Former Adelaide forward Scott Welsh remembers his son, Tyler, proudly wearing his No.17 Crows guernsey around the house as a youngster.

Now, more than a decade later, Tyler is set to create his own legacy in that No.17 guernsey, with Adelaide selecting the father-son product at the 2024 Telstra AFL National Draft.

Scott, who was a four-time leading goal kicker during his time at the Crows, was given the honour of handing Tyler the special guernsey after his name was called on Thursday night.

Speaking to AFC Media, Scott said presenting Tyler with the guernsey and knowing he’d be donning the No.17 was a proud moment.

“It was a nice little surprise, I wasn’t expecting to be able to give Tyler the guernsey but when I found out that was happening, it was great,” Scott, now 45, said.

“It was good that Tyler was really open to it and I think he enjoyed it, and hopefully he has a long career wearing the No.17.

“He always had a footy in his hand, and I remember when he was about three or four and he had my guernsey and shorts on, running around the house.

“From that age on, he always said he wanted to play footy, that’s what he wanted to do, and now his dream has come to fruition and we couldn’t be happier for him.”

Tyler’s selection on the second night of the draft came after the 18-year-old spent the past season lining up with the Crows’ State League side, as part of the SANFL’s rookie program.

Welsh, a Woodville-West Torrens junior, kicked 10 goals in 10 SANFL games with the Crows in 2024, to go with an eight-goal haul in his one under-18 game for the Eagles.

Adelaide officially nominated Tyler as a father-son pick last month but Scott said there were still plenty of nerves in the lead up to the draft.

“To be honest I haven’t really slept much for about a week,” Scott said.

“You just never know until his name gets called out.

“I worked today (Thursday) but Tyler rang me about three or four times, going up and down the hallway, stressing out a bit, going down the ‘what if’ game.

“I am not a real emotional person, but when his name got called out, I did start to get a little bit teary. It just means so much to us as a family, and to Tyler.”

Scott played 36 AFL games for North Melbourne, before being traded back home to SA, where he lined up in 129 games for the Crows from 2000-2007.

His final two seasons were at the Western Bulldogs, where he added another 40 AFL games to his name.

Scott said he had many fond memories of his time at the Club and looked forward to watching his son forge his own career with the Crows.

“I enjoyed my career at the Crows, I had a good time there, met a lot of good people and it was a lot of fun,” Scott said.

“My advice to Tyler is just to commit to footy and trust the guys around him.

“It’s just so exciting for us and to see him hopefully debut one day.”

Tyler’s selection followed Adelaide taking South Adelaide midfielder Sid Draper with Pick No.4 on the opening night of the draft.