00Father-son selections are often a key area of discussion as the draft calendar rolls on, and 2023 looms to be no different.
Recent seasons have seen arguably the two best prospects from their respective classes land at AFL clubs as father-son picks, with Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos and Brisbane young gun Will Ashcroft following in their dads' footsteps to join the Magpies and Lions respectively as top-five selections in 2021 and 2022.
A total of seven father-son picks were taken last year, with Ashcroft joined by fellow first-round selection Jaspa Fletcher in heading to Springfield. Adelaide got their hands on Max Michalanney in the opening rounds as well, while Essendon came away with both Davey twins Alwyn Jr. and Jayden last November.
Daicos' draft saw a total of five father-son picks taken, with the 2023 Brownlow favourite the second to be recruited among the top four selections - coming two spots after Western Bulldogs tall Sam Darcy.
The Dogs could find themselves adding another familiar name to their key forward stocks this year as likely first-round prospect Jordan Croft continues to build his case as one of the leading attacking targets in this year's class.
Croft is one of four standout father-son prospects in 2023, with Rookie Me Central draft analyst Michael Alvaro diving into potential selections for the Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn, Melbourne and Sydney on the latest episode of Zero Hanger TV.
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Here's a breakdown of some of the leading father-son names for 2023.
Son of: Matthew Croft (186 games for Footscray/Western Bulldogs)
Height: 200cm
Position: Key Forward
Club: Maribyrnong Park
The Bulldogs are already home to a plethora of tall options in their attack, with former top 10 draft picks Darcy, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Aaron Naughton already calling Whitten Oval home.
Croft is set to join that crop at the end of this year as the Dogs look to continue their rich history of attaining talented father-son selections. What Croft's arrival will mean for the likes of Darcy and Naughton remains to be seen, with the talented duo able to play in defence and are part of an already brimming group of tall forwards.
The Dogs are likely to be weighing up their assets for this year's trade period as well, with the Footscray-based club currently holding two first-round selections (their own and Brisbane's) and could have a bid land in the top 20 for Croft.
The teenager booted 14 goals in his last four games for the Calder Cannons prior to the National Championships, where he also had an impact for Vic Metro across three matches - culminating with a three-goal haul against South Australia.
Speaking on Zero Hanger TV, Alvaro said Croft has emerged as a top 15 prospect for this year's draft thanks to a strong start to his Talent League campaign and impressive National Championships carnival.
"With the Vic Metro rotation he only played three games, which was a bit bizarre to me, but he's definitely a top-15 prospect," Alvaro said.
"Should set the Bulldogs back a pretty penny, especially after they bid so highly on Jaspa Fletcher last year. That then might come back to bite them.
"But he's a great player. I love his aggression and athleticism, you can see him chasing down players, using his closing speed, and then hitting players hard. He attacks the ball in the air really nicely.
"We talk about upside, he's definitely got it. The way he moves, the way he attacks the ball and what he could be is really what you're looking at. He's one of those talls that's definitely in the first-round conversation."
Son of: Luke McCabe (138 games for Hawthorn)
Height: 197cm
Position: Key Defender
Club: Central Districts
Sam Mitchell will be licking his lips at the thought of having direct access to one of South Australia's leading prospects, with 197cm defender Will McCabe tied to Waverley thanks to his father, Luke.
McCabe rose into contention as a potential first-round selection following a strong start to 2023 with Central Districts' under-18s side, even featuring for the Bulldogs' reserves team where he recorded 13 disposals and 10 marks last weekend.
While also capable of playing as a forward target, McCabe is best suited as an intercepting backman and showed glimpses of his best defensive traits for South Australia over the recent carnival.
Due to the croweaters' undermanned backline, McCabe was tasked with locking down some of this year's best key forwards and at times battled with the bigger bodies of the competition.
"He probably had to play a different role to what he would like. He's most effective when he's sort of coming in third up, intercepting, peeling off, things like that. Whereas he was really one of two key defenders for South Australia with (Will) Patton," Alvaro said.
