Nick Davis has been the centre of attention before.
Take the 2005 semi-final against Geelong, for instance, where he single-handedly turned a blockbuster SCG affair on its head, helping the Swans claw back a four-goal margin to emerge with a three-point win. As if you need reminding, Davis kicked four goals in the fourth quarter to make history.
The Swans would win the flag that year by four points over the West Coast Eagles, with Davis scaling the 2005 AFL Grand Final dais as a newly minted premiership winner.
Now, the father-son recruitment process, by which Davis was originally selected by Collingwood in 1998, is drawing scrutiny. Speaking on Zero Hanger's Hangin' Out podcast, Davis defended the rule.
Davis' father, Craig, played for Carlton, North Melbourne, Collingwood and Sydney, qualifying Nick as a father-son selection with 102 games for the Magpies, clearing the 100-game threshold. Nick Davis was taken with Pick 19 in the 1998 National Draft.
“I think that tradition is important in every game," said Davis. "I feel like, in terms of father-son rule, or academy rule, I understand that some teams might think it's a competitive advantage, but there are lots of reasons why teams are successful."
Ultimately, Davis said it is what you do on the field that matters.
"There are lots of reasons why you do or don't win games or premierships, and I don't think that a father-son draft pick is that," he said.
In a wide-ranging interview with Phoenix Trinidad, the 168-gamer touched on his AFL journey, including the best teams he played against, from the Brisbane Lions in '02 through to the West Coast Eagles in '06, as well as differences between Mick Malthouse and Paul Roos.
Davis recalls that he was a slow starter to AFL footy, not playing the game at an elite level until he was in he was in his mid-teenage years.
“I probably didn't start my AFL career until I was about 15 or 16, and quickly made a couple of representative sides in Sydney and New South Wales," said Davis.
“Collingwood came and spoke to me about a potential father-son [selection], which, for someone anxious about going into the draft, and the unknown of where you could end up, it was reassuring for someone at 16 years of age that you could plan out the next couple of years of your life.”
After Collingwood's heartbreaking nine-point grand final loss the Brisbane Lions in 2002, Davis would be traded to the Sydney Swans, citing a wish to move back to New South Wales and be closer to his family.
It was a tough decision for Davis, and he said that in another universe where Collingwood won the 2002 AFL Grand Final, he may have never have left the Pies at all.
“We were probably a quarter away from being a Collingwood premiership player and playing out my career there.”
For the full episode of this week's chat with Nick Davis, you can watch the player below or head to Zero Hanger's YouTube channel.
