The top end of this year’s AFL draft is set to be impacted heavily by the father-son rule, with five prospects locked in for the two-day event beginning tomorrow night.
The draft will feature Sam Darcy, the 204cm son of Western Bulldogs great Luke Darcy, and Nick Daicos, the youngest son of Collingwood legend Peter Daicos who is set to join the Magpies on a four-year-deal unless matched by rival clubs.
Darcy and Daicos seem poised to become the highest father-son draft picks selected in the history of the AFL.
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Fellow prodigies Taj Woewodin (son of ex-Brownlow medallist Shane), Jackson Archer (son of Glenn), and Jase Burgoyne (son of Peter), will also feature in the bidding system.
The father-son rule can evoke nostalgia for long-time lovers of the game and highlight emerging talent for a new generation of viewers to enjoy.
But how does the rule actually work?
What is the father-son rule?
The AFL’s father-son rule has a rich 70-year history, forming a part of the AFL’s recruitment strategy since the early 1950s.
The rule allows clubs preferential recruiting access to the sons of players who have made a major past contribution to a particular team.
This allows historic family names to continue at a club.
When and why was it introduced?
The rule was first implemented to ensure Ron Barassi Jr – who went on to become a legendary player and coach – played for the Melbourne Football Club, the same club as his late father.
To ensure Barassi went to the Demons, despite a family move to the exclusive recruiting residential zone of VFL teams Collingwood and Carlton, the VFL declared a club could seek a clearance for the son of a player with a record of 50 or more games.
Over time, the number of games required has varied and special rules have been granted such as directions for the sons of senior administrators and modifications for games played in the SANFL or WAFL.
How has it evolved?
There’s been many alterations to the original law drafted 70 years ago.
In 2003, the AFL increased the father’s required number of club games to a minimum of 100.
Certain clubs have also been given special exemptions. West Coast Eagles could at one stage lay claim to youngsters whose father had played 150 games from any of four WAFL clubs.
In 2007 a bidding system was introduced, which allows the father-son eligible club to match any bid on the player with their next available pick. Since 2015 the club can also use multiple available picks to snare the desired player.
This is done using the Draft Index System, which assigns set points to every draft pick from one to 72. Pick one is worth 3000 points, and pick 72 is worth nine points, while pick 73 has no value.
The other 17 AFL clubs will decide where a father-son player should realistically sit in the draft order. If a rival club bids on that player with a high pick – as Daicos and Darcy are expected to attract – the father-son club must assemble enough index points to upgrade their pick and match the bid, which then allows them to snare the player in question. They only have to match the bid to be able to draft the player.
What if a father has played for more than one club?
If a player is eligible to be selected by more than one club, then the player can decide which club he would like to be nominated by.
Also, the player can decide not to enter the draft as a father-son pick. They can go straight into the draft as a regular selection and be picked up by any club.
What about the AFLW?
After the AFLW’s inaugural year, Abbie McKay (daughter of Andrew) became the first female player to be drafted under the newly penned father-daughter rule when she was selected by Carlton at pick 16 in the 2018 draft.
Since then, five other women have been selected under the gender equivalent rule. However, only one AFL game is required for AFLW clubs to claim a daughter at the draft.
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