Scott Maginness hopeful son Finn will become a third-generation Hawk at national draft
Finn Maginness’ dad, dual premiership Hawk Scott Maginness, says he’s hopeful his son will become a third-generation Hawthorn player. And the good news for Hawk fans is, his younger brother Ned can play too.
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Two-time Hawthorn premiership hero Scott Maginness says he would love for his son Finn to join rare company and become the third generation of the family to pull on the brown and gold.
A Sandringham Dragons midfielder who can also push forward and hit the scoreboard, Finn has been circled by the Hawks as a father-son candidate ahead of this week’s AFL National Draft.
Scott played 131 games for Hawthorn including the 1988 and 1989 premiership triumphs, while his father and Finn’s grandfather Norm Maginness lined up in 64 senior games for the club and also played in a winning reserves premiership in 1958.
“I got there under the father-son rule as well,” Scott told the Herald Sun.
“It was a different era when I was growing up in the 70s. I didn’t really know too many AFL players and the saturation media wasn’t there so much.
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“But it was a bit of a special thing for my father to play and I loved the Hawks and wanted to emulate what he’d done and fortunately got the opportunity to do it.
“Finn’s always had that strong connection with the Hawks and obviously it’s something he’s always wanted to do.
“But ultimately he just wants to get drafted. If it’s to the Hawks, that’s a bonus for him.”
A highly rated talent who finished second in the 2km time trial at the draft combine this year, Finn is expected to attract a bid from a rival club in the first round of the draft.
Scott said it had been a big year of growth for his son, which started with a mammoth pre-season training regimen in which Finn built his body and his fitness.
“He’s had a good year, a developing year,” Scott said.
“He’s still got a long way to go as they all do but I think he just started to believe in himself a bit more. He’s grown into his body.
“He was probably a bit behind the top players maturity wise but in his 18th year everyone evens out a little bit, too, and that’s what happened to him.”
Scott, who is now working as a chiropractor and runs his own practices in Brighton and Summerville, said he saw little of himself in Finn’s football.
“We’re different types of players. He’s a better player than what I was and he needs to be,” Scott said.
“Looking back on my career I was just very lucky to get a position in a team where I just played my role and did my job.
“We had so many fantastic players that it was hard to stand out in that team and I was just very lucky to get that opportunity and hold onto it for as long as I could.”
At Hawthorn, three generations of the same family playing for the club has not been unheard of.
John Kennedy Sr, his son John Kennedy Jr and his son Josh Kennedy all played for the Hawks.
However, across the AFL it has been a rare feat.
The Silvagni’s at Carlton (Sergio, Stephen and Jack) and the Hird’s at Essendon (Alan Sr, Alan Jr and James) are two of only a small number of other families to produce three generations of players for their clubs.
The good news for the Hawks is Scott could yet produce a second father-son prospect in 2023, with Finn’s 14-year-old brother Ned showing plenty of promise.
“Ned will be a late bloomer. Don’t look for him in the under-15s,” Scott said.
“He needs to grow and he will grow, there’s no question. He looks exactly the same as Finn but he’s a lot quicker than what Finn was. He’ll be a good player.”
Originally published as Scott Maginness hopeful son Finn will become a third-generation Hawk at national draft
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