Mega Thread The Father-Son Mega thread - 2025 update

[Randy Campbell]

They are not even close to an equivalent situation though.

The player is not being hired because of their parents or where they were born, they're hired on their talent. Not to mention that they are able to choose not to go to their NGA/FS club anyway.

In the AFL.
A player will be treated differently due to what race they are.

 

[PenAndPaper]

In the AFL.
A player will be treated differently due to what race they are.

This isn't being treated differently due to race.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Caroline Wilson was adamant on TV tonight that from 2026 clubs will no longer be allowed to match F&S bids in the first round of the draft.

Cue the long list of gun progeny of ex-Hawthorn players entering the draft from 2026!

It is so dumb. The obvious answer is just allowing clubs to match at full price and be done with it.

It's Academy players that shouldn't be matched in the first round, if anything.

 

[Nugett]

Caroline Wilson was adamant on TV tonight that from 2026 clubs will no longer be allowed to match F&S bids in the first round of the draft.

Cue the long list of gun progeny of ex-Hawthorn players entering the draft from 2026!

That’s well and good, are they doing it for the academies as well?

 

[grumbleguts]

In the AFL.
A player will be treated differently due to what race they are.

The scale from classy to athletic can be read directly off the skin tone according to most commentators

 

[caseman22]

HAWTHORN​

FUTURE HAWKS?​

2025
Kobe Williams (Father-Son)
2026
Cooper Hodge (Father-Son)*
2027
Percy Burgoyne (Father-Son)

The Hawks have some father-son prospects available to them over the next three years – but they are also available to other clubs.

Kobe Williams – the son of 2008 premiership player Mark – is a 186cm prospect who has played across all three areas of the ground for the Western Jets and at school football for Scotch College.

But Williams is also linked to the Western Bulldogs’ NGA program and debuted for Footscray at VFL level last weekend.

Cooper Hodge is the big watch for next year after an impressive bottom-age season.

The son of four-time premiership player Luke, the midfielder has trained with the Hawks this year but is also linked to the Brisbane Lions Academy and has played for the Lions’ VFL side in recent weeks.

Percy Burgoyne is the son of former Port Adelaide and Hawthorn premiership star Shaun and is father-son eligible for both the Power and Hawks in 2027.

Burgoyne featured for South Australia at this year’s under-16 national championships.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl-draft-guide-every-clubs-top-fatherson-and-academy-prospects-over-the-next-three-years/news-story/e6a5369fabdde4290cdb1ac5511f3da8

 

[PenAndPaper]

Kobe was a late call up to the Dogs VFL on the weekend.
Had 9 touches and kicked 0.2 in a 100 point win

 

[HedgeFund]

I think you’ve misinterpreted what I’m saying. I’m saying if we’d had as much success with F/S and academies the rest of the comp would be even more headf***ed

Counterpoint: no doubt we have been exceptionally successful, perhaps partly because we haven’t fallen for the romance of picking kids of long term former players.

The mere fact that some other clubs have chosen to select and play children of former players…..doesn’t mean they were astute selections, or helped them win more games.

Perhaps if we had taken more F/S selections…. we wouldn’t have been as successful.

 

[Dewnior]

Kobe was a late call up to the Dogs VFL on the weekend.
Had 9 touches and kicked 0.2 in a 100 point win

Hopefully he wasn't playing in the forward line

 

[Miller1971]

HAWTHORN​

FUTURE HAWKS?​

2025
Kobe Williams (Father-Son)
2026
Cooper Hodge (Father-Son)*
2027
Percy Burgoyne (Father-Son)

The Hawks have some father-son prospects available to them over the next three years – but they are also available to other clubs.

Kobe Williams – the son of 2008 premiership player Mark – is a 186cm prospect who has played across all three areas of the ground for the Western Jets and at school football for Scotch College.

But Williams is also linked to the Western Bulldogs’ NGA program and debuted for Footscray at VFL level last weekend.

