As Collingwood counts the cost of overlooking favourite sons Stewart, Craig Kelly's son Jake and Bill Picken's son Liam in recent years, Stewart snr said the manner in which the Magpies rejected James was a cautionary tale for the competition.

"The decision I don't have a problem with," Stewart said. "That was their decision and that was their right. [But] the club hadn't spoken to James all year and they waited until the last day of draft camp to tell him they weren't taking him.

"That was 2 weeks before year 12 exams. Never should they be telling boys that news so close to exams. Year 12 is such a massive year. And for families to have to deal with that sort of news at such a critical time when it could be avoided ... They talk about man management. That's not man management."

The 198-centimetre Stewart, 21, was ultimately drafted by Greater Western Sydney with pick No.27 in the 2012 draft and in 2015 has cemented his place in the emerging Giants team.

Father Craig, who played 115 games for Collingwood and a further 35 at Richmond, said he, like Craig Kelly, had no regrets about his son playing for a different club.

"It was the best thing for James as it turned out," Stewart said, "and once the decision's made it's made. I remember [recruiting boss] Derek Hine calling me about midday on the last day of the draft camp in October.

"He didn't give a reason and I didn't expect one. They obviously didn't rate him highly enough and that's their right, but he had been in the AIS so he was on their radar.

"I can't understand why they waited until they did. In the end, James did well in his year 12, but for some boys it can leave them totally devastated and can affect their entire futures.

"Most boys going into the draft at least have completed year 12 by draft day. But the father-sons have to go through their exams maybe having received bad news just weeks or less before. I've told [club chief] Gary Pert what I think.

"It's nearly three years ago now so hopefully that's something they've looked at.

"There will be plenty of other boys still going through this and the game needs to consider its treatment of them."

Internally, not every senior Collingwood person reportedly agreed with the decisions to overlook Stewart and Kelly.

The latter was taken by the Crows at pick No.40 in the 2014 rookie draft with the Collingwood view being the club had too many similar players to the determined lock-down defender known at Adelaide as "The Bull" and who made his debut this season.

Father Craig, one of the game's most influential player managers and consultants, is a close friend of both Pert and coach Nathan Buckley, whom he manages. The hard-working Jake, 20, was a product of the Magpies' academy and flourished under Buckley's tutelage, which could make the decision by the club to overlook him even more galling.

But the Kelly view also is that whether or not he agreed with the initial decision, he has been thrilled with his son's progress at his interstate club. There is also some relief that long-standing friendships will not be compromised.

Both James Stewart and Jake Kelly perhaps underwent their most significant football challenges during their draft seasons — Stewart as his height shot up he struggled to keep up with the changes and Kelly as he struggled in a couple of marquee games including the Cordner Eggleston Cup match between Melbourne Grammar and Kelly's Scotch College.

Collingwood have not given up on luring  both promising young father-sons back to the club in future. Liam Picken finished third in the Bulldogs best-and-fairest last season and was taken by that club in the 2009 rookie draft after a pre-season at Collingwood and two with the Western Bulldogs.

The Magpies view now is that Picken, the son of Magpie great and team-of-the-century star Bill Picken, came into focus during the era which saw Scott Pendlebury and Dale Thomas drafted and quickly rise through the ranks.