It was always harmless enough, but living in the shadow of a quality round-ball player became a problem when I made my debut. As feared, my dad and his mates came down to watch, and all I could think of was how I could avoid disappointing them.
I was, after all, the son of a gun, so genetics would clearly lead the way.
I had a stinker. I’ll never forget the look on my dad’s face. Then his head was going to explode when I hit the crossbar after being awarded a penalty.
My career as a soccer star ended abruptly, instead choosing tennis and footy as my sports of preference. I simply couldn’t live up to the massive shadow cast by my dad’s impressive career.
It is why I always feel for father-son selections in the AFL and the pressures that come with following in illustrious footsteps.
It seems some people thrive on the burden left by their dads. Gold Coast’s Gary Ablett is the quintessential success story, and two youngsters selected this week also look to be headed for long and flourishing careers.
Sydney’s Tom Mitchell ($108,500) – son of former Swans star Barry – impressed the hell out of everybody on debut last week scoring 98, including 24 points from tackles. That’s a great sign. He's likely to be worth over $350,000 by season’s end, which should have you all rolling in money.
On Friday night we also get to see the highly-anticipated debut of Joe Daniher, son of Anthony, and he too is supposed to be able to eat pressure for breakfast.
Young Joe will cost you a bit more ($143,500), but his form in the VFL suggests teammates will find it very hard to dislodge him from the seniors once he’s settled.
Not only are both in my AFL Fantasy Dream Team, but they also find themselves in my AFL Fantasy Elite side. I reckon the young father-son duo will give me the x-factor I need to have a prosperous month on the Fantasy front.
Speaking of Fantasy Elite, the draft system has been an overwhelming success, and the good news is that Dream Teamers can still get a private league together to experience a new way to enjoy Fantasy footy.
AFL Fantasy Elite pits coaches against one another under the pressure of a live draft, with each player able to be selected on only one team.
Also remember that this week is the start of the bye rounds, where a new ‘Best 18' AFL Fantasy scoring system will come into effect. During multi-bye rounds 11, 12 and 13, you'll score from your best 18 players only in any position from your on-field starting 22.
Mr Fantasy’s trade recommendations
Ins: Tom Mitchell (Sydney), Sam Grimley (Hawthorn)
The experts knew it was coming, but even they would’ve been taken aback by Mitchell’s debut for the Swans. You still have two weeks to grab him before his score goes through the roof. The Hawks have the bye this week, but Grimley is a lovely pick up at a bargain basement price. It looks as if the coaching staff will be keen to get some more game time into the young ruckman/forward.
Outs: Paul Chapman (Geelong), David Mackay (Adelaide)
News that Chappy will be on the sidelines for a prolonged period is a big loss for those who rely on his consistency in their AFL Fantasy forward line. That hamstring has been a problem for him since I can remember. Mackay has been disappointing of late, averaging just a touch over 60 in the last three weeks. I’d look elsewhere.
