GLEESON, Hogg, McKay and Silvagni.

The names of premiership heroes in years gone by were back on Royal Parade last week, with members of the father-son academy doing a week of training at Ikon Park.

All aged 17 and able to be drafted in 2020, Tom, Mackenzie, Charlie and Tom (again) respectively joined Carlton’s senior heads on the track.

The four surnames are synonymous with the Navy Blue and have paths which are intrinsically linked: Hogg, McKay and Silvagni’s dads all featured in the 1995 premiership, while Gleeson and Silvagni were there in 1987.

Detailing the week to Carlton Media, Charlie McKay said it was a special occasion to train on the ground where their fathers made so many memories.

“I’ve made so many memories, purely because of the history and the jumper,” McKay said.

“It’s been a great experience: we’ve learned about what it’s like to be an athlete and the professionalism involved with it. It’s been pretty cool to learn from the best.

“I obviously leave here a better footballer: it’s more the off-field stuff that I’ve learnt from.”

The McKay family has been a Carlton family ever since 1993 when Andrew played the first of his 244 games at the Club he would eventually lead as captain.

While Dad’s career was “a bit before [Charlie’s] time”, the second-generation McKay had seen a bit of his old man doing what he did best.

Showing his father’s trademark bravery, there was also the chance to have a dig: and he needed no second thought.

“He loves to bring out a tape every now and again,” he laughed.

“I’ve seen the 1995 premiership and a couple of his highlights.

“I’ve obviously got a bit more hair than him, thankfully… I don’t think it’ll be staying around for too long though so that’s why it’s so long now.”

Of course, the involvement at Ikon Park for McKay is two-fold, as he was not only following in the footsteps of his dad.

There was a lift into the Club on Friday morning from sister Abbie, who was the game’s first-ever father-daughter recruit.

McKay said that being able to share in his journey with his older sister was a “really cool” part of the experience.

“It’s really good: she’s really intrigued by what we’re doing. She wants to learn what the boys do and how she can get better,” he said.

“Getting it through me is pretty easy for her. I go into her room every night and we chat about what we did during the day and learn some lessons from that.

“With Dad and now Abbie with the women’s team, it’s pretty cool to be out here where they are and where they’re doing their best work.”

Learning from childhood idols in the flesh is no mean feat for any 17-year-old, and that was exactly the case for McKay: “you just sit there and go ‘wow’ over them”.

Two people his dad knew very well were Patrick Cripps - Andrew was Head of Football when Cripps was drafted - and Greg Williams, another premiership teammate of the Hall of Famer.

“Greg Williams was obviously an amazing player. It was great for him to come and help us out and teach us what he learnt,” he said.

“We learnt from his knowledge and experiences: we really benefited from having him around.

“Learning from ‘Crippa’ and hearing his speech, we’ll take [those insights] away… my diet needs a bit of improvement.

“They’re so good and you learn the most from them.”