Draft uncovered: Biggest winners from father-son rule, sons of guns coming through in next three years
A number of clubs have hit the jackpot from the father-son rule over the years. How many 100-game father-sons have come through your club in the past three decades?
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An in-demand Will Ashcroft thought long and hard last year about which AFL club he wanted to play for.
He spent his younger years growing up on the Gold Coast, before moving to Melbourne at age 15 and quickly falling in love with his new city.
He had his family and friends in Melbourne and had begun a business and sports management course at Deakin University last year.
The hottest prospect in last year’s national draft, Ashcroft could have stayed in Melbourne given North Melbourne won the wooden spoon to collect the No. 1 draft pick.
However, the gun midfielder opted to nominate as a father-son for the Brisbane Lions last August, a club where his father Marcus had won three premierships in a glittering career spanning 318 games.
“There were a lot of things that went into the decision,” Will recalled last week.
“But I think it (dad’s history) was definitely a driving force in why I wanted to come here.
“He presented me with my jumper in round 1, which was pretty special.
“I think the father-son rule is an awesome tradition in the game and it was an awesome feeling to follow after dad and start playing for the club that he played for.”
Ashcroft shapes as the latest success story of a rule which has stood the test of time, in what is a constantly evolving game which has become a billion-dollar business.
The father-son rule was first established during the 1949 season after lobbying from Melbourne, which wanted access to a young Ron Barassi.
Barassi desired to play for the same club as his late father, Ron Barassi Sr, who died in action during World War II.
While there have been 12 amendments to the father-son rule in the years since, AFL clubs still receive priority access to players whose fathers lined up in at least 100 games for them.
“Ron Barrassi and Kevin Murray were some of the original ones back in the 1950s so it’s been part of the game for a long time,” AFL talent ambassador Kevin Sheehan said.
“Because of the popularity of it, I think it will remain part of the game forever. It’s a unique part that people love and it’s a great bonus when you get one that is good enough.
“It’s your lucky dip into the draft.”
POWERFUL PULL
In the early part of his AFL career at Collingwood, Heath Shaw came under fire.
His father, Ray, was a champion of the club, winning a best and fairest in 1978 and serving as the Magpies’ captain in 1979 and 1980.
Heath had an injury-interrupted under-18 year with the Northern Knights, but still found his way to Collingwood under the father-son rule.
“I copped it a little bit in the early days of my AFL career with people saying, ‘You only got drafted because of your dad’,” Heath said.
“That old chestnut is a pretty easy one. But you still have to do the hard yards.”
Heath joined the Magpies through the 2003 national draft, four years after his older brother Rhyce had also joined Collingwood as a father-son.
Along with his father and brother, Heath’s uncles Tony and Neville had also pulled on the black and white stripes.
“I didn’t want to play anywhere else but Collingwood and follow in my dad, brother and uncles’ footsteps,” Heath said.
“Towards the end of my career, someone pointed out that we’d clocked up over 1000 games as a family. When you think of how many weekends it takes to do that, it’s pretty crazy.
“Those games weren’t all at Collingwood but the name of the Shaw family will always be engraved in Collingwood history and AFL history because we were there for so long.”
Heath finished his career with Greater Western Sydney, but played 173 games across 10 seasons for the Magpies before flying the nest.
“Footy clubs are like your second family because you’re there all the time,” he said.
“It’s good to have that extra connection with the past and you enjoy it at the time but more so you look back on it after your footy career’s finished on how special it actually is.
“To play even one game in the jumper that your dad wore is a special bit of history.”
NEW ERA OF GUN FATHER-SON’S
In the early 2000s, Collingwood had Rhyce and Heath Shaw on its playing list, as well as their cousin Brayden (son of Tony) who was another father-son pick.
Brothers Jason, Cameron and Travis Cloke – the sons of former Magpies champion David Cloke – were also drafted to the club as father-son selections.
Two decades on, there are a new breed of father-sons lighting it up for the Magpies.
Collingwood captain Darcy Moore (son of Peter), brothers Josh and Nick Daicos (sons of Peter) and Will Kelly (son of Craig) are all exciting fans and adding some nostalgia to the modern game.
Ahead of the 2021 national draft, some recruiters believed Nick Daicos was the best young talent they had seen since Chris Judd.
The Magpies’ first draft selection that year was pick 36, but under father-son rules the club was able to match a bid on the prodigious talent from Gold Coast at pick 4.
Nick Daicos went on to win the AFL Rising Star award in 2022 after a dazzling debut season across halfback and has picked up where he left off this year.
Collingwood is not the only club with some gun father-son’s running around, either.
Geelong’s Tom Hawkins (son of Jack) won a third AFL premiership last year after being picked up as a father-son back in 2006, Luke McDonald is a co-captain of North Melbourne where his dad Donald played and Jack Viney is vice-captain of Melbourne where his father Todd played.
In last year’s national draft there were a staggering six father-son selections among the first 56 picks — Will Ashcroft (Brisbane), Jaspa Fletcher (Brisbane), Max Michalanney (Adelaide), Alwyn Davey Jr (Essendon), Jayden Davey (Essendon) and Cooper Harvey (North Melbourne).
Geelong also went on to select Osca Riccardi (son of Peter) in the rookie draft the next day.
“There are a lot of traditions in AFL that nobody thought would ever change, which have gone out of the game,” Heath Shaw said.
