Carlton’s pain and outrage at having to fork out extra draft capital for exciting father-son selection Cody Walker will have eased slightly after his sensational VFL debut on Saturday afternoon.
The 18-year-old Walker had 25 possessions for the Blues, playing in the midfield and across half-forward, and his clear head in heavy traffic was instrumental in the Blues’ five-point win over St Kilda at Ikon Park.
He showed poise, courage, clean hands and demonstrated elite kicking skills.
But as heartening as his arrival at the struggling club will be, the Blues were left furious during the week after the AFL announced it was introducing sweeping changes to the draft rules this year.
AFL head of football performance Greg Swann said clubs would pay a “fairer” price for high-end father-son and acadamy talent.
It was a point not lost on proud father and 202-game Blue Andrew Walker who praised his son’s first outing in the navy blue junper – No.76 – but took a swipe at the league’s rule changes, calling them “ridiculous”.
“It’s so unique to our game,” Walker Sr said after watching his son play. “It’s one of those things that we could have held on to for the next 150 years, the father-son rule.
“It’s got a bit of nostalgia and bit of sexiness to it. It’s not necessarily about evening up sides and making it fair, it’s something that’s been around for a long time.
“Instead of making it a lottery, it’s more about rewarding loyalty and commitment to the football club, which is what it should have been about. It is sort of frustrating to see the way that it went.”
The AFL rejected lobbying from the Blues, Port Adelaide and Essendon to delay the rule changes until after Tasmania entered the competition in 2028.
Under the old system, clubs such as Collingwood, Western Bulldogs and the Brisbane Lions stockpiled late picks to match early bids for young superstars Nick Daicos, Sam Darcy and Will Ashcroft.
But based on current ladder position the Blues will now need 2700 points, which would require them to use their pick three and, hypothetically, another selection as low as 27 to match a bid for Walker.
Blues president Robert Priestly said the AFL’s rule changes would disadvantage certain clubs more than others and should have been given a “longer runway”.
Walker has been training at Carlton for the past six months and will follow top-end talent Jagga Smith and Harry Dean into the club. The Bendigo Pioneers product is expected to play five VFL games this year, including next week.
“It was really nice to see him out there with the jumper on,” his father said. “I think it shows, you know, being able to spend six months at the football club in the year out from getting drafted, and being able to put that sort of weight on, he certainly didn’t look out of place. So really proud of him.”
Walker Sr made played his first game for Carlton at the same ground in 2004 after being taken at pick two in the 2003 draft, collecting 26 possessions on debut – one more than his son – before finishing his league career in 2016 and returning to coach Echuca in the Goulburn Valley league.
Walker was presented his No.76 jumper by Carlton’s head of development Jordan Russell, who shared a locker next to his father, who wore No.1, during their playing careers.
Carlton VFL coach Damien Truslove said he could see similar characteristics in Walker compared to young Blues Smith and Dean.
“He’s tough,” Truslove said. “We’ve noticed that in little AFL scratch matches we’ve had at training, he’s taken some big hits, and he just bounces straight up, and he’s not afraid of the contact.
“He doesn’t like losing anything and Jagga and Deany are the same. That’s their greatest strength.
“The thing with some of those kids is you’ve got to hold them back a bit at times because they want to do more and more.
“So we’ve got to manage their minutes, we’ve got to manage their load at training and make sure we get longevity out of them. It’s exciting to have the three of them in.”
Forgotten Carlton midfielder George Hewett was best afield, dominating the opening quarter of the VFL clash against St Kilda before being moved forward, a position change that could hasten his return to AFL level.
“He spent a bit of time at Sydney playing as a half forward, and it gives him another string to his bow, really,” Truslove said.
“We think he can offer a bit forward. He’s got good hands. He’s a good, good finisher. So we want him a bit more of a look at that.”
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