How Ewan Macpherson’s family has supported him through testing year

Bulldogs father-son prospect Ewan Macpherson would be rapt to follow in father Stephen’s footsteps but he’d be equally happy to follow brother Darcy’s path.

Ewan Macpherson in action during a pre-draft training session.

Ewan Macpherson’s AFL Draft night could go one of three ways.

The Western Bulldogs father-son hope could get picked up by the club his father, Stephen, played 188 games for.

He could follow his brother, Darcy’s, lead and forge his own path if selected by another club.

Or his name won’t be read out and he’ll look to return to the Northern Knights and NAB League in 2021 to keep his AFL dream alive while taking up a health science degree at LaTrobe University.

It’s a lot for any 18-year-old to handle but recruiters and club would be hard pressed to find a more mature prospect in this year’s draft.

Ewan MacPherson in action for the Northern Knights.

“It’s a cliche but I’d love to land anywhere, playing AFL is a dream I’ve had since I was young, and if I can get on a list I’d be stoked to be there,” Macpherson said.

A number of clubs have shown interest in the Diamond Creek junior who captained Vic Metro at the Under-16 National Championships and stood out as a 17-year-old in 2019, playing across half-back.

In 15 NAB League games last year he averaged 14.4 disposals, 3.7 marks and 3.8 tackles.

He was named Knights co-captain this year and was due to make a permanent move into the midfield to showcase the ball-winning abilities that compliment his outside skills.

“It was obviously a shocker that we didn’t get to play and I didn’t get a chance to show I could play midfield because I worked so hard to get my 2km time down and run out games, it was a bit of a kick in the guts,” Macpherson said.

“It was a lot different to what was expected with all the COVID stuff going on, so I think I did pretty well to stay motivated, stay fit and healthy and be ready if I do get put on a list.”

Darcy Macpherson in action for Gold Coast.

Stephen Macpherson during his playing days.

Darcy Macpherson was overlooked by the Dogs in 2015 but has since gone on to play 51 games for Gold Coast.

Brother and father have been important sounding boards for Ewan in a trying year.

“I speak to Darcy a fair bit, being in the system, I get a lot of pointers off him and it’s made it easier to get my head around what it will be like,” he said.

“Dad’s been with me all through the quarantine, riding it with me and helping motivate me, and Darcy is always chatting to me asking me how I’m going, which is a huge help.”

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The Parade College student said he watched Rory Laird closely last season as a half-back and had always admired Joel Selwood’s leadership and commitment.

“Last year I modelling my game on Rory Laird, that roaming half-back type of player,” he said.

“I also like to model my game on Joel Selwood, his leadership qualities, and going into the midfield he’s got a lot of traits that I want to try and replicate.

“That’s definitely something I hold myself high on, my leadership qualities, it’s definitely something I’d like to do moving forward.”