“But definitely the romance of the father-son and even now the father-daughter rule in AFLW, it has to stay.”
Collingwood, Geelong and Essendon have been among the biggest beneficiaries of the father-son rule in the modern era.
But even clubs who have not had many father-son’s come through are supportive of the rule.
“I think it’s a great part of the game,” one AFL club recruiting boss said.
“We haven’t got that much out of it, really. But you’ve got to have some sort of tradition in the game. I know some clubs have been bigger winners than others, but that’s the way it is.”
ARE CHANGES AFOOT?
Geelong premiership player Isaac Smith recently raised the idea of expanding the father-son rule and perhaps even the father-daughter rule.
Smith has played in premierships with both Geelong and Hawthorn.
He played 210 games for the Hawks, but is 49 matches short of the 100-game threshold for the Cats.
“I always said when you play in a premiership for a club you should fall under the father-son realm,” Smith said.
“Once that happens, you are forever connected to an organisation and I’m lucky that has happened at both clubs.
“I still very much enjoy watching the old club (Hawthorn) run around and feel very proud to be a part of the Geelong footy club.”
It was an interesting discussion point, but is a change that is unlikely to ever happen.
Traditionally, between two and three players from each AFL club will reach their 100-game milestones each season.
Allowing 23 players from one club in one season to automatically qualify their offspring as father-son or father-daughter selections would risk throwing out the fairness meter.
“It’s got to get back to being fair,” Sheehan said.
“All that would do is give a greater advantage to clubs that 20 years earlier were successful. It would be an unfair advantage. The draft is about helping those who are down the bottom overall.”
For now, the rules are as they stand and the standout father-son prospect this year looks to be Will McCabe.
The key defender from South Australia is eligible to join Hawthorn, a club where his father Luke played 138 senior games between 1995 and 2004.
The Hawks are keeping a very close eye on him.
TOP AVAILABLE FATHER-SON PROSPECTS COMING THROUGH
Adelaide
2024 – Tyler Welsh (son of Scott)
Brisbane
2023 – Aiden Johnson (son of Chris)
2024 – Levi Ashcroft (son of Marcus)
Carlton
2024 – Ben Camporeale (son of Scott)
2024 – Lucas Camporeale (son of Scott)
Collingwood
2022 – Nicky Christian* (son of Michael)
2025 – Thomas McGuane (son of Mick)
Essendon
2022 – Luca Alessio* (son of Steven)
2024 - Alex Alessio (son of Steven)
2024 – Noah Caracella (son of Blake)
Geelong
2024 – Alfie Wojcinski (son of David)
2025 – Jagger Mooney (son of Cameron)
2025 – Boston Riccardi (son of Peter)
Hawthorn
2023 – Ned Maginness (son of Scott)
2023 – Will McCabe (son of Luke)
2023 – Calsher Dear (son of Paul)
2024 – Charlie Crawford (son of Shane)
2024 – Ky Burgoyne (son of Shaun)
Melbourne
2023 – Kynan Brown (son of Nathan)
2024 – Noah Yze (son of Adem)
North Melbourne
2024 – River Stevens (son of Anthony)
Port Adelaide
2022 – Will Francou* (son of Josh)
2022 – Harper Montgomery* (son of Brett)
2024 – Louie Montgomery (son of Brett)
2024 – Ky Burgoyne (son of Shaun)
2024 – Rome Burgoyne (son of Peter)
2024 – Oliver Francou (son of Josh)
2025 – Ben Francou (son of Josh)
2025 – Gill Wakelin (son of Darryl)
Richmond
2023 – Charlie Naish (son of Chris)
St Kilda
2024 – Boston Everitt (son of Peter)
2025 – Gill Wakelin (son of Darryl)
Sydney
2022 – Indhi Kirk* (son of Brett)
2023 – Isaac Barry (son of Leo)
Western Bulldogs
2023 – Jordan Croft (son of Matthew)
West Coast
2023 – Bailey Banfield (son of Drew)
*Was overlooked in the 2022 drafts but remains available this year
MOST GAMES FOR A CLUB BY A FATHER-SON COMBINATION*
664 games – Ken & Dustin Fletcher (Essendon)
527 games – Tim & Jobe Watson (Essendon)
512 games – Jack & Tom Hawkins (Geelong)
489 games – Gary Sr & Gary Jr Ablett (Geelong)
481 games – Tony & Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs)
467 games – John & Matthew Scarlett (Geelong)
*For sons drafted since 1986
FATHER-SON SELECTIONS SINCE 1986 WHO HAVE PLAYED AT LEAST 100 GAMES FOR THE CLUB THEY WERE DRAFTED TO
Brisbane – Jonathan Brown
Carlton – Lance Whitnall, Jarrad Waite, Jack Silvagni
Collingwood – Travis Cloke, Heath Shaw, Darcy Moore
Essendon – Dustin Fletcher, Jobe Watson, Joe Daniher
Geelong – Tom Hawkins, Matthew Scarlett, Gary Ablett Jr, Jed Bews
Melbourne – Jack Viney
North Melbourne – Luke McDonald
Port Adelaide – Brett Ebert
Richmond – Matthew Richardson, Joel Bowden
West Coast – Ashley McIntosh, Ben Cousins
Western Bulldogs – Luke Darcy, Tom Liberatore, Lachie Hunter, Mitch Wallis, Zaine Cordy
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