Fremantle CEO Simon Garlick wants father-son rule scrapped
As Brisbane prepares to launch into a bid for back-to-back premierships with superstar brothers Will and Levi Ashcroft, while leaders Collingwood boast Nick and Josh Daicos, Garlick declared the modern game couldn't keep limiting access to the best young talent.
The Ashcroft brothers, including Norm Smith medallist Will, were both likely No.1 picks who went to the Lions because of their father, Marcus, a 300-gamer for Brisbane who had first access to them.
Similarly, Nick Daicos was widely considered the best player in his draft but went at four due to Collingwood's bid, while Western Bulldogs 'unicorn' Sam Darcy, the son of club great Luke, has emerged as a potential $2m-a-season player and was another father-son product.
Even of one of the modern-day greats, dual Brownlow medallist Gary Ablett Jr, started his career and played in premierships with Geelong because of the link with his legendary father, Gary Ablett Sr.
Having been unable to get its hands on any of them, Garlick said the romantic notion of the rule was now outweighed by the need for equal access in the pursuit of premierships.
'The father-son is just pot luck,' he said.
'So from my perspective I just think when you've got players the like of the Ashcrofts, Sam Darcy – they're generational players – and we're all working towards trying to win flags by building great cultures, attracting and retaining talent, and doing things on an even playing field.
'It's one that I don't see as having a place in the contemporary game, albeit understanding it's lovely from a historical perspective and the culture of the game. I get that.
'But it just doesn't feel right to me.'
Garlick said the draft was the 'most critical equalisation measure in the game' and shouldn't be compromised anymore.
'I understand that we're going to have some concessions that are provided with it,' he told SEN.
'We want to encourage the game in the northern markets and we're supportive of that. We want to make sure we reach these people who might not necessarily play the game at a regular level.'
The AFL has given no indication that the father-son rule would be revisited.
The Dockers have one father-son player on their list, Jaren Carr, only the club's second father-son player after Brett Peake.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Daily Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
Campaigners say tanker carrying Russian oil to dock in WA
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. A tanker purportedly full of Russian oil is set to dock in Western Australia within days, despite sanctions being in place against Moscow, Ukrainian and anti-Russian oil campaigners According to DFAT, the 'import, purchase or transport' of several goods is prohibited 'if they were exported from, or originated in, Russia'. That includes oil and petroleum products. The ship Seferis left Sika in India two weeks ago full of oil from the Jamnagar refinery, and it is due to arrive in the outer-Perth suburb of Kwinana by 4am Sunday. The Jamnagar refinery is notoriously fed by Russian crude oil, with as much as 55 per cent of their 2025 stock coming from the European pariah. This means the imported oil, which originated in Russia, could end up fuelling Australian vehicles on the road. Anti-Russian oil campaigners allege this ship is full of covertly imported Russian oil The alarm has been raised about a 'loophole' that allows Russian oil to be bought and sold in Australia, with local campaigners and parliamentarians calling for immediate action. Independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie raised the issue in Question Time on Thursday, asking the Defence Minister Richard Marles 'Why are the loopholes in our sanctions so big you can drive a tanker through them?' 'In July, two vessels reportedly docked in Botany Bay, with some 175,000 tonnes of petrol from the Jamnagar refinery in India, which uses up to 55 per cent Russian oil,' Mr Wilkie said. 'So these vessels effectively carry some 90,000 tonnes of Russian-sourced petrol, paid for by Australians, which will help fund Putin's war in Ukraine.' Independent MP Andrew Wilkie questioned the government about the 'loophole'. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman Mr Marles largely avoided the question instead focusing on the sanctions that had been put in place. 'Sanctions, which is the topic of the question the member has asked, is an important part of what we are putting in place to stand with Ukraine,' Mr Marles said. 'And our government will stand with Ukraine. 'I know the Australian people will stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes for Ukraine to resolve this conflict on its terms.' The loophole has recently been closed in the European Union, which has banned the importation of petroleum products refined form Russian crude oil in its 18th sanctions package against Russia. Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles defended Australia's sanctions. NewsWire / Simon Bullard. The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations has urged Australia to take similar action. 'This decisive action closes a glaring and deeply exploited loophole that has allowed Russian crude to enter global markets through refineries in third-party countries – undermining sanctions and fuelling the Kremlin's war machine. 'We urge the Australian government to take similar action and close this loophole in Australia's own sanctions regime. 'Since February 2023, Australia has imported an estimated $3.7bn worth of Russian crude, as a component in refined petroleum products from Indian refineries – sending around $1.8bn in tax revenue to the Kremlin. 'This flow of profits directly helps fund Russia's brutal war against Ukraine.' Originally published as Tanker carrying Russian oil set to dock in WA despite sanctions, campaigners say


7NEWS
3 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Payne Haas limps off as Broncos stun Eels in massive NRL boilover
Parramatta have put a spear in Brisbane's top-four hopes in a stunning 22-20 win inspired by skipper Mitchell Moses. To make matters worse for the Broncos their star prop Payne Haas was seen limping badly at the end of the match at Suncorp Stadium. Moses was on fire in his return from injury with winger Zac Lomax his powerhouse self with two cracking tries. The clash had a drama-charged finish when Brisbane fullback Reece Walsh was off-side when collecting a Gehamat Shibasaki grubber with 48 seconds left on the clock. Parramatta fullback Joash Papalii was a sensation at No.1 and was a relieved man when Walsh was denied after he knocked-on for his opposite number to swoop. The Broncos, at full strength and on the back of five wins in a row, were error-riddled in the second half with Walsh the worst offender in a rocks and diamonds display. The home side led 14-12 at halftime against an Eels side that were more than up for the fight. Both halfbacks, at the elite end of the spectrum most weeks, were highly influential. Moses, back from a calf injury sustained in NSW camp in the lead-up to game two of the State of Origin series, was superb with his long and short kicking game to set up two tries. Broncos counterpart Reynolds was also on song with a runaway intercept try and crafty inside pass for Kobe Hetherington to race away. Moses was at it again after the break with a lovely out ball to Will Penisini to send Lomax over for his second after a loose pass by Walsh gifted possession. Walsh took several poor options in attack before on the last tackle he put on a superb step on the 40m line and found bench specialist Billy Walters in support to give Brisbane a 20-18 lead. Addo-Carr would not be denied and streaked over for his 150th career try to grab the lead The hosts left Haas on the bench for 30 minutes in the middle of the match as he battled a lingering lower back complaint, but he came back on for the final stint before suffering another possible injury. The first half was full of quality and competitive footy. Brisbane forward Xavier Willison was put on report for a cannonball tackle on Eels prop Junior Paulo early and the visitors got into a grind with determination. Walsh made the cardinal error of letting a Moses mid-field bomb bounce. Parramatta centre Sean Russell gathered, chipped over Walsh's head and scored a cracker. Reynolds then swooped on a Dean Hawkins pass to race 75m to score. The captain orchestrated the next try for Hetherington but the visitors were plucky. The quality of the Eels attack has improved markedly over the season and Moses, with a set play, lobbed a perfect kick for aerial specialist Lomax to dive, catch and score.

