SOME of the Navy Blues’ most famous names were back on Royal Parade this week.

It was that time of year again when the potential next generation of Blues were welcomed back to IKON Park with the Carlton Academy — but this time, over the course of three days.

2024 prospects Sophie McKay (daughter of Andrew) as well as Ben and Lucas Camporeale (son of Scott) linked up with the familiar Carlton Academy names in Charlie Beaumont (son of Simon), Harry Dean (son of Peter), Sunny Lappin (daughter of Matthew) and Phoebe Pearce (daughter of Brad), plus some new faces.

Riley Scotland (son of Heath) and Lukas Koutoufides (son of Anthony) also got the Carlton Academy treatment, which has gone from strength to strength in recent seasons as a mechanism to not only welcome in potential father-son and father-daughter recruits, but also potential Next Generation Academy draftees of future years.

Designed to give the youngsters the full-scale experience of what life in football could look like, the three-day camp consisted of education, gym and skills sessions all at IKON Park, a watch-along of AFL training and even a lunch with the senior players of the present day, before capping it off with a tour of the MCG.

The official proceedings aren’t done just yet, with the Academy talent and their parents invited on behalf of the Club to attend the Carlton-Adelaide game at Marvel Stadium this Saturday.

The Camporeale boys will also return to IKON Park when they represent the AFL Academy against Coburg on Saturday 13 April from 1pm.

With the prospects coming from far and wide, and also slotting in their own football commitments around it, it was a chance for the budding young footballers and their families to have a taste of what being a Carlton person in the present day is all about.

It also provided the chance for the likes of Walker and Scotland to reminisce on life in the change rooms post-match when their dads were teammates.

“The week has gone really well,” Walker said.

“It was great meeting those two boys [the Camporeales]. We’ve got Harry Dean as well, I’ve had some past with him in basketball and footy, plus Riley Scotland. It’s really good to see.

“I definitely [kicked the footy] with Riley in the early days . . . we probably broke a few cameras I think.

“I can’t thank [Tom Couch and Matthew Burton] enough for a wonderful day and a wonderful week. Hopefully there’s more to come.”