Pinnuck has been a VFL stalwart for close to a decade, with the 27-year-old starring at state league level for standalone club Werribee.
The homegrown product won the Frank Johnson Medal for best on ground in the VFL versus SANFL interleague match last year, and is regarded as one of the best kicks in the competition.
So at long last, it appeared Pinnuck’s persistent journey to the AFL would be closer than ever when North Melbourne approached the midfielder with an invite to train for an supplementary selection period (SSP) list spot this preseason.
However, Pinnuck was denied.
The AFL deemed Pinnuck ineligible due to Pinnuck not nominating for the 2025 AFL draft - the first time Pinnuck has not nominated in “eight or nine years”.
Pinnuck did not lodge the paperwork last year as he assumed his AFL dream was over, reaching a mature age that only a handful of players have earned a league debut at in the AFL era.
However when North Melbourne pursued the Strathmerton local, the Kangaroos and Werribee asked the AFL for an exemption, but it was not given.
Werribee football manager Kyle Hartigan told News Corp the situation was utter ‘heartbreak’ for the Goulburn Valley product.
“He nominated for eight or nine years but he didn’t last year because at the time he was tossing up whether to go another year in the VFL … he’d played in a premiership, he’s a life member of the club,’’ Hartigan said.
“He probably thought his AFL dream was over and was considering potentially stepping away to play local footy and doing different things with his life.
“...Then he got an approach (from North Melbourne) and an opportunity to trial for his dream and something he worked so hard for.
“Then it was taken away. The AFL wouldn’t budge on it.
“We’ve got to help him deal with the heartbreak he’s had and pick up the pieces.”
The ineligibility stems from a rule implemented by the AFL so clubs cannot ‘hide’ target players or reduce a player’s exposure to ensure they can be drafted later or signed as a rookie, a notion North Melbourne legend David King rules to be “ridiculous”.
King also questioned the current draft pathway, highlighting the difficulty regional and rural footballers face to get under-age exposure, as prestigious private school footballers dominate the draft.
“If the Kangaroos believe they are a better team with this guy on their list, why should the AFL say no?’’ King said.
“The notion of hiding players away is just clubs who haven’t done the work whingeing.
“...The notion that clubs hide players is ridiculous.
“We all saw Mick Barlow as a late bloomer. He had a very good career and is still a part of our game and he will be a senior coach one day.
“Why put a line through these people?
“The game is losing touch with the dream of being drafted unless you have gone to a private school and got an armchair ride.
“It is almost impossible to get drafted if you don’t go through that pathway.
“Why are we closing doors on these kinds of avenues which engross people and entertain the masses?’’
Hartigan echoed King’s views, stating Pinnuck’s well-known status in the VFL disproves such a sentiment that the Werribee star was hidden from other clubs.
“Every club has had the opportunity to draft Louie Pinnuck for the last 10 years,’’ he said.
Since the AFL’s ruling, North Melbourne have since gone in the direction of another VFL talent in Frankston’s Tom Blamires, leaving Pinnuck set to play for the Tigers throughout 2026.
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