AFL draft 2015: Father-son prospect Josh Dunkley to snub Sydney, hopes to be drafted by Melbourne club

FATHER-son prospect Josh Dunkley is set to snub the Sydney Swans in favour of staying in his home state of Victoria and hoping to be drafted by a Melbourne club.

FATHER-son prospect Josh Dunkley is set to snub Sydney in favour of staying in his home state of Victoria and hoping to be drafted by a Melbourne club.

Dunkley is eligible to join the Swans where his father Andrew played 217 games between 1992 and 2002 but close family ties look to have swayed his decision.

He has until next Friday to nominate but the Swans are resigned to missing out on the talented inside midfielder.

This year, the 18-year-old suffered a stress fracture to his back which kept him out of action for four months.

The time on the sidelines appears to have increased his appreciation of having his family close.

The last player to pass up the opportunity of nominating as a father-son pick was Marc Murphy who was eligible to play for the Brisbane Lions after his father John Murphy played with Fitzroy.

Carlton took him with pick one in the 2005 national draft.

Dunkley spent two weeks training with the Swans at the SCG this year but has spent much of the year training with Richmond where he has developed friendships with a number of players.

He also played one game for the Tigers’ VFL club.

Playing in the TAC Cup for the Gippsland Power, the strong-bodied midfielder is a prolific tackler and, like his father, is a very strong mark.

Originally published as AFL draft 2015: Father-son prospect Josh Dunkley to snub Sydney, hopes to be drafted by Melbourne club