Essendon has moved significantly closer to securing the exciting Davey twins at this year’s draft, with Alwyn Junior and Jayden both nominating the Bombers under the father-son rule.
Foxfooty.com.au has confirmed AFL Media’s report that twin brothers Alwyn Davey Junior and Jayden Davey are both now eligible to follow in the footsteps of their dad — ex-Bombers forward Alwyn Davey Senior, who kicked 120 goals from 100 AFL games — in joining Essendon next month.
Nomination paperwork of draft eligible father-son players is due on Wednesday, with the Davey brothers only making their intentions clear two days before the deadline. Another father-son bidding nomination must be lodged with the AFL by Monday November 21.
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Players drafted under the father-son rule have the option to immediately extend their two-year contract, which is the tenure length every draftee agrees to. Likely No. 1 pick Will Ashcroft, for example, signed a four-year deal with the Brisbane Lions when he officially nominated them in early August.
Renowned for his speed, evasion, cleanliness at ground level and goalkicking nous, Alwyn Junior has been tipped to attract a rival club bid either late in the first round of the national draft or early in the second round.
In an ideal world for Essendon, Alwyn would receive a bid after the Bombers’ second draft selection, meaning they could use their first two picks (Picks 4 and 22) to select players in the open draft. But recruiters last week indicated to foxfooty.com.au it’ll be lineball on whether a Davey bid comes before that Bombers second pick — and if it does, the Bombers’ natural second-rounder would be eaten up in the bid-matching process.
Jayden is considered just as talented as Alwyn, but his lack of opportunities this year due to injury — he ruptured his ACL in March during a game of touch rugby — means he’s more likely to be taken either late in the national draft or as a rookie.
Alwyn earlier this month told foxfooty.com.au the prospect of representing the club he supports and his dad spent seven seasons at was exciting.
“I’ve had the thought of seeing what I could look like with the red and black on. It‘s a good feeling, even for the family,” he said.
“But no matter what, Dad always just said: ‘No matter what team, I’m always going to be proud of you.’ That’s something I love.”
While the Davey brothers have been boarding at Xavier College in Melbourne, their dad has remained in Darwin but followed their progress closely and supported them passionately from afar.
Elsewhere, recruiters would be stunned if the Giants didn’t bid on Ashcroft at Pick 1, considering he’s widely regarded as the standout player in this year’s draft pool.
Fellow Lions father-son prospect Jaspa Fletcher could be the second prospect with an existing link to a club to attract a bid. Fletcher confirmed to foxfooty.com.au earlier this month he didn’t have to nominate the Lions under the father-son rule — even though his dad Adrian played 107 games for Brisbane — as he can be picked up as a northern academy prospect due to his involvement in Brisbane’s development program over six years.
Adelaide is also now bracing for father-son prospect Max Michalanney to draw rival attention as early as the first round – but more likely early in the second — while Cooper Harvey, the son of North Melbourne legend and VFL/AFL games record-holder Brent Harvey, is also firming as a national draft selection.
The 2022 AFL draft will be held across two nights, with the first round to be held on Monday November 28 and the rest of the selections on Tuesday November 29. The rookie draft will take place on Wednesday November 30.
