COLLINGWOOD is the most popular club of choice for this year’s brightest Coates Talent League prospects, headlined by father-son gun Tom McGuane. The son of 152-game premiership Pie, Mick was among the Vic Country, Metro, and Allies hub members to pledge their allegiance to the black and white.

>> SCROLL to see which club each player supports

Of the 43 surveyed players, a high of eight are Magpies supporters, while seven said they barrack for fellow Victorian powerhouse, Carlton. Among the fanatic Blues fans is Sandringham Dragons midfielder Xavier Bamert, who models his game on a mix of current stars Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh.

The family ties didn’t end with McGuane, either. Eastern Ranges prospect Oliver Greeves had arguably the most impressive connection to a club, supporting Geelong due to his great-uncle Carji. The Cats’ best and fairest award is named after the 1924 Brownlow Medallist and Hall of Fame member.

A pair of Sandringham teammates have also continued the traditions of their grandfathers. Sydney fan Jack Dalton is a descendant of Paul Briglia, who played alongside the great Bob Skilton at South Melbourne, while Kye Fincher supports North Melbourne, where his grandad Noel played 15 VFL games.

Adelaide father-son candidate Mitch Stevens has a soft spot for the Crows but also barracks for St Kilda. Similar can be said for Carlton Next Generation Academy member Jack Ison, who grew up loyal to Essendon but has begun leaning towards the Blues since training there in preseason.

A pair of ‘brothers-of’ also have interesting club links. Willem Duursma grew up a Brisbane fan before converting to Essendon when big brother Xavier landed there. Meanwhile, Tyson Gresham stayed onboard the Saints and saw brother Jade be drafted there, but is a Carlton NGA member.

Local clubs have also had a say for others. Essendon NGA talent Hussien El Achkar followed his mum into Saints colours after her brother brought home a red, white and black West Coburg guernsey. Similarly, Mornington Bulldogs product Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves supports the Western Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs were a popular choice among the Dandenong Stingrays and Western Jets cohorts for five overall votes, while Geelong and Hawthorn were the next most supported clubs with four each. Three players claimed to support Essendon and North Melbourne, while Richmond had two.

>> MORE: CTL Player Comparisons | CTL Breakout Players

AFL CLUBS SUPPORTED

BENDIGO PIONEERS:
Shaun Watson – Collingwood
Hunter Wright – Carlton

CALDER CANNONS:
Cooper Duff-Tytler – Hawthorn
Hussein El Achkar – St Kilda
Felix Kneipp – Collingwood

DANDENONG STINGRAYS:
Tairon Ah-Mu – Sydney
Josh Granger – Collingwood
Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves – Western Bulldogs
Max Lee – Sydney
Toby Sinnema – Western Bulldogs

EASTERN RANGES:
Andrew Barker – Collingwood
Lachy Dovaston – Collingwood
Oliver Greeves – Geelong
Xavier Taylor – Richmond

GEELONG FALCONS:
Josh Lindsay – North Melbourne
Hugo Mikunda – Collingwood
Ben Rongdit – Geelong

GIPPSLAND POWER:
Willem Duursma – Essendon
Zach O’Keefe – Richmond
Jobe Scapin – Carlton
Mitchell Stevens – Adelaide, St Kilda

GWV REBELS:
Harley Hicks – Essendon
Archie Taylor – Geelong

MURRAY BUSHRANGERS:
Ryder Corrigan – North Melbourne
Harry Dean – Carlton
Liam Hetherton – Western Bulldogs
Riley Onley – Hawthorn
Harrison Wilson – Hawthorn

NORTHERN KNIGHTS:
Tyson Gresham – St Kilda

OAKLEIGH CHARGERS:
Sam Allen – Melbourne
Louis Emmett – Geelong
Sam Grlj – Carlton
Jack Ison – Essendon, Carlton

SANDRINGHAM DRAGONS:
Xavier Bamert – Carlton
Jack Dalton – Sydney
Kye Fincher – North Melbourne
Archie Ludowyke – St Kilda
Miles Tyrer – Carlton

TASMANIA DEVILS:
Jasper Hay – Hawthorn
Lucas Wootton – Collingwood

WESTERN JETS:
Thomas Burton – Western Bulldogs
Finn Davis – Western Bulldogs
Thomas McGuane – Collingwood