![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Jack-Ison-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIt was another great night for the VAFA at the 2025 AFL National Draft, as a handful of VAFA alumni received the opportunity to chase their footballing dream at the highest level.<\/p>\n
CARLTON selected Parkside\u2019s JACK ISON with pick #47. A graduate of Carlton\u2019s Academy program, Jack played 110 junior games with his beloved Devils, then 2 senior VAFA games for Parkside as a 17-year-old in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve literally been at Parkside since Auskick and then into the Under 8s,\u201d said Jack, the morning after his first training session with the Blues.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s where I met most of my best mates \u2013 around Pitcher Park.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senior club President Anthony Romano shares the excitement that\u2019s bubbling throughout the Parkside footy community after Jack was drafted.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great because Jack and his family are such great club people,\u201d says Anthony.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis sister Mia plays in our senior women\u2019s team, and his mum has also played some games for us over the years. Dad is always around \u2013 he trains with our \u2018Devil\u2019s Dads,\u2019 who get together and train on Wednesday nights.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe club has shaped me as a person, with so many great role models and people that genuinely care for Parkside and the community,\u201d said Jack. \u201cThat\u2019s where my care and love for the club began.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of football, they\u2019ve given me so much support throughout my journey, whether it be texts of \u2018good luck\u2019 or coming to watch me play. All that care helped me perform on the weekends.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The 18-year-old set himself the goal of becoming Parkside\u2019s first-ever AFL draftee when, a few years ago, he heard it mentioned that the club had never had one.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember hearing that when I was 15 or 16, and I thought \u2018I want to be Parkside\u2019s first ever AFL player.\u2019 I want to be a role model for youngsters coming through and support them as much as I can,\u201d said Jack.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty surreal to think of myself as that, but it\u2019s something I\u2019ve always wanted to be and part of why I worked so hard in the first place.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so grateful to be in this position. I want to be the best role model I can be, whether it\u2019s going back to the club to help them train or just chatting with the younger kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though he\u2019s been in the elite pathway for a few years, Jack has always come back and watched games,\u201d said Anthony.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted to play some senior footy with us, and he managed to get a couple of games in last year, which was great.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Jack-Ison-2-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Tied to Carlton via their Next Generation Academy, Jack was surrounded by family, friends, team-mates and club supporters at Pitcher Park on Draft night, with emotional scenes beamed live around the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was definitely a great feeling,\u201d Jack recalls with a smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cA little bit nerve-racking too, because I\u2019d been told that a bid for me (from a club other than Carlton) could come anywhere from pick 20 to 30, but then it got later into the 30\u2019s and 40\u2019s and the nerves started to kick in. Every time a bid was \u2018pending,\u2019 the whole room went quiet in case it was for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt finally happened (at pick 47), and the room erupted! It was a night I\u2019ll never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n
Viewing Jack\u2019s drafting from the wider club perspective, Anthony is fully aware of its overall importance.<\/p>\n
\u201cHim being drafted is good exposure for the junior club in particular, which has a great committee that has really supported Jack over the years,\u201d said Anthony. \u201cIt shows what a good job they do developing good footballers and good young people.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re hoping to have a girl drafted into AFLW shortly \u2013 that would be great for our community also.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Jack settles into his first pre-season as an AFL player, where he\u2019s come from remains top of mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a surreal feeling to get the chance to represent Parkside and the VAFA. I\u2019m super grateful to be in that position.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople at the club were probably just as happy as I was. That\u2019s the great thing. It was so special to see everyone\u2019s reactions and how they were just as happy as I was. That really says it all. Parkside is a community.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy win in making an AFL list is everyone else\u2019s win as well. Seeing people so happy \u2013 that\u2019s why I work so hard. Those people are my \u2018why.\u2019 Them being a part of the journey is super important for me. Without them, I\u2019m not sure where I\u2019d be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack was among several VAFA alumni selected in this year\u2019s Draft:<\/p>\n
SAM GRLJ played 104 junior games for CANTERBURY, then 4 senior VAFA games for OLD CAMBERWELL in 2024, before being drafted by Richmond with pick #8.<\/p>\n
HUNTER HOLMES came through Prahran Juniors from Under 8\u2019s and played a VAFA Under 19s game for OLD MELBURNIANS in 2024. He joined his brother Max at Geelong with pick #33.<\/p>\n
FINN DAVIS came up through WILLIAMSTOWN juniors, then played 3 x VAFA Holmesglen Under 19 Premier games for WILLIAMSTOWN CYMS in 2024. He was drafted by GWS with pick #51.<\/p>\n
COLLINGWOOD selected ZAC McCARTHY with pick #55. A Magpie Next Generation Academy graduate, Zac played his junior footy with Greythorn, Kew Comets and Kew Bears, along with school footy for Carey Grammar. <\/p>\n
He also played 3 VAFA games for OLD CAREY in 2024, including his senior debut in Premier C against PEGS in Round 11.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zac-McCarthy-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zac-McCarthy-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Western Bulldogs\u2019 father-son WILL DARCY joined his brother Sam at the Dogs after being taken with pick #60. Will and Sam both have a strong connection to OLD SCOTCH, and Will played 6 x VAFA Holmesglen Under 19 Premier matches for the Cardinals in 2024.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Will-Darcy.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
No one gets to AFL level on their own \u2013 it takes many years of hard work and dedication, with so much time and care invested in youngsters by their junior coaches, support staff and team-mates to help them realise their dream.<\/p>\n
Congratulations to all clubs, players and families involved, and enjoy riding the AFL rollercoaster in the years ahead!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was another great night for the VAFA at the 2025 AFL National Draft, as a handful of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":306767,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,13327,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-306766","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-afl","8":"tag-afl","9":"tag-app","10":"tag-au","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-australian-football-league","13":"tag-australianfootballleague","14":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=306766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306766\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/306767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=306766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=306766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}