JOEL Crocker's lasting memory of growing up around Arden St is being brought into the players' huddle to belt out North Melbourne's club song after the stirring 2007 semi-final triumph over Hawthorn at the MCG.
Crocker was just seven at the time but was a frequent fixture around North where his father Darren was an assistant coach.
"Me and a mate got to go into the circle and sang with all the boys. That's a memory that sticks pretty close to me," Crocker said.
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The father-son recruit was talking at Arden St on Wednesday, when he and Curtis Taylor were giving their first club media conference since being selected on the second day of the NAB AFL Draft last Friday.
Crocker, who was the Kangaroos' final pick in the draft at No.69, was born after Darren retired, but the self-described football fanatic has watched countless replays of some of the 165 games his father played.
The night before he had watched North's 1996 Grand Final win over Sydney alongside fellow father-son recruit Bailey Scott, whose father Robert played with Darren Crocker in that premiership team.
"It was pretty funny," Crocker said of the experience.
If Crocker always appeared destined to arrive at Arden St, Taylor's football future was far less certain as he approached last week's draft.
Widely tipped to be taken in the top 30 selections, he endured a "hard night" after being overlooked in the draft's opening round on Thursday and his nerves only got worse when the second round came and went without his name being called.
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However, the 187cm forward said "it was worth the wait in the end" when North traded up to pick No.46 and read out his name, something that wouldn't have been possible had Scott not also slipped down the order unexpectedly.
Taylor had only spoken to North once in the lead-up to the draft but was already "good mates" with forward Mason Wood, having met him a year earlier.
The forward has a connection to an Australian great in another sport, his mother is a sister of Simone Callahan, Shane Warne's former wife.
But Taylor quickly dismissed his own cricketing ability, saying: "It was always footy for me."
Meanwhile, Crocker agrees with the popular consensus that the joey didn't fall too far from the premiership Kangaroo in terms of playing style.
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At 188cm, Crocker is just 1cm shorter than his father and displays the same football smarts in the forward line and similar class by hand and foot.
"Everyone says we play pretty similar but he obviously taught me how to play footy, so it's no surprise that there are a few similarities," Crocker said.
Crocker is completely comfortable with the prospect of working under Darren, who is now the club's coaching director, saying his father had always been one of his assistant coaches at junior level.
"He's always just treated me like one of the other players," Crocker said.
"He's obviously helped me a lot to get to this point, so just having such good knowledge at first-hand, to lean off him and learn a lot at home, has been great."
Crocker has struggled with injury over recent seasons, particularly two separate bouts of ankle syndesmosis.
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He spent time rehabbing with Sam Wright last summer as the Roos' veteran worked overtime to overcome a similar ankle injury.
Seeing Wright return this season to play 16 consecutive games after nearly two years on the sidelines gave Crocker confidence he could get his body right too.
The forward returned to running about a month ago and says his ankle is now "about 95 per cent".
He doesn't expect it will hold him back too much in his first AFL pre-season.
"I haven't had much continuity in my footy over the last few years but the ankle is feeling really good," Crocker said.
"Now I'm surrounded by great support staff, they'll get me up and about.
"I think I'll be fully training in a few weeks' time, so it's exciting."
