Under new rules for the competition, only two TAC cup players are allowed to play at each Victorian Football League side, unless they are from an aligned club.

It is the second bitter blow for Hartigan this season. The Western Jets defender plays in the elite under-18 competition and failed to be drafted by an AFL club.

"It is disappointing. I wanted to play with Werribee this season," Hartigan said.

"They [Werribee] thought I would get drafted so they signed two other players, meaning that they couldn't sign me.

"We lost the appeal, which is really disappointing because that is where I wanted to play."

Like Hartigan, the Tigers are disappointed with the result.

"Kyle believed that the club was the best chance to continue his football dream, so we pursued the official channels to solve the situation," the club said.

"We are disappointed that the new rule has meant that Kyle will not be allowed to be a Werribee player.

"The club has been left confused as the AFL Victorian appeal process did not take into account the best interests of Kyle that were expressed by himself."

In recent years Werribee players have gone on to play in the AFL, including new Fremantle rookie Michael Barlow and Bulldogs players Ben Hudson and Dale Morris.

Hartigan said playing with other VFL clubs was still an option for this season.

"I'm not sure where I'm going to end up playing this year, I will have more of an idea in the next few weeks," Hartigan said.