The irony of playing his senior AFL debut at Simonds Stadium against Geelong won’t be lost on first-gamer Jordon Bourke.

Bourke, the son of former Geelong skipper and Bears ruckman Damian Bourke, always looked likely to land at the ‘Cattery’ under the Father/Son rule – particularly after he was voted the best player in Division Two of the 2011 U16 National Championships.

Geelong even went so far as to seek AFL permission for him to play a couple of games with their VFL side.

Despite being a local Queenslander, Bourke was excited by the opportunity to potentially follow in his famous father’s footsteps.

“I just want to play the best footy I can to be able to be in a position where options will come up,” Bourke said.

“To stay in Queensland would be good, but to go where dad played and go to the club I support (Geelong) would be awesome as well.”

As fate would have it, Bourke’s U18 form wavered and Geelong opted not to bid on his services and instead he slipped to the Brisbane Lions at the 2012 AFL Rookie Draft.

He was thrilled with the opportunity to kick-start his career with the Lions, particularly as he lived just a stone’s throw away at Coorparoo.

“It’s pretty surreal. I get to stay at home and get home-cooked meals every night. Having my family around makes it a lot easier,” Bourke said upon his selection.

“It’s a huge relief, especially after (missing out on) the National Draft. I didn’t have too many expectations going into the National Draft, but it can be a bit disappointing when your name doesn’t get called out.”

After almost two full seasons refining his craft with the Lions in the NEAFL, Bourke is now ready for his first taste of senior AFL football.

And in time, he’ll be hoping this week’s opponent, Geelong, end up ruing ‘the one that got away’.