The AFL was still deliberating on Tuesday whether transgender footballer Hannah Mouncey is eligible to be selected in Wednesday's AFLW draft.
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The AFL has known for months that Mouncey had intended to and then had nominated for the AFLW draft but Fairfax Media understands a decision won't be reached until Tuesday evening, less than 24 hours before the AFLW draft which starts at noon on Wednesday.
New AFL football operations boss Steve Hocking explained why the decision had been left so late.
"The AFL are taking their time with it," Hocking told Trade Radio. "Based on the fact there is a range of testing and so forth that Hannah has been put through and been asked to complete, so they can make a thorough decision on it.
"Probably the biggest person in all of this is Hannah herself, so from her point of view, we've got to be mindful of all of that.
"We understand it's [draft] day tomorrow, as far as the women's goes, and we need to have clarity for Hannah and also all the clubs involved in that and all the players as well, so that will be announced later today.
"But the right people are working on that and are working very closely with Hannah on that as well. She's been part of all the discussions and decision-making around it, so I'm quite comfortable with where that currently sits and how that's been worked through."
Mouncey has represented Australia, as a male, in European handball but has transitioned to a woman over the past two years.
She starred in the local ACT women's AFL competition in 2017 and has nominated for the AFLW draft. Those performances attracted interest from several AFLW clubs.
The AFL follows International Olympic Committee regulations which state an athlete must prove their testosterone level is below 10 nanomoles per litre, a requirement which Mouncey comfortably meets.
Mouncey, 27, is a 190-centimetre, 100-kilogram ruck prospect.
"I think the global view definitely [should be considered], I understand the comments around that. And I've heard some of the commentary this morning," Hocking said.
"But our sport is quite different. There have been a lot of references around the IOC and so forth and their criteria, but the AFL game is quite different to a number of those sports.
"The AFL are working through that. Relevant people have been working really hard on that over the last couple of days in conjunction with Hannah, because it's a big decision for everybody."
