Despite rising through the western Sydney ranks since the age of 12, highly-rated Giants academy product Ethan Matthews remains a diehard Collingwood fan.
Not even his allegiance to GWS has deterred him from wearing Magpies gear when the clubs clash, creating a few slightly “confronting” situations with Giants players and coaches.
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Instead, Matthews says the Giants are his “second team”, as he prepares to officially join the expansion club via next month’s draft as a likely top-10 pick.
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“Dad’s from Melbourne and is a big Pies fan, so I was signed up before birth and didn’t have much choice around that!” he told foxfooty.com.au.
“I’m a big Collingwood fan, but the Giants are definitely a close second.”
Asked how passionate he was about supporting Collingwood, Matthews said: “Very passionate.
“I see a few coaches at the Giants games and if it’s Giants-Pies, I’m still in a Pies kit. It gets confronting at times. You see players and they’re like: ‘What are you doing wearing the Pies kit?’ But I love both clubs.
“Unfortunately, neither of them went too deep into the finals this year. The Giants didn’t make it and we (Collingwood) lost in the wildcard round, but it is what it is. I love both clubs and balance it that way.”
Giants Academy product Ethan Matthews remains a hardcore Collingwood fan, which has made for a few awkward interactions. Photo by Phil Hillyard Image Supplied for Editorial Use only – NO ON SALES – copyright Phil Hillyard )Source: News Corp Australia
Speaking of club-tied players supporting rival clubs, Brisbane academy gun Caylen Murray is an unashamed Hawthorn fan because of a legendary forward.
“I love Cyril Rioli, and I’ve got a few family members down in South Australia who go for Hawthorn as well, so I sort of jumped on the bandwagon a bit,” Murray told foxfooty.com.au.
Asked how many times he’d watched Rioli’s highlights, Murray said: “Too many times!”
But of the 22 draftees-in-waiting spoken to by foxfooty.com.au at October’s Draft Combine, five – including three top-end prospects – have grown up supporting Essendon.
Headlining that crop is impressive midfielder Ethan Drever, who’s a strong chance of winding up a Bomber next month as the club’s first pick.
“My whole family supports Essendon, basically. Dad put an Essendon jumper on me in the hospital, so I didn’t really have a choice,” he said.
“It would obviously mean a lot (to play for Essendon) because of my family. It would probably mean a little bit more than being picked up by any other club, especially.
“But hopefully I get my name called out at the end of the day.”
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Gus Teixeira’s dad met a friend who went for the Bombers, which was the root of his fandom, while Lochie Burrows’ grandpa “got me to go for them,and I’ve been loyal ever since”.
Meanwhile, top-five chance Arki Butler and his family have been Essendon fans their whole lives, and he admitted he got a buzz when club officials visited earlier this year.
“I’ve been quite a big Essendon fan my whole life … It was pretty exciting when they came over to our house (to interview me), but I try not to buy into it too much,” he said.
“It would obviously be awesome to end up there, but I’d be more than grateful to end up at any club, give them 100% and show them all of me.”
Key defender Clancy Snell, meanwhile, said it would be “pretty special” to be drafted by the red and gold after his dad’s uncle, Bill Snell, played a handful of games for the club in the 50s.
But as a hardcore Bomber, Snell is worried about which way the club’s recruiting brains trust goes with their first pick.
“If Essendon don’t take (Ethan Drever), I won’t be happy,” he said.
A lifelong Essendon supporter, Ethan Drever is a strong chance of winding up in Bombers colours on draft night. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
And then there’s Western Australia’s top prospect, Heath Mellody, who was brought up supporting the Dons “because my dad went for them”, before his brother opened his eyes to his WA roots.
“Then my brother went for Freo and I thought I’d go for them as well when I was really young, about five or six,” he said.
“I’ve been a big supporter since then and loved going to watch Freo whenever I could, including the Grand Final (in September). I’ve always loved the club.”
On being in attendance on that fateful day at the MCG, Mellody added: “I was sitting in the pocket where Pat Voss kicked the goal (before Wharfie Time) and then ran around.
“I was watching that thinking we’d won. Then the next four minutes played out as they did. But it was still such an amazing game.
Asked how he felt after the final siren, Mellody said: “I was standing up, hands on my hips, just looking out at the oval for five minutes in absolute awe of what just happened. It was crazy.”
Fellow West Australian jet Leo Steed also has purple running through his veins.
“My parents are mad Freo fans like me; absolutely love the footy,” he said.