News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Footy world uses the same word for Toby Greene's latest act
The Giants stormed home for a stunning 38-point win over the Swans on Friday night, but huge sections of the footy world were left using the same word for Toby Greene after his latest aggressive act against Isaac Heeney. The Swans led by 28 points at halftime, but the Giants turned the match on its head after the main break, prevailing 15.12 (102) to 8.10 (58) to effectively end Sydney's season. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. With both teams battling for a shot at September in a massive Sydney Derby, Greene adopted his usual confrontational style, but may have stepped over the line in the first quarter. And at a time when the Giants need him more than ever, the skipper could be looking at yet another stint on the sidelines with four matches now remaining in the regular season. The Swans copped an unfortunate blow in the first minute of the game when Hayden McLean took an accidental shot to the head and was immediately subbed out. Despite that setback, Sydney still worked its way on top in the first term before Greene struck. Midway through the quarter, Sydney's Aaron Francis spilled a mark before finding Errol Gulden, who got smashed in a tackle as the footy bounced free. Francis managed to get it back and handballed to Heeney, who shrugged off Greene's attempted tackle before he was wrapped up by Sam Taylor Greene didn't take kindly to being dropped by Heeney, returning to the contest and appearing to aim his elbow or forearm right at the side of the Sydney superstar's head. Greene looked up at the umpire hoping for a holding the ball decision before the umpire called a high tackle against him. 'They reversed it, I think it was Toby Greene for high contact after the holding the ball decision,' Leigh Montagna said calling the action on Fox Footy. When Alastair Lynch suggested Greene 'gave him one to the guts', Dwayne Russell fired back: 'I reckon he got him a bit higher than the guts looking at that replay.' The commentary team then got on with calling the action, with the Swans kicking six straight goals either side of quarter-time to grab control of the game. But Ben Dixon was focused on Greene at the first break. 'No shots fired during the week, very quiet leading into Derby 31 and Toby Greene might've been saving his rounds because the first quarter he was firing shots left, right and centre,' he said from the boundary line. 'Isaac Heeney's 'don't argue' on Toby Greene, he said 'I'm not having that', comes in with a forearm to the head, reverse free kick. That was holding the ball. 'And then off the ball with Aaron Francis, just one to the chest, throwing his weight around. 'He's not going to miss many tonight the way the captain's going about it.' Greene also showed his contempt towards fellow agitator Tom Papley heading to the halftime break, telling Fox Footy 'he's looking overweight, see how he goes second half'. Social media immediately caught fire over the incident between Heeney and the man who holds two highly unwanted AFL records. Greene has been hit with 25 charges by the AFL Match Review committee and $35,600 worth of fines, both all-time records in the competition's history. Footy producer Brad Klibansky wrote on X: 'That's a weak act from Toby Greene.' Bryce O'Connor tweeted: 'I normally defend Toby, but that was s**thouse!' Footy account Outbreezy WC said: 'I like Toby Greene but he is 100% a dirty player.' The Surly Sportsman replied: 'I like him too, but someone needs to smack him in his face for real.' A whole range of footy fans all used the same word to describe the combative Giants star. X account @drawnbarrier13 wrote: 'Once a grub, always a grub.' @matthewsmith510 said: 'What an absolute f**king grub Toby is.' @danieIthompson offered: 'Toby Greene is a complete grub. Complete myth too, hasn't been good since 2019.' Jon Malpa stated: 'Toby Greene proving yet again that he is the biggest grub in the AFL.' BMacca Sports added: 'Red mist descending on Toby atm … I get playing hard but the bloke is an all-time grub.' There were many more, but we think you get the idea. Many also suggested Greene was heading for yet another stint on the sidelines. @ARJ7X tweeted: 'Toby might be having a holiday after that.' @straightrocket added simply: 'Bye Toby.' It remains to be seen if the former All Australian captain will indeed face another suspension. But at a time when his club is fighting for a shot at a first premiership, he could be giving coach Adam Kingsley the type of headache he desperately doesn't need. Apart from Greene's first-half moment of madness, the Giants flexed their premiership aspirations in a sensational turnaround that leaves them knocking on the door of the top four and the Swans planning for 2026.