AFTER some conjecture about how many games former Collingwood ruckman Craig Stewart played for the Pies, some clubs would have been disappointed to learn the figure is 115.

Why? That means his son James qualifies as father-son recruit for Collingwood.

A few clubs had made informal enquiries about James - a 195cm key-position prospect who plays TAC Cup footy with Sandringham Dragons and is a member of the AIS-AFL program - thinking that his father had played less than the required games.

An early edition of The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers listed Craig as having played 95 games - five less than the required minimum - an error which has since been fixed.

And while Magpies' recruiting manager Derek Hine is delighted his club is in the box seat to snare Stewart, there has been no commitment to do so and Hine is keen for him to be allowed to develop at his own pace without having to deal with any undue pressure.

"We'll obviously be monitoring James closely given the fact that he is a potential father-son [pick]," Hine said.

"We're really encouraged by his progress and development through the AIS-AFL program."

After an encouraging NAB AFL Under-16 Championships with Vic Metro, Stewart managed just three games for the Dragons last year as his body struggled to cope with some rapid growth.

However, that limited exposure was enough for AFL national talent manager Kevin Sheehan to include him in the elite Academy squad, that will play against Box Hill in a curtain raiser to the round one Richmond-Carlton match, before embarking on a European tour.

"He showed enormous promise," Sheehan said.

"When we chose the Academy squad we went back to that vision of him playing for the Dragons and he just looked so composed.

"He's grown to be a lovely size for a key-position player, he could potentially play at either end of the ground, and he's beautifully balanced and poised.

"He was in rehab for most of the year, but we're really looking forward to seeing how his year unfolds now that he's back fit and healthy.

"He's an exciting key-position player that we'll be watching closely - as will Collingwood, no doubt - as the TAC Cup season unfolds."

Jason Phelan covers the road to the NAB AFL Draft for afl.com.au. Follow him on Twitter @AFL_JasonPhelan.