St Kilda supporters just have to take it on trust that watching a father-son selection run around for the team their dad played for is enjoyable.

They haven’t had that luxury since Bailey Rice played the last of his 11 games with the club in 2018, when he was the second father-son selection to play in a St Kilda jumper.

Sam Darcy looks good in a Bulldogs jumper, but should he have cost the club more?Credit: Getty Images

Their main memory of father-sons is Geelong’s Gary Ablett jnr and Matthew Scarlett combining in the defining moment of the 2009 grand final to sink the Saints.

Although it’s a much-loved feature of the game and one that could be preserved in some form, the current father-son rules are distorting competitive balance too much to survive.

They will remain as expected in 2025, when Harry Dean joins the Blues, and should remain beyond that too, until Koby Bewick and Cody Walker make their way to Essendon and Carlton, respectively.

But they should look much different by the end of the decade.

Here’s why.

The Brisbane Lions deserve every piece of success that comes their way because the work of their coach, players and administration has been outstanding since Chris Fagan arrived.

However, their luck in getting the Ashcroft brothers – both considered at worst a top five........

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