Why not a father-son rule in the NRL?

4th July, 2017

Sons follow their father’s footsteps into all sorts of professions and trades from doctors to dairy farmers. Rugby league is no different.

Famous surnames regularly reappear in the game from one generation to the next. Fulton, Goodwin and Pearce but to name a few. It is in their blood.

Sometimes sons play for their fathers’ clubs, but often they do not, which is a shame.

Rugby league is built on tribalism, but what is that if not family, friends and community, and the ties that bind them all together.

In the AFL they have a father-son rule which encourages clubs to recruit the sons of players who have played for them.

AFL clubs are given preferential recruiting access to the sons of players who have made a major contribution to the team.

The father-son rule was introduced in 1949 to circumvent the zoning system in the VFL, the forerunner to the AFL.

The origin of the rule is believed to be the lobbying of the Melbourne club to have a young Ron Barassi follow in the footsteps of his father Ron Barassi senior, who died in World War Two, but the first player cleared was Harvey Dunn junior, who joined his father’s old club, Carlton, in 1951.

The rule was later incorporated into the draft, which was introduced to the VFL in 1981.

Rugby league does not have a zoning system or a draft, but it does have a salary cap.

Some cynics say loyalty has gone out of the game, but the NRL does have a long serving player allowance which encourages clubs to retain players who have served a continuous period of 10 years in first grade. There is also a marquee player allowance.

The NRL could introduce a father-son allowance, which would provide extra flexibility to the salary cap, but more importantly keep the bloodlines flowing in clubs across the generations.

I asked the NRL about the father-son idea several years ago and the attitude was they did not need a rule because most sons played for their father’s clubs anyway.

A quick glance at current NRL rosters tells you this is certainly the case. Jack Johns (Matt), Zac Hosking (Dave) and Jayden Butterfield (Mark) at the Knights; Lachlan Lam (Adrian), Sean O’Sullivan (Peter), Nick O’Meley (Mark), Jake O’Meley (Mark) at the Roosters; Tristan Sailor (Wendell), Dylan Morris (Steve), Jackson Willis (Andrew) at the Dragons; Reed Izzard (Brad), Ben Cartwright (John) at the Panthers and Kyle Flanagan (Shane) at the Sharks.

So there is no need for a father-son rule, right? Well, not necessarily.

Mitchell Pearce (Wayne) does not play for the Tigers; Paul Carter (Steve) does not play for the Panthers and Nathan Cleary (Ivan) does not play for the Sea Eagles, Roosters or Warriors.

(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

There are loads of examples, past and present, where sons have not followed their father’s footsteps. In some cases this may be a choice. There could be a family break-up or the son does not want to live in the shadow of a famous dad.

But in other cases it is just plain economics.

In the 1980s Canterbury was known as ‘The Family Club’. The Bulldogs had two sets of three brothers – Garry, Graeme and Mark Hughes and Chris, Peter and Steve Mortimer – who played together in back-to-back grand finals in 1979 and 1980.

Garry Hughes three sons – Corey, Glen and Steven – continued the family tradition at the Bulldogs, but Peter Mortimer’s two boys, Daniel and Robbie did not.

Daniel played for the Eels, Titans and Roosters before joining English club Leigh Centurions, but a father-son rule probably would have allowed him to play keep the Mortimer name at the Bulldogs.

They say AFL fans are born in their club’s colours. The father-son rule is part of that family tradition.

My understanding is the NRL are now considering a father-son rule. When the officials weigh up the merits of the idea they might think about the first time they attended a rugby league game when they were boys – chances are their dads took them.

The Crowd Says:

2017-07-09T17:49:06+00:00

Lidcombe Oval

Guest

A Draft is a restraint of trade - Terry Hill took the NSWRL to court over the internal/external draft in 1991 and won - Only reason the draft is still in the AFL is no one has taken it to court- obviously if a player was drafted to go to club they didn't want to go to it would be the end of the draft in the AFL as well. Would anyone on here like to be told you have to work for x employer when you didn't want to?

2017-07-09T17:34:42+00:00

Lidcombe Oval

Guest

Four Horsemen - The Clash - London Calling album

2017-07-09T17:33:04+00:00

Lidcombe Oval

Guest

Are sons of former players forced to go to that club though - be restraint of trade if so- AFL has a draft etc which if ever challenged in court would be deemed illegal as the league one was - Dennis Tutty Transfer rule and Terry Hill (Internal/external Draft) for instance

2017-07-09T17:31:23+00:00

Lidcombe Oval

Guest

2017-07-05T03:58:28+00:00

Wayne Turner

Guest

Indeed - He played for the Dragons,Magpies and Eels. Author probably confusing him,with Stuart Flanagan - Former NRL player.Who played for WestsTigers,Raiders and Sharks.

2017-07-05T03:46:26+00:00

Wayne Turner

Guest

Alot of the current head coaches still having their head coaching jobs tells you that:- *Ricky Stupid at the Raiders - Sacked from Roosters and Sharks.Eels loved to see the back of him.The club he mainly played for.Contract extended with them losing too.Also,the CEO is the brother of former Stupid team mate and friend David Furner. *Mary at Dragons - Played for them. *Stephen Kearney - Token kiwi maori coach,coaching the New Zealand Warriors.Failing their after failing at Eels. Etc..

2017-07-05T03:41:22+00:00

Wayne Turner

Guest

It was cool seeing Bob Fulton's sons playing for Manly - Oh wait it wasn't.They were terrible,and should NEVER have played first grade EVER.Both were hopeless.And were only their cause of daddy.

2017-07-05T03:38:03+00:00

Wayne Turner

Guest

True and funny - "on merit" - This is the anti-merit inbred rule.

2017-07-05T03:35:57+00:00

Wayne Turner

Guest

Indeed - A dumb illogical article and idea. IE: Reinforcing inbredness.

2017-07-05T03:33:36+00:00

Wayne Turner

Guest

Spot on - It is an inbred horrible idea.

2017-07-05T03:25:01+00:00

Wayne Turner

Guest

Spot on - This is a terrible article and terrible idea. Sounds like the "inbred rule". Merit is better reasons players make it,than who they are related too.There is enough problems with the NRL being "inbred" without making it a rule ie: Matt Gidley played for Newcastle Knights,and now their hopelessly terrible CEO. This article misses the point,that many players,who had famous fathers as players,play better away from the club their father played at egs: Wayne Pearce - Better to be out of his father's shadow,by playing for the Roosters and NOT Tigers.Nathan Cleary. Curtis Sirro - Only playing better away from the shadow of his father. Eric Grothe Jr - Was always in the shadow if his father when at Parramatta. Yes,there are exceptions,but only exceptions,like the Morris twins being great playing for one of the clubs their dad played for - the Dragons. Rugby League has enough and too many problems with it being "inbred" - Whether being related to a previous player,or getting into high level coaching because you were a to level player - Coaching and playing are two totally different skills egs: Yet known failures of coaches in Ricky Stuart (Back at the club he mainly played for) still have a head coaching job,and Stephen Kearney - Both dud coaches. Having a rule to promote it is terrible.Merit based is whats needed... At all levels.

2017-07-05T01:16:08+00:00

Jaime O'Donnell

Guest

I'd say Brett Mullins (Canberra Raiders and Sydney Roosters) achieved a bit more than his father Bill (Eastern Suburbs Roosters).

2017-07-04T20:56:24+00:00

Guest

Shane Flanagan never played for the Sharks

2017-07-04T13:55:52+00:00

Nathan

Guest

The only way I can see a father/son rule coming into league and working would be to introduce a draft. That way, it's fair for everyone

2017-07-04T13:06:33+00:00