Victorian midfielder Darcy MacPherson was one of the more unlucky players not to find a home at Tuesday night’s national draft. But on Friday morning, Gold Coast quickly nabbed the Western Bulldogs father-son academy with pick No. 21 in the rookie draft.
 
The Bulldogs elected not to add MacPherson to their list via a father-son bid in the national draft, but hadn’t ruled out securing the tenacious utility at the rookie draft. In the end, the SUNS swooped first, acquiring the teenager with their second pick.
 
MacPherson’s father, Stephen, played 188 games at the Kennel, allowing the Northern Knights product to train with the club at different stages over the last few years.
 
The 17-year-old overcame injury concerns that ruined the early part of 2015, to produce a strong second half of the season as well as an eye-catching draft combine. He finished inside the top ten in the beep test, agility test, running vertical jump, clean hands and kicking assessments.
 
In three VFL appearances for Footscray, the 177cm utility demonstrated his ability to play as a defensive pressure applying forward, with his ability to apply himself to his craft impressing Gold Coast recruiting boss Dom Ambrogio.
 
“Darcy played some good VFL footy coming over a shoulder injury at the start of the year and did really well to work hard to get himself to the level he did,” Ambrogio told goldcoastfc.com.au following the rookie draft.
 
“He plays with great energy, he’s got super agility, he’s got a huge work rate and a great appetite to tackle.
 
“We can see him having an impact early as well. He’s a little terrier of a player.”