The 1982 VFL draft was the second annual national draft held by the Victorian Football League, the leading Australian rules football league.[1]

Held on 19 October 1982, all twelve VFL clubs participated in the draft, each having two picks, with the team finishing last in the 1982 VFL season having first choice, followed by the other eleven clubs in reverse finishing position order.[2] Wooden spooners Footscray Football Club named East Fremantle ruckman Andrew Purser as the first pick of the draft.[2]

The draft was limited to players aged sixteen and above in non-Victorian based competitions and tied players wishing to move to Victoria to the club that drafted them. Eleven South Australians were named, with eight Western Australians, three Tasmanians and two Queenslanders also drafted.

The draft, introduced as an equalisation strategy in response to the increasing transfer fees and player salaries at the time, was discontinued after the 1982 Draft, following requests from Melbourne and Geelong officials to consider a moratorium on interstate transfers, aimed at allowing South and Western Australian clubs hit by the draft to recover.[2] The draft did not reoccur until 1986 and has been held every year since.

Round Pick Player Drafted to Recruited from League Games with new team
1 1 Andrew Purser Footscray East Fremantle WAFL 112
1 2 Allan Sidebottom St Kilda Swan Districts WAFL 55
1 3 Gary Shaw Collingwood Claremont WAFL 32
1 4 Baden Harper Geelong Claremont WAFL 0
1 5 Keith Thomas Melbourne Norwood SANFL 0
1 6 Peter Motley Sydney Sturt SANFL 0
1 7 Bill Lokan Fitzroy North Adelaide SANFL 87
1 8 Brenton Phillips Essendon North Adelaide SANFL 10
1 9 Richard Cousins North Melbourne Central District SANFL 0
1 10 Rod Lester-Smith Hawthorn East Fremantle WAFL 70
1 11 David Palm Richmond West Perth WAFL 104
1 12 Jon Simpson Carlton Woodville SANFL 0
2 13 Peter Walker Footscray City South NTFA 0
2 14 David Grant St Kilda City South NTFA 191
2 15 Carl Herbert Collingwood Mayne QAFL 3
2 16 Brad Hardie Geelong South Fremantle WAFL 0
2 17 Ray Holden Melbourne West Perth WAFL 3
2 18 Greg Anderson Sydney Port Adelaide SANFL 0
2 19 Grantley Fielke Fitzroy West Adelaide SANFL 0
2 20 Tony Antrobus Essendon North Adelaide SANFL 22
2 21 Garry McIntosh North Melbourne Norwood SANFL 0
2 22 Greg Hodson Hawthorn West Torrens SANFL 0
2 23 Mark Rowsley Richmond Kedron QAFL 0
2 24 Chris Gray Carlton Swansea FDFA 0

References

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  1. ^ "The forgotten drafts, 1981, 1982". Footy Stats.
  2. ^ a b c The Canberra Times, "Swans claim Motley in interstate draft", 20 October 1982, p. 48.