AFL CLUBS are queueing up for the son of former Hawthorn and Richmond defender Mark Graham after he revealed his intentions to pursue a football career in the past fortnight.
Tom Graham, who turns 18 in July, has turned his back on lures of basketball scholarships in the US and looms as a potential father-son recruit for the Hawks.
After starring for Camberwell High School in a football carnival in recent weeks, the 195cm athletic prospect is firmly on the Hawks' radar.
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Graham had 14 shots on goal playing as a centre-half forward in the school round-robin competition with his game time equivalent of a standard match.
The annual school competition is the only football he has played in recent years, instead focusing on basketball for Nunawading Spectres where he was dunking as a 15-year-old.
It is believed more than six AFL clubs have enquired about his intentions for this year's NAB AFL Draft as TAC Cup club Oakleigh Chargers scurry to get him on its list.
Father Mark played 223 games for the Hawks between 1993-2004 before joining the Tigers for 20 matches in 2005.
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"He only made the decision a couple of weeks ago," Mark told AFL.com.au.
"I had the discussion with him the other day, saying 'you need to be all in here, it's not something you can do half-hearted'."
"If you're not all in, you'll get chewed up. He's committed to giving it a proper go."
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Early indications suggested Graham may have been eligible to be recruited outside the draft as a Category B rookie due to his basketball background.
However, it was determined this week because he had played in a 'structured' school competition he was ineligible and must enter the draft process.
The 17-year-old has taken up boxing lessons with renowned coach Gerry Murphy and employed sprint expert and former Hawks fitness boss Bohdan Babijczuk to enhance his running.
Mark Graham carries a young Tom at Subiaco Oval in 2003. Picture: AFL Photos
Mark said the chance to join the Hawks was high on Tom's list of preferences.
"Hawthorn are a fantastic club, they're well structured, they're well run," Mark said.
"To go to a club as well run as Hawthorn who are going to new facilities (at Dingley), if he's a chance to get picked up by Hawthorn, he'd want to grab it with two hands.
"The father-son opportunity is quite appealing to him."
Mark played 223 games for the Hawks, making Tom father-son eligible. Picture: AFL Photos
Tom possesses a running vertical leap that could push the AFL Draft Combine record of 103cm, while his pack parking in his recent football exploits stood out to his father.
"I think because of the basketball background, they learn to jump off two feet," Mark said.
"When you see Roughie (Jarryd Roughead) jump off two feet and take a grab and (Scott) Pendlebury, they can have that awareness about them.
"That's probably a bit of the x-factor the clubs look for."
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Mark said there had been interest from clubs outside of Victoria for his son, who was last seen in AFL circles as a five-year-old.
"The last game I played was for Richmond was against Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium," Mark said.
"We were running out through the banner and there might have been 34-35,000 there. I had my daughter Grace in my hands leading all the boys out and we walked up the race, looked up and Tom had already run through the banner himself."
It is expected Tom will join the Oakleigh Chargers in coming weeks and could suit up to play TAC Cup by the end of May.