“It’s tough looking at the (MCG) over there, (but) I was happy to see them get in the grand final.”
A baby-faced Steed was snapped with mother, Charlotte, before Fremantle’s 2015 preliminary final against Sydney at then-Domain Stadium.
Colour from the Fremantle v Swans preliminary final at Domain Stadium in Perth. pictured – Charlotte Steed (43) Bunbury with son Leo (7)Source: News Corp Australia
But as much as there was healthy Essendon representation in this year’s crop, there was always going to be a handful donning black and white alongside Matthews.
Bulldogs NGA prospect Khaled El Souki and his father are “diehard” Magpies fans, but added: “I’ll still go for Collingwood for now, but wherever I go, me and the family will switch over, of course.”
Athletic forward Wil Malady is a “massive” Pies supporter, going down the same route as his dad while mum is devoted to Hawthorn.
South Australian forward Gabe Patterson , whose father Stephen played 96 games for the Pies and sister Violet represents Collingwood’s AFLW team, says his black and white fandom was “instilled in me from a young age”.
“I reckon there’s baby photos of me in Collingwood gear, so I’ve always been a Collingwood man,” he said.
Asked how he fares being a Magpies fan in a two-team Adelaide town, Patterson said: “It’s alright, actually. I reckon at Adelaide ovall, Collingwood might get the Crows in the fan base (numbers) anyway, but it’s all right.”
Exciting key forward prospect Sam Gayfer, who is thought to be in Collingwood’s first-round sights, said he had “no choice” but to get behind the black and white. His uncle, Mick Gayfer, played 142 games for the Magpies and was part of the club’s famous 1990 premiership.
“My dad supports them because of my uncle and my mum’s dad and my granddad on that side are also mad Collingwood. There wasn’t much of a choice in my household,” he said.
Others from the crop of 22 supporting Victorian clubs are Marlon Neocleous, Jack Pickett (both St Kilda) and Harry Van Hattum (Geelong).
Neocleous joked that he was “brainwashed as a kid” into going for the Saints, clarifying: “Mum barracked for the Bulldogs, but the rest of my family supports St Kilda, so I jumped on with them.”
Pickett said: “Dad went for the Saints when he was younger and just passed it on to my family. I had no choice.”
Key forward prospect Sam Gayfer grew up a Pies fan, and he could be in Collingwood’s first-round sights next month. (Photo by Josh Chadwick/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Another with footy bloodlines is Jack Slattery, who supports Port Adelaide after his uncle had a decorated career in South Australia.
“My uncle, Luke Slattery, played for Port and played 100 games in the SANFL league. My grandpa already supported Port up to that point, so I had to go for Port in my household,” he said.
“If I went to the Crows, I was probably getting the boot.
“Luke comes to my games. He was there when we played a championships game at Alberton. My dad coaches the state Under 12s team and Luke coaches with him as well … he’ll give me feedback every now and then. He’s had a positive impact on my life.”
Across town, ruck prospect Ethan Herbert and top-end key defender Mitch Harris are avid Crows fans.
“I’ve followed the Crows my whole life; my parents and I have been members since sort of day one. I’ve always tried to never miss a game, to be honest,” said Herbert, who also dabbles in a few Port Adelaide matches.
“I love going to the games, and my uncle’s also a Port fan, so I’m lucky enough to get tickets to Port games pretty often as well.
“So, mainly Crows, but I kind of just go to as many football games as I can even if the Crows aren’t playing.”
Harris, meanwhile, is mostly the opposite.
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“To be honest, I don’t watch a whole lot of footy at all,” he said.
“I’ll sit down and properly watch the Crows every weekend. But other than whoever the Crows are playing, I don’t really watch footy much at all.
“(It) might be a bit of background noise if I’m doing stuff.”
Elsewhere, while GWS’ Matthews has struggled to put aside his love for the Pies, dual athlete Mason McGroder says his Swans allegiance is the reason he supports them.
“I think it’s just growing up playing for them,” the Sydney academy prospect said.
“I only really started watching footy two years ago, so I guess it was natural to go with my local club and the one I’m playing for.”
Expected No.1 pick Dougie Cochrane grew up supporting Port Adelaide, where he’s NGA-aligned and where his father, Stuart, played for three seasons between 2003-05.
And Cody Walker unsurprisingly has grown up barracking for Carlton after his dad, Andrew, played 202 games for the Blues between 2004-16.