For decades, sons of footballing greats have been following in their father's footsteps under the AFL's unique and traditional father/son rule. The likes of Gold Coast's Gary Ablett, North's Luke McDonald and Essendon's Jobe Watson have all had big shoes to fill after pulling on the same jumper as their fathers.
The rule transcends club land though, and has found its way into the homes of AFL supporters. Mums and dads who barrack for different teams will often compete to win their children's allegience for their club. Many fans would agree, once you begin following a side, you should become a lifelong supporter and changing teams is the ultimate 'football sin'.
That's why one North supporter has a major dilemma on his hands and is asking for help.
Instead of invoking the father/son rule, long-time North supporter John Flynn wants to bring in the son/father rule.
Originally from Canberra, John began barracking for the Roos in Grade 2, after being swayed by two of his classmates who regularly wore a North jumper to school.
"The jersey was completely foreign to me, but after making the necessary enquiries and working out what this jersey was and who, I followed suit and supported the Shinboners," John writes in his impassioned email to NMFC.com.au.
Having moved to Brisbane, John now has two sons, aged seven and five, who follow the Lions. John's partner was born in the Queensland town of Ipswich and openly encourages the children to cheer for the Lions.
After four decades following North, John is contemplating switching sides due to the pressure he's under from his family.
"She pretty much refused to let the boys support North Melbourne given we have no real affiliation with the club other than those two kids back in Canberra all those years ago," John writes.
In a sneaky move which should anger Roo fans, John's kids have controversially urged him to dump the Kangaroos and get behind the Lions.
For John, the idea of switching teams is a "moral issue" and he is struggling to make up his mind. To ensure his potential shift is considered 'acceptable' by fellow North supporters, he wants to explore a variation to the father/son rule – the son/father rule.
"It is a rule that states if you are living in a new city, have kids that continually give you grief that you support a different team to them, then you may change," John writes, explaining his version of the rule.
John believes shifting loyalties will allow him to attend games with his family at the Gabba, and not be separated by geographical challenges that go with supporting the Roos from interstate.
He's now seeking approval from the North membership to withdraw his support for the Kangaroos after a 40-plus-year association – a decision he feels "is in the best interest of myself, (the) boys and the AFL".
Do you think John should be allowed to invoke his son/father rule and switch clubs?
Vote now and help John make up his mind once and for all.
