Northern Knights midfielder Darcy MacPherson is looking on the bright side of not being nominated by the Western Bulldogs under the father-son rule.
MacPherson had been hoping to be drafted by the club at which his father, Stephen, played 188 games between 1982 and ’95.
But late last month, the Bulldogs decided against doing so.
“It was sort of a little bit disappointing,” MacPherson said. “I’d spent a fair bit of time down there.
“The decision, though, frees me up a little bit not to be compared to dad so much.”
Despite the Bulldogs’ decision, the 18-year-old’s AFL dreams are alive.
“There’s been a bit of fresh air [since the Bulldogs decision] and I’ve been in contact with a few clubs,” he said.
“My manager has been doing the hard work to get a rough idea where I sit.
“He is pretty confident of me getting picked up and I trust him and hopefully he is right.”
It has been an interrupted year for MacPherson, with a shoulder injury ruining the first half of his season and any chance of playing for Vic Metro in the under-18 championships.
“The injury was a bit of a shame as I was feeling really fit – it pretty much stopped me,” he said. “I knew I would be back around the middle of the season which was enough time to show what I can do. It was a lot of hard work to get back into fitness.”
He returned to the field in round 10 of the TAC Cup.
“I thought I adapted getting back into football really well,” he said. “The shoulder was fine. I wanted to play consistent footy and showcase my skills with the ball.
“I played some pretty good games. I couldn’t have been happier, coming off the injury.”
MacPherson also got the opportunity to play three games with Footscray’s VFL side.
“That was awesome,” he said. “The Bulldogs wanted to see how I would go against the next level.
“It was a bit of a step up. The pace was better and you had little time to get rid of the ball.”
He said the greater impact of the bigger, senior players was obvious when he was tackled.
MacPherson, who lives in Diamond Creek, showed enough in the second half of the season to be invited to the national draft combine along with Knights teammates Brayden Fiorini, Tyrone Leonardis and Jade Gresham.
“There was a lot of hard work, training three nights a week with the Northern Knights who ran before it,” he said. “I had nothing to lose as not many clubs have seen much of me.
“I went out there and tried my best and I was really happy with the skills and other tests.
“It was good to have the other boys there. I played junior football against them and it’s good to see how they’ve matured.”
The four Knights boys will continue to train together until the AFL draft on Tuesday, November 24, and the Rookie draft, to be held three days later.
“We are doing our own thing together and sticking with it,” he said.
“I may go down to the Northern Blues and train with them.
“Hopefully things will work out.”
