Champion fullback Dustin Fletcher and his father Ken will equal the all-time ""games played"" record for a father/son combination at the Dome tonight.

“It’s good to get something like this, the old man played 260 and me over 280 so it’s good,” Dustin Fletcher said.

Dustin will run out for game 287 tonight for Essendon and Ken played 264 games for the Bombers which will give them a total of 551 equalling the all-time record held by the Silvagni family.  

Thirty three year-old Dustin said his father has always played a huge role in his footy.
 
“He coached me at school and gives a pretty honest assessment after the game when I give him a ring every now and then. He tells me how I go and he doesn’t lie and say you played well when you battled or didn’t do something right and that’s the best advice,” he said.

“Like all fathers he likes to stick up for his son and likes to hear good things about them but he’s getting older so he’s abit more relaxed.”

The two-time All-Australian said the Bombers go into tonight’s game with every chance of victory.

“West Coast aren’t travelling as well as they would hope. They still have 13 or 14 premiership players but this is one game if we match them in the middle I think we can go one-on-one,” he said.

“At times we might need to drop off and help the boys down back but I think we can have a win and our supporters would obviously like that.”

Dustin also backed his captain, Matthew Lloyd, as still having a major role to play in the team.

“We haven’t had the ball down there as much as he would like, the inside 50s haven’t been up there but Lloydy will probably play up the ground a bit in the next few weeks and get himself into the game and get a few kicks,” he said.
 
""Because of the way he trains and goes about his footy he’s someone you want to have in your forward line. We are behind him and I dare say he will come out and do his best against a very good opponent in Darren Glass.”
 
The five leading families for father/son ""games played"" are as follows: Silvagnis (551 games comprising 239 games for Serge and 312 games for Stephen); Fletchers (550 games comprising 264 games for Ken and 286 games for Dustin); Tucks (506 games comprising 426 games for Michael and 80 games for Shane); Whittens (465 games comprising 321 games for Ted snr and 144 games for Ted jnr) and Tucks again (431 games comprising 426 games for Michael and five games for Travis).