"He had to lock down a bit more on opponents, he played on Jed Walter in the first game and that's a hard matchup for him because he's a bit of a leaner body, a more athletic type. So he had to adjust a little bit and probably didn't get to show his flair and his on-the-ball potential.
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"So a difficult Champs. He wasn't the worst player, he's a steady performer, and still for mine will be within that sort of top 20 around the 15 mark.
"Definitely a guy who is going to be an interesting one for Hawks fans and recruiters to consider."
Son of: Nathan Brown (146 games for Melbourne)
Height: 181cm
Position: Outside Midfielder
Club: Blackburn
The Demons snapped a seven-year father-son selection drought in 2021 when they took Taj Woewodin - the son of Brownlow Medal winner Shane - with the 65th and last selection of the National Draft.
Two years on, Melbourne looks a strong chance to follow suit as young midfielder Kynan Brown pieces together a formidable draft campaign.
The Oakleigh Chargers prospect is averaging 23.1 disposals, 5.0 tackles, 3.7 inside 50s and 4.3 marks from his seven Talent League matches in 2023, while he also took part in the recent National Championships carnival for Vic Metro, where he would be named among the team's best performers in all four games as an outside runner.
While Brown isn't seen as a first-round chance like Croft or McCabe, his standing will benefit Melbourne if a rival bid does come through on draft night, with the Demons unlikely to be needing to hand over a strong hand of draft points to match the bid.
In Alvaro's eyes, Brown could even slide outside of the National Draft and be taken as a rookie selection.
"He's a solid player, I think Melbourne will look at him later in the draft. He might even slip through to be that sort of Cat B selection," Alvaro said.
"There's so many NGA picks and father-sons who end up sort of slipping to the Rookie Draft. Like the Davey twins last year, with Jayden taken with their last pick in the National Draft, so that might be the case with Brown and Melbourne.
"He certainly knows how to rack up the ball. He works hard but he's probably just lacking that touch of polish and effectiveness on some of his disposal. But he had a great Champs really and did no harm to his stocks.
"So can't complain from his end and even from Melbourne, who have recently blooded a guy like Woewodin who came from a fair way back. So anything can happen."
Son of: Brett Kirk (241 games for Sydney)
Height: 179cm
Position: Utility
Club: UNSW Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs
The Swans will have priority access to several prospects in 2023 thanks to the depths of their Academy program, with the likes of Caiden Cleary and Caleb May among the standouts for Sydney's development pathway this year.
Among the Academy squad is a familiar name, and not just because he was retained for 2023 as an over-age prospect. Indhi Kirk, the son of premiership captain Brett, has managed to take advantage of his current campaign to keep his hopes of being drafted alive.
The small-framed utility has transitioned to more of an inside midfield role this year after being retained by Sydney, having developed as an outside runner or half-forward previously.
The change has seen Kirk sit second only behind Cleary for disposals per game in the Talent League at 23.8 touches, while also averaging a team-high 8.2 tackles (third overall in the competition) and 6.8 inside 50s.
Kirk would also make his VFL debut in 2022 before adding a further four appearances at the state league level this year, highlighted by a 17-disposal game against the Northern Bullants in Round 5.
"He's shown improvement. He had a bit of an interrupted top-age season so he's come back and shown his wares for the Swans Academy," Alvaro told Zero Hanger TV.
"Flying through midfield, which is a bit different because he played on the wing last year and a little bit up at half forward. He's another hard worker, a bit of a smaller midfielder but can play on both sides of midfield which is really handy.
"He's got that toughness like his dad Brett, plays with his heart and mind, which you love to say and he's going to be another one to consider sort of later on in the piece you'd think.
"They've got a few Academy members as well. Obviously Caiden Cleary and a few others in a really even crop. I think he'll be considered.
"Someone like Leon Cameron who's coached at AFL level, who's in charge of the Swans Academy at the moment, he rates him really highly. It's a good person to have vouch for you."