Experienced midfielders Daniel Howe and Connor Blakely have been given fresh starts at new AFL clubs through the rookie draft.

Former Hawk Howe will be reunited with coach Alastair Clarkson at North Melbourne, while ex-Docker Blakely has joined Gold Coast.

Howe, who turns 27 next week, played 96 games with Hawthorn over eight seasons before being delisted in September.

Seven of those campaigns were under Clarkson, who has since taken the reins at the Kangaroos and is aiming to spearhead a rebuild after successive wooden spoons.

Blakely, 25, played 78 games over eight seasons with Fremantle but fell out of favour under coach Justin Longmuir.

He will get chances to lock down a regular spot with the Suns, who are still chasing their first finals appearance.

North Melbourne have also given delisted utility Kayne Turner another chance on their rookie list as part of a running theme throughout Wednesday’s selection meeting.

Experienced trio Ed Curnow (Carlton), Ryan Lester (Brisbane Lions) and Phil Davis (Greater Western Sydney) were among a dozen players who returned to their 2022 clubs.

Brisbane re-drafted injury-riddled midfielder Nakia Cockatoo and Adelaide followed through on their commitment to giving Paul Seedsman a rookie list spot.

The 30-year-old wingman missed the entire 2022 season due to ongoing effects of concussion but is hopeful of reviving his career.

The Kangaroos used the first pick in the rookie draft on creative small Blake Drury, who was considered unlucky to miss out in the national draft earlier this week.

Geelong again boosted their local stocks by selecting Next Generation Academy product Ted Clohesy, Oscar Murdoch and Osca Riccardi, the son of former Cats champion Peter Riccardi.

The trio join first-round national draft selection and fellow Geelong Falcons product Jhye Clark at the reigning premiers.

Brisbane officially added a third father-son recruit for the week, signing Darryl McDowell-White Jnr as a Category B rookie.

McDowell-White Jnr is son of Lions triple-premiership hero Darryl White and follows fellow sons of guns Will Ashcroft and Jaspa Fletcher to the club.

Only 27 of 41 available selections were used at the rookie draft, with some clubs opting to leave spots open for potential pre-season signings under the league’s supplemental selection rules.