The father-sons whose dads didn’t play enough games

This year’s father-son show at the draft will rightly be headlined by Nick Daicos and Sam Darcy, given they are set to be picked up in the top five, with Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs poised to enjoy the fruits of the age-old rule.

But intrigue also surrounds another pair of familiar surnames, as Tom Brown, son of 84-game Cat Paul, and Jesse Motlop, whose father Daniel featured in 83 contests for Port Adelaide, set their sights on the draft.

Draft hopeful Jesse Motlop is not eligible to be a father-son pick.Credit:Getty Images

Only they won’t be father-sons, at least not in the official sense of the term, given neither father transcended the 100-game mark.

It seems a particularly unlucky shortfall for Brown, considering his sister, Millie, was picked up by the Cats as a father-daughter selection in the 2019 AFLW draft. In the women’s competition, there is no minimum games requirement.

The speedy half-back flanker acknowledged a chance to pull on the blue-and-white hoops would be “unreal,” but he is ready to pave his own football path.

“It’s not disappointing,” Brown said. “If I was in the position of father-son I’d be more than happy to go to the Cats, but it’s more, like, you get in on your own merit instead of because you’re a son-of.

Millie Brown (left) was picked up by Geelong under the father-daughter rule.Credit:Getty Images

“If I was lucky enough to get drafted to the Cats it would be unreal to play for the club I’ve supported for years, but I’d say it’s good that I can go on my own journey and have my own experiences.”

Motlop echoed the sentiment.

“I’m a mad Port supporter – Dad played there, and then Uncle Steven moved over – so I’ve always gone for them my whole life. It’s unfortunate that I’ve missed out on the father-son, but Dad always says that I’ll make my way off my own talent. If I deserve it, I’ll get picked up. I’ve always lived by that,” he said.

The smooth-moving small forward from South Fremantle also has ties to the Dockers as a next-generation academy member, but is available to any club within the first 40 picks given his status as a metropolitan prospect.

“I was happy to join anything to give myself an opportunity to make it onto an AFL list,” Motlop said of his experience in Fremantle’s academy.

On-field talent only forms part of the skill set Motlop has derived from his father. He credits both of his parents, in fact, for his leadership, for which he is highly rated within Western Australia’s under-19 set-up.

“They raised me to be a leader and to lead by example,” he said. “I’ve always followed that. They taught me everything I know in terms of my mannerisms and speaking, so I credit that to the way I’ve been raised.”

Both players shape as second-round prospects and have spoken to multiple clubs, but are yet to be given any indication as to where they might end up. The prospect of moving interstate does not faze Brown – the Mooroopna native boards at Geelong Grammar – while Motlop is already accustomed to swapping cities.

“I’ve been moving around a lot in my life, so I’m used to it – Dad lives over in Adelaide – so it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been away from family,” Motlop said.

Brown concluded the father-son discussion on a light-hearted note: “I’ll try and be a better player than he was,” he said.

Of course, Brown and Motlop are not the first draft prospects to narrowly miss father-son qualification. Premiership Demon Jake Bowey could have been drafted to St Kilda last year if his father Brett had played another 15 games for the club, while in 2019, Hawthorn missed out on Noah Anderson due to his father, Dean, falling 17 matches short. Bruce Reid, father of Ben and Sam, featured 86 times for the Western Bulldogs.

In 2006, Adelaide were eager to draft Bryce Gibbs given his father, Ross, played 253 SANFL games for Glenelg. The Crows, along with Port Adelaide, were allowed select players whose fathers played at least 200 state league games in the 20 years before their AFL existence. But during Adelaide’s 1970 to 1990 time span, Gibbs’ father played 191 games. Consequently, Adelaide missed out on the eventual No.1 pick by just nine matches.

The rule itself was established back in 1949, but the 100-game minimum has only existed since 2003. Jonathan Brown was drafted to Brisbane under the rule in 1999, even though his father, Brian, played just 51 games for Fitzroy.

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