FATHER-SON selections are widely considered as draft windfalls, but they can also force tricky decisions because of the emotion that comes with the son of a gun.
The Western Bulldogs have benefited from the draft concession more than most clubs, with four current players following in their fathers' footsteps.
Two of them, Tom Liberatore and Mitch Wallis, become free agents at season's end. While coach Luke Beveridge says they are required players, can the Dogs play both contested-ball specialists in the same side with their lack of a "strong athletic profile" and flexibility the premiership coach demands?
Fellow midfielders Marcus Bontempelli, Jack Macrae and Toby McLean all win the ball on the inside, spread from the contest and can play on a wing or a flank, while impressive youngster Bailey Williams has displayed a nice balance in his game when recently switched from half-back to the midfield.
Also joining a burgeoning inside-midfield assembly is 190cm Josh Dunkley, with Beveridge believing the premiership forward can also be a dominant force at the coalface.
Liberatore, 26, was preferred ahead of Wallis during the JLT Community Series and in round one, but the former's year-ending knee injury in the season-opener still didn't open the selection door for the latter until round three.
Dropped to the VFL for a fortnight after round nine, Beveridge explained the 25-year-old needed to add a "qualitative sheen" to his game if wanted to be a permanent member of the team.
While Wallis has been a solid contributor since his return to the senior side, his foot skills once again let him down in the dying moments in the two-point loss to North Melbourne last week, when a wayward kick just sailed out on the full, the mistake giving the Kangaroos the chance to launch their match-winning play.
Beveridge judged Wallis as "influential" in the heart-breaking defeat, but the costly blunder was another example of the ongoing skill errors that have plagued the Dogs throughout the season.
The Dogs sit 13th in the AFL for use by foot with an efficiency of just 64 per cent.
The ability to retain possession is key in the modern game, and Dogs list manager Sam Power told AFL.com.au's Road to Draft Podcast recently the club will look to add some much-needed class to their list via trade, free agency and November's NAB AFL Draft.
When it comes to this year's underage talent pool, the club is likely select a skilful finisher with a likely top-five pick, but also acquire another father-son recruit, as club great Scott West's son Rhylee has been impressing with Vic Metro and the Calder Cannons.
But what could complicate the club's list management strategy is West, like Wallis and Liberatore, is smaller inside midfielder who excels at stoppages, but isn't overly reliable by foot.
When it comes to efficiency by foot over their eight-year careers at Whitten Oval, Liberatore (59.4 per cent) only just shades Wallis (58.6), while West hits a target just 58.1 percent of the time.
However, what the AFL Academy member has over his potential future teammates is a burst of speed and elite agility to compliment the vision and quick hands he inherited from his father.
While West is likely to attract a bid from a rival club early in the second round on draft night, there's every chance the Bulldogs will have to make the tough decision to bid farewell to either Wallis or Liberatore at season's end.
