Two premierships, one Norm Smith Medal, six Robert Rose Most Courageous Player Awards, three All-Australian selections, 311 games, North Melbourne Team of the Century, AFL Hall of Fame inductee, Shinboner of the Century.
Many father-son draftees face the challenge of forging their careers in their father's shadows, but it's another level of difficulty when your dad's CV looks like this one.
Glenn Archer's playing legacy at Arden Street is nearly insurmountable. The hard-nosed defender made the number 11 jumper synonymous with the club’s values, and it has become one of the most sought-after; Archer handing it onto Michael Firrito, who passed it to Luke McDonald.
Jackson Archer's arrival with pick 59 in the 2021 NAB AFL Draft ensures the Archer name will continue at North Melbourne, and the young half-back flanker knows the task in front of him.
“I do feel pressure, but it’s more from myself in terms of the heights I set myself and the goals I want to achieve,” Archer told North Media.
“There’s a lot of outside noise, but I’ve learned from a young age to deal with all that stuff."
While playing the same position as his father, the junior Archer brings as many differences to the role as similarities.
Like Glenn, Jackson oozes courage and a team-first attitude. However the younger Archer is taller and more wiry, better suited to the pace and agility required in the modern game.
Archer says while he’s more than aware of his father’s influence at the club, he’s focused on the here and now.
“I don’t feel any pressure from my family either. I know I put 100 per cent into whatever I do, and if I do that they’ll be proud of me either way.
“I’ve felt really comfortable in my time at the club so far. North’s like home to me, I’m really enjoying it.”
Among the familiar faces for Jackson at Arden St has been Luke McDonald, who as well as owning the No.11 jumper has his own experience as a father-son recruit, having been taken with the club's highest ever father/son selection at pick No.8 in the 2013 draft.
“I’ve taken to Luke, he's been giving me stick in the changerooms since I was a kid," Archer said.
Skipper Jack Ziebell has also been quick to help Archer settle in, he said, while from a training point of view Jy Simpkin has been setting a high benchmark.
"You want to train just like he does," Archer said.
Remarkably, there is just a single degree of separation between Jackson's North Melbourne playing career and his father's.
In 2007, Glenn’s final season, he played with a skinny young ruck by the name of Todd Goldstein, although Goldstein would have to wait until 2008 for his AFL debut.
“I knew Goldy played a year with dad. I was talking to the boys about it the other day,” Jackson said.
“It’s a really special thing, and I’m sure Goldy knows about it too, but I don’t think he wants to think about it because of how old it’d make him feel."
