for perseverance, given his career could have ended after 14 games for Fremantle and no other club grabbing him in the following draft. Instead, the tough key defender rebuilt his value playing for Werribee, shutting down forwards and plucking intercept marks for fun. Gold Coast recruited him as a pre-listed player, and the rest is history. Nick Holman and Levi Casboult are other success stories off the scrap heap.

GWS

Lachie Keeffe
Keeffe’s run came to an end this year, but not before squeezing as much out of his second chance as possible after a doping ban at Collingwood threatened to end his career. The 204-centimetre utility played wherever the Giants needed him and generally performed admirably, while barely surviving the axe at times. Few clubs work around the fringes more than GWS, who also recycled ex-Docker Matt de Boer and turned him into one of the best run-with players in the competition.

Hawthorn

Jonathan Simpkin
Simpkin made only two appearances across stints at Sydney and Geelong, but earned another shot at the Hawks and ended up playing in the 2013 premiership. Brendan Whitecross’ ACL rupture in the preliminary final that year opened the grand final door for Simpkin, but he earned his opportunity with standout performances during the season. It was Simpkin’s turn for heartbreak 12 months later, when he was dropped in grand final week. Jon Ceglar and Ricky Henderson could easily have been Hawthorn’s nomination.

Melbourne

Mitch Brown
The ex-Cat and Bomber’s nine games for the Demons somehow earned him this selection. Brown was generally a depth forward for Melbourne who excelled at VFL level but could not consistently lock down a senior spot. Among the Dees’ previously delisted recruits were Jack Billings, Majak Daw and Gary Moorcroft, but none made an impact, while Daniel Cross had a productive 39-game stint but had already played 210 times for the Bulldogs before then, which disqualified him from this.

North Melbourne

Toby Pink
Pink spent three seasons on Sydney’s list without playing a game before a switch to the backline with Glenelg caught the Kangaroos’ attention. He played 32 matches for North the past two seasons and extended his contract until the end of 2026. Pink is the most-recent success story, but has a long way to go to rival Peter Bell. Bell was delisted after one season and two games at Fremantle before playing 163 matches for the Roos, winning two flags, making the All-Australian team and claiming a Syd Barker Medal. He finished his career back at Freo.

Port Adelaide

Trent McKenzie
McKenzie played more games for Gold Coast (106) than the Power (59), but was the standout candidate in a shallow field. He made his name as a superboot nicknamed “the Cannon”, who could roost the Sherrin off his left slipper. That remained a weapon for McKenzie after switching to Alberton, but he became a valuable member as an undersized key defender who faced off with the likes of Tom Hawkins and Jack Riewoldt. McKenzie’s 2020 season was his best, finishing equal-fifth in the club champion award.

Richmond

Taylor Hunt
Hunt played 63 games, including two finals, across five seasons during a typically strong Geelong era before the Tigers recruited him as a delisted free agent. The speedster proved his value straight away with a career-high 23 games in his first year, filling a number of roles, from run-with midfielder to winger or playing off half-back. Hunt even picked up four Brownlow Medal votes that season. He ended up playing 42 matches for Richmond for a career total of 105.

St Kilda

Mason Wood
The narrative during Wood’s North Melbourne tenure was that he did not realise his potential, but he has been excellent for the Saints. After 65 games at the Roos, Wood is already up to 91 at St Kilda, where he is a dual-threat player who impacts the game with his athleticism as a midfielder and forward. His impact also extends beyond the field, given he has hosted and mentored a number of emerging Saints. Zac Dawson, Dylan Roberton and Tim Membrey all performed well at Moorabbin after being delisted elsewhere for various reasons.

Sydney

Craig Bolton
What a steal Bolton was for the Swans. A 29-game stint at Brisbane ended in 2002 with his delisting after being unable to hold his spot in an outstanding Lions team – but that was just the start for Bolton. The ever-reliable defender went on to play 170 matches at Sydney, win a premiership in 2005, appear in the 2006 grand final, serve as co-captain and twice make the All-Australian side. Jeremy Laidler was another bargain, playing in the 2016 grand final for the Swans after false starts at Carlton and Geelong.

West Coast

Mark Hutchings
Hutchings’ AFL career kicked off at St Kilda, where he could not graduate from the VFL and was cut after one season. He returned to Western Australia and produced a brilliant campaign for West Perth to finish runner-up in the Sandover Medal and earn another chance with the Eagles. This time, Hutchings would not be denied, transforming into one of the game’s best taggers. He played in two grand finals, including the 2018 premiership, among his 120 games.

Western Bulldogs

Lachie Bramble
The versatile and dashing ex-Hawk has been a staple in the Bulldogs’ senior side since being delisted at the end of 2023 after 30 appearances in brown and gold. Luke Beveridge loves a reclamation project, and Bramble has repaid his coach’s faith with consistent output across 47 games in his two seasons at the Kennel so far. Former Demon Oskar Baker has also been handy since becoming a Dog. One of the club’s best recruits off the scrapheap was Joel Hamling, who didn’t earn a game for Geelong before playing in the Bulldogs’ drought-busting 2016 flag.

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