Cooper Hodge is the big watch for next year after an impressive bottom-age season.

The son of four-time premiership player Luke, the midfielder has trained with the Hawks this year but is also linked to the Brisbane Lions Academy and has played for the Lions’ VFL side in recent weeks.

Percy Burgoyne is the son of former Port Adelaide and Hawthorn premiership star Shaun and is father-son eligible for both the Power and Hawks in 2027.

Burgoyne featured for South Australia at this year’s under-16 national championships.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl-draft-guide-every-clubs-top-fatherson-and-academy-prospects-over-the-next-three-years/news-story/e6a5369fabdde4290cdb1ac5511f3da8

Cooper Hodge has 3 younger brothers as well

 

[A1fromDay1]

Hodgey doesn't seem too pleased about Roughy's comments.

 

[westhawk]

Hodgey doesn't seem too pleased about Roughy's comments.

Hodge is a bit full of it there. The AFL put the money in and the Lions take the credit. Cooper would have developed just as well if not better playing in Victoria.

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

Well that answers where he wants to go.

**** it, let him go to Brisbane.

 

[MrBeefSeven]

Hodge is a bit full of it there. The AFL put the money in and the Lions take the credit. Cooper would have developed just as well if not better playing in Victoria.

I get the vibe that Hodge (Luke) wants to have it both ways.
If the kid wants to play for the Lions, I get it, fair enough. But if he does he should just come out and say it now.
If he's already made up his mind then it's unfair to Hawthorn, who will effectively be putting time and resources into training, development and recruitment for a kid who will end up in Brisbane anyway.
Stringing along fans with 50/50 garbage, trying not to burn bridges so Cooper can get like 2 extra weeks of training at Dingley.
Just sort of rubs me the wrong way IF he has no intention of actually coming (I don't know, just guessing based on comments+context)

 

[Sixpence]

I get the vibe that Hodge (Luke) wants to have it both ways.
If the kid wants to play for the Lions, I get it, fair enough. But if he does he should just come out and say it now.
If he's already made up his mind then it's unfair to Hawthorn, who will effectively be putting time and resources into training, development and recruitment for a kid who will end up in Brisbane anyway.
Stringing along fans with 50/50 garbage, trying not to burn bridges so Cooper can get like 2 extra weeks of training at Dingley.
Just sort of rubs me the wrong way IF he has no intention of actually coming (I don't know, just guessing based on comments+context)

From his point of view, it wouldn't be wise to declare a team now. There's no guarantee that either Brisbane or Hawthorn would even take him. You wouldn't want to pick a team only for them to say no and have to crawl back to the other.

Still a long way to go to see if he's actually good enough.

He's not an Ashcroft/Daicos.

 

[Sonny Hayes]

I get the vibe that Hodge (Luke) wants to have it both ways.
If the kid wants to play for the Lions, I get it, fair enough. But if he does he should just come out and say it now.
If he's already made up his mind then it's unfair to Hawthorn, who will effectively be putting time and resources into training, development and recruitment for a kid who will end up in Brisbane anyway.
Stringing along fans with 50/50 garbage, trying not to burn bridges so Cooper can get like 2 extra weeks of training at Dingley.
Just sort of rubs me the wrong way IF he has no intention of actually coming (I don't know, just guessing based on comments+context)

I feel like people are being harsh, he is in a tough situation.

His son is in the academy at the moment and he is a club legend at the Hawks and ultimately the decision will be Coopers. I feel he is just being a supportive dad and trying to stay as out of it as he can.

 

[killerspud]

Percy Burgoyne and Kobe Williams give pff positive vibes for me.

 

[MrBeefSeven]

From his point of view, it wouldn't be wise to declare a team now. There's no guarantee that either Brisbane or Hawthorn would even take him. You wouldn't want to pick a team only for them to say no and have to crawl back to the other.

Still a long way to go to see if he's actually good enough.

He's not an Ashcroft/Daicos.

