Melbourne are closely monitoring the development of an exciting future draft hopeful after the emergence of the son of a former club best-and-fairest winner.
14-year-old Marley Davey – the son of ex-Demons star Aaron Davey – relocated to Melbourne at the beginning of the year in a bid to further his football and education.
The talented teenager is currently attending boarding school at the prestigious Xavier College in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.
He is eligible to be taken by the Demons as a father-son selection in the 2028 AFL Draft.
Davey's father Aaron played 178 games and kicked 174 goals for the Demons in a career that spanned a decade.
The Demons' 2009 best-and-fairest winner told SEN Top End that it was his son's dream to play football at the elite level.
"It's in our blood and that's his dream and ambition," Davey said.
"He knows that he has to work really hard and his education is just as important.
"Hopefully one day he gets an opportunity to be able to do what I do, but more importantly to become even better."
While he is still a couple of years before draft eligibility, Marley has shown impressive form at junior level.
He won a club best-and-fairest in the juniors at Cairns City Lions and recorded a top-three finish in the AFL Cairns U12s League Medal vote.
Davey is currently playing in the U15s for East Malvern in the South Metro Junior Football League where has played 12 games and kicked 17 goals.
He has already come under the watchful eye of Demons recruiters, with the club's National Recruiting Manager Jason Taylor admitting on an episode of the Demonland podcast that they will be 'tracking his progress'.
Marley has impressive football bloodlines as the nephew of Essendon 100-gamer Alwyn Davey and the cousin of current Bombers small forward Alwyn Jr.
In what has the potential to be exciting times for the Demons, Aaron also has two younger sons, twin boys Archie and Isaac, who share the family's love of footy.
Aaron – who is the playing-coach of Cairns City Lions – said that watching his boys develop was a key motivator for him continue to play football at the age of 41.
"The things that drive me (to continue to keep playing) is having my boys growing up and loving footy.
"I would love nothing more than to have a kick with my oldest son Marley.
"It is something that gives me a little bit of hope and inspiration."
