Brent 'Boomer' Harvey's career will forever be etched in North Melbourne's history books, and now it's time for his son Cooper to begin his own journey.

It was left to Boomer, the AFL games record-holder and Kangaroos premiership winner, to tell his son he would make his debut for the club on Sunday against Geelong.

"I thought he was going to cry," interim coach Brett Ratten said of the heart-warming moment.

"Boomer's done a lot of things in footy, but I dare say that would be one of his finest moments, to tell his son he's going to play AFL footy."

Speaking with reporters at Xavier College, Ratten said the pair shared some similarities as players, but he is excited to see Cooper display his own talent.

"They both like kicking a goal," Ratten said.

"Boomer was a different player to Coop, but that's the thing, [Cooper] has the tag of Harvey, but he'll create his own path in the AFL and he has his own unique style.

"He'll have the Harvey name, but he'll be his own individual person along the journey as well."

Cooper has impressed in the VFL this season with 20 goals from 11 games, and Ratten said the match committee's decision was made when Harvey booted his second five-goal haul of the campaign last weekend against Williamstown.

"He's worked really hard on his game … and he's just forced his way into the team," Ratten said.

"(He's coming off) eight shots at goal (in the VFL), he came with us to Adelaide as the carryover (emergency), so he was really close then.

"He's creative with the ball and he's a goalkicker, so that's what we'll see."

Boomer's announcement was made even more special by the fact it was made in front of North Melbourne's crop of father-sons, who were at the club taking part in the same father-son program Cooper was once in.

"At footy clubs, there are some great moments and it's not about the game itself, it's the build-up and the lead-in, the things you do behind the scenes as a group," Ratten said.

"It is amazing that six or seven years ago, Cooper Harvey was standing there (as a young kid on father-son day) and next minute he's out the front with his dad about to play his first game.

"It is great for the club, it's great for the (father-son) kids to see that it can happen, and to be a part of the moment Cooper was selected, they'll remember that forever."