TWO SYDNEY father-son prospects are developing in one of North Melbourne's Tasmanian Next Generation academies as the Kangaroos come to terms with missing out on Nick Blakey. 

Jake and Josh Cresswell, the sons of 244-game former Swan Daryn Cresswell, feature in the Roos' NGA program in the south of Tasmania for promising 11-to-15-year-olds. 

They could be eligible to join the Kangaroos as NGA draftees, because there is an indigenous background on their mother Donna's side.

The academy quirk comes after teenage star Nick Blakey, son of ex-North and Fitzroy midfielder and Sydney assistant John Blakey, chose last week to join the Swans as an academy selection. 

In doing so, Blakey – rated a top-10 talent in this year's draft class – rejected the chance to follow his dad in becoming a Roo or Lion as a father-son pick. 

The Sydney, Greater Western Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane academies work differently to rival clubs' NGAs, with those teams gaining first access to all players within their program. 

Jake Cresswell, 14, represented Tasmania at under-12 level two years ago, while Josh, 11, is excelling in both football and cricket, which he is also in a state academy program for.

They are both midfielders and play for Clarence in the Southern Tasmanian Football League. 

"My boys are still pretty young, but they have a real affiliation with Sydney, because I played there and they've grown up following them," Cresswell snr told AFL.com.au.

"Hopefully they're both good enough when they get to that age and they get that opportunity to make that decision.

"It would be fantastic if they could play for the Swans one day."

Cresswell, an All Australian and club best and fairest winner at Sydney, said Jake was lean, athletic and likely to be a "late developer" and tipped Josh to be an "absolute gun" who has "all the tricks". 

The Swans' recruiting and list strategy manager Kinnear Beatson has already indicated an interest in getting the Cresswell boys involved in their academy in the future. 

Cresswell also has a one-year-old son, Jaedyn, with his second wife, Jo, who played national-level netball in England. 

North Melbourne could still benefit from its Tasmanian NGA, with touted top-10 selection Tarryn Thomas, Matt McGuinness – brother of ex-Lion Josh – Rhyan Mansell and Oliver Burrows-Cheng eligible to be drafted this year.