“I’m very proud of you,mate. Just get through training,train well –[you are making your] debut,” Brent said.

“It’s so good,mate. I haven’t told mum,so you can tell. That’s awesome,mate ...[it is a] long time coming,but it’s good,an opportunity,so just go do what you do.

“It’s lucky I didn’t have to do that in front of the boys[because] I started tearing up a little bit.”

Cooper’s first AFL appearance will come on the same weekend that Taj Woewodin debuts for Melbourne.

The Northern Knights and North Heidelberg graduate is North Melbourne’s fourth debutant this season,behind leadingRising Star hope Harry Sheezel,Blake Drury and George Wardlaw.

Cooper was the Roos’ sixth father-son pick in the club’s history,with three others – Jackson Archer (son of Glenn),Bailey Scott (son of Robert) and co-captain Luke McDonald (son of Donald) – also on the current list.

He suffered two arm injuries during his draft season,but finished strongly for his school Assumption College and the Knights,as well as earning a call-up for Victoria Metro’s final AFL under-18 championships game,where he kicked a last-minute goal to seal the game.

Beveridge says Magpies clash a ‘great opportunity’

AAP

Luke Beveridge wants a return to the grit that kick-started the Western Bulldogs’ season when they host top side Collingwood in a blockbuster Friday night clash.

After dropping three games,the Bulldogs have won their last two and will fancy themselves against the Magpies in front of a sold-out Marvel Stadium crowd.

Bulldogs defender Ed Richards returns from a hamstring injury,while Collingwood will be without injured duo Brayden Maynard and Brody Mihocek.

The big inclusion for Collingwood is star utility Jordan De Goey,who returns from his three-week suspension.

Beveridge has noted his side’s outstanding round-three win over Brisbane at the same venue,when they were in early season trouble.

They had come off solid losses to Melbourne and St Kilda,with the performance against the Saints in particular disturbing the Bulldogs.

But Jamarra Ugle-Hagan famously responded to racist abuse from a fan the week before with five goals and the Bulldogs upset Brisbane by 14 points.

They are now sixth and a win over Collingwood could put them into the top four.

“Friday night lights and playing the ‘Pies - what another great opportunity,” Beveridge said on Thursday.

“We feel like beating Brisbane at Marvel ... how dour we were and committed we were,it’s set us off on a pretty good path.

“If we can challenge the ’Pies,that will give us some more belief.”

Tasmania’s inaugural chair to be unveiled

Peter Ryan

Former Woolworths CEO Grant O’Brien will be named the Tasmanian team’s inaugural chair in Devonport on Friday.

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan and CEO-elect Andrew Dillon will be at the announcement as debate continues in Tasmania about the merits of building a stadium in Hobart to house the new team.

The AFL has made it clear the team will not get off the ground in Tasmania without a new stadium being built. However,the proposal has hit some political hurdles after being categorised as a project of state significance,which means it needs to pass both houses of parliament and then be assessed by the state’s planning commission.

O’Brien was on the AFL Tasmanian Taskforce,which in 2020 delivered the business case for a team in Tasmania to the league.

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country.Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.