I don't know, I get that it's not an easy situation. And it's a tough decision.
But I wouldn't say he should 'declare' a team. Rather my feeling is that if the preference would be to stay up there and he knows that, it should be more clear at this stage.
And that's not saying that he wouldn't come to Hawthorn either, or saying he can't change his mind. But it means at least both clubs know where he's at.
Brisbane can decide if they want him and Hawthorn can do the same in a world where Brisbane says no or if the situation changes. If I'm Hawthorn I wouldn't give up on him even if he has a preference for Brisbane now.
I reckon that IF he has a preference, then staying on the fence is just inviting speculation, and it's not good for Hawthorn putting all this time into (probably) a Lions player.
If he's truly 50/50 then this doesn't apply. I just don't tend to think that is the case.

 

[theiaofseed]

Hodge is a bit full of it there. The AFL put the money in and the Lions take the credit. Cooper would have developed just as well if not better playing in Victoria.

Yes Brisbane heavy investing after the AFL hands them an extra ten million.

 

[Hawkk]

Yes Brisbane heavy investing after the AFL hands them an extra ten million.

So in other words, the money they hold back from giving to Hawthorn, Collingwood and the Eagles goes into propping up their academies…

 

[FB19]

Hodge is a bit full of it there. The AFL put the money in and the Lions take the credit. Cooper would have developed just as well if not better playing in Victoria.

Yep he highlights the conflation of the academy discussion. No one thinks academies shouldn’t exist they are crucial for attracting and developing talent especially in non traditional markets. It’s access to then and price paid thats the issue. I like the idea of a tax, allow priority access but the bid match is full points at least and maybe more if you are higher on the ladder.

 

[Chubbs25]

HAWTHORN​

FUTURE HAWKS?​

2025
Kobe Williams (Father-Son)
2026
Cooper Hodge (Father-Son)*
2027
Percy Burgoyne (Father-Son)

The Hawks have some father-son prospects available to them over the next three years – but they are also available to other clubs.

Kobe Williams – the son of 2008 premiership player Mark – is a 186cm prospect who has played across all three areas of the ground for the Western Jets and at school football for Scotch College.

But Williams is also linked to the Western Bulldogs’ NGA program and debuted for Footscray at VFL level last weekend.

Cooper Hodge is the big watch for next year after an impressive bottom-age season.

The son of four-time premiership player Luke, the midfielder has trained with the Hawks this year but is also linked to the Brisbane Lions Academy and has played for the Lions’ VFL side in recent weeks.

Percy Burgoyne is the son of former Port Adelaide and Hawthorn premiership star Shaun and is father-son eligible for both the Power and Hawks in 2027.

Burgoyne featured for South Australia at this year’s under-16 national championships.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl-draft-guide-every-clubs-top-fatherson-and-academy-prospects-over-the-next-three-years/news-story/e6a5369fabdde4290cdb1ac5511f3da8

I think Kobe is the best of the lot tbh. Ill be going hard for him this year

 

[kirbatron]

breathe of fresh air hearing caro & korn relay the message from roughy that the current C Hodge predicament is BS. i don't think Luke expected our grievances to be aired publicly by his mate

 

[HairyO]

No matching in the 1st round should have been a thing years ago but the AFL wanted the Suns to fill up on local kids to stop the constant exodus of top young players.

Of course that has gifted Brisbane a bunch of cheap picks which will keep them at the top of the ladder for years to come.

 

[Sonny Hayes]

No matching in the 1st round should have been a thing years ago but the AFL wanted the Suns to fill up on local kids to stop the constant exodus of top young players.

Of course that has gifted Brisbane a bunch of cheap picks which will keep them at the top of the ladder for years to come.

In typical fashion the AFL even when they do something right they end up getting it wrong. You can not just make a decision like this 12 months out from the draft, you have to announce these sorts of changes in advance. However it screws over Essendon and Carlton so i am okay with it.