HAWTHORN veteran Shaun Burgoyne has revealed his pride in seeing his nephew Trent Burgoyne following in his footsteps and getting his AFL opportunity at Port Adelaide.

The 2004 Power premiership star, who has also won three premierships with Hawthorn, is entering his 19^th season in the AFL, after initially being drafted by Port Adelaide with pick 12 in the 2000 AFL National Draft.

He is currently the competition’s oldest player at 37, and watched with interest as Trent was drafted as a father-son rookie selection in November.

“It’s unbelievably weird, I was there the day he was born at the hospital holding him, and my brother kicked me out of the house (telling me) ‘I need your room, Shaun’,” Burgoyne told The Advertiser’s new Indigenous discussion podcast Black Australia.

“I’ve watched him grow up but I’ve been in Melbourne the last 10 years and (it’s been) hard to watch him play footy.

“He’s obviously playing some good footy as a junior, had some hamstring issues, but to still get drafted was a hugely proud moment for our family.

“I would have loved for Hawthorn to have drafted him and brought him over, but he’s staying home with Port and it’s a good reward for persistence and resilience and mental toughness, and the sky is the limit now.”

Trent Burgoyne is the son of Shaun’s older brother Peter Burgoyne, himself a 2004 flag hero.

Shaun played 157 games with Port Adelaide in nine years at the club while Peter was part of the club’s inaugural AFL list and managed 240 AFL games in a 13-year career.

Trent Burgoyne missed much of last season with hamstring issues but has managed to complete most of the pre-season and is a chance to make his competitive debut in the club’s under 23 Showdown against Adelaide on Saturday.

While the teenager will take time to break into the Power side, his uncle has admitted sweating over what might happen if the pair wind up on opposing teams.

“It would be super, super weird if I had to play on him,” Shaun Burgoyne said.

“I was thinking about it a couple of times and I thought ‘I’d let him kick a goal on me’, then I’d think ‘no I wouldn’t, I’d try to hurt him,’ and then I’d be ‘nah, it’s my nephew I can’t hurt him’, so I’m torn.

“I’ve been calling him my little nephew for a long time but he’s a man now and I’d be extremely proud if he got to play.”

Shaun Burgoyne was the first guest on the Black Australia podcast which is co-hosted by Port Adelaide’s Director of Aboriginal Programs Paul Vandenbergh.