The Carlton Football Club was informed today that the AFL Commission would not grant the Club’s request for a priority draft pick under the Special Assistance rule, saying that finishing at the bottom of the ladder does not constitute “exceptional circumstances”.

Carlton CEO Steven Trigg says while it’s disappointing he respects the League’s decision.

“Our members want our football club to be competitive and that’s what we are building towards. In the absence of defined criteria it was obviously worth asking the question, and I believe that’s what our members would expect,” Trigg said.

“When we met with the AFL Commission in July regarding our plans for the future, our broad discussions included the merits of a priority pick based on a number of considerations beyond our current ladder position.

“I want to be very clear in saying that we are prepared to put in the hard work required to build Carlton back up, but if some assistance was there to help accelerate that process, then we needed to explore the opportunity.

“While the outcome hasn’t gone in our favour we understand the AFL’s decision. Our focus now turns to the upcoming trade and draft periods where we will be looking to get the very best outcome for the Carlton Football Club.”