Hawks ready to pluck a Tuck
10 June 2005 Herald Sun
Mark Stevens
HAWTHORN is sizing up another opportunity to tap into the famous Tuck bloodline.
Travis Tuck – son of Hawks legend Michael and younger brother of emerging Richmond star Shane – has stamped himself as a genuine father-son candidate.
The Hawks can take the latest Tuck with a third-round pick in this year's draft.
Given Tuck's recent form – including a best-on-ground performance for Dandenong Stingrays on Sunday – the Hawks will come under pressure not to let the chance slip.
Hawthorn overlooked Shane as a father-son before taking him as a rookie. He left after two years, eventually returning to haunt the Hawks as a key Tigers midfielder.
Hawks recruiting manager Gary Buckenara said yesterday the newest Tuck was being watched, but so far from a distance.
"We are closely monitoring his progress. This is the second year we have been looking at him," Buckenara said.
"He is coming along quite nicely. If we feel he is worth a third-round pick, we'll look to talk to his parents Michael and Fay.
"There is potential down the track, but they (the Tuck family) have to agree."
Tuck, 17, has blossomed as a winger/half-back flanker. At 187cm and 75kg, he is a left-footer with the family trait of fearlessly putting his head over the ball.
Dandenong Stingrays regional manager Darren Flanigan said Tuck had developed in recent weeks. "People who have been around the club for a while say Travis is a bit ahead of Shane at the same age," Flanigan said.
"He is tall, strong overhead and has a good motor. His form lately has been a fair bit better."
Like his father and brother, Tuck is seen as a late developer.
"I would see him as a 20-year-old developer. Then again, that's a common trait with 95 per cent of draftees," Buckenara said.
Tuck has already played senior football with Berwick in the Casey Cardinia League, kicking two goals in a recent game.
He will not play in the national under-18 championships because his run-up to the selection trials was dogged by nagging injuries.
Considering his recent form, he will be an unlucky absentee when the under-18 carnival kicks off during the mid-season break.
The timing for the Hawks is impeccable, considering many believe it will not be a blockbuster draft.
Under father-son rules, the Hawks can have exclusive rights to Tuck in the third round, as long as he agrees. Another positive for the Hawks is the fact that Josh Kennedy, grandson of the great John Kennedy and son of 1980s premiership hero John, does not qualify for the draft until next year.
Kennedy, who many believe is top-10 quality, appears certain to be heading to Glenferrie with a third-round pick in 2006.
If both Tuck and Kennedy had been eligible in the same year, the Hawks would have had to use a second and third-round pick to nab them. It would be considered a gamble to go with two father-sons in the one year.
But the Hawks now have the luxury of continuing the Tuck and Kennedy dynasty with third-round picks in successive years.
Michael Tuck is the all-time AFL games record-holder, playing 426 games for the Hawks from 1972-91.
Shane Tuck was cursed with injury and illness at Glenferrie, but reinvigorated his career with a strong season at West Adelaide in the SANFL in 2003.
The Hawks considered taking Tuck in the 2003 draft, but instead took Matthew Ball at pick 51 and Doug Scott – son of Don – in the following pre-season draft.
Richmond grabbed Tuck with a speculative pick 73 in the 2003 national draft.
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