Not only is Luke’s grandfather one of the game’s greatest goalkickers, his aunt, Gabrielle, is on the AFL Commission, and his dad Anthony worked at length at Collingwood and North Melbourne. His uncle worked at North for decades, and his grandfather and great-grandfather were both presidents of North Melbourne.
Richmond draftees (L-R) Luke Trainor, Harry Armstrong, Josh Smillie, Sam Lalor, Jonty Faull and Taj Hotton pose for a photograph during the 2024 AFL Draft at Marvel Stadium on November 21Credit: Getty Images
“It is such a wonderful story, not only for our family but for football,” Gabrielle Trainor said of her nephew’s recruitment. Also a foundation board member of GWS, she had an extra layer of interest in where her nephew might land.
“He would have loved to have got the opportunity anywhere he was drafted,” she added.
Of course Luke grew up a North boy, which, growing up bayside and attending Brighton Grammar, made him more than a little conspicuous.
The game that tries hard to embrace romance in football applies thresholds for family connections with draft picks, but Trainor going somewhere other than North was as jarring as Ed Richards – of the Lou and Ron Richards-Charline Pannam dynasty – not playing at Collingwood.
But they are concerns for others. Having been strongly pursued by Sydney, in a breath and the stroke of a keyboard, Luke became a Tiger.
“I was a North fan all my life but I am a big Tiger man now, I’m rapt to be at Richmond,” Luke said.
“I am so happy to be at the Tigers and can’t wait for Monday.
“He [Doug] has always been my idol growing up. I don’t get to see him as much with him living in Geelong, but he has always given me great advice and support and looked after me.”
Carrying the family history, Luke said, was a joy – not a burden.
Loading
“He would say a few things when I was younger and in the last few years when it got more serious he would give me more advice. Normally it was to remember the game is fun and to enjoy it and never forget the reason you play the game is because it is fun. And I absolutely love the game.”
It wasn’t always that way. Luke cried at his first Auskick game and demanded to be taken home. It was an outlier moment – after that, he didn’t have a ball out of his hands.
Carrying the family’s heritage ensured recruiters would look at Trainor but his strong intercept marking, and as his dad Anthony admits, his white-line-fever competitiveness, made certain they took more than a passing interest.
He only latterly moved to defence having played all his junior football as a midfielder and forward. It was at Vic Metro that he was moved back – and he played his best football. That created a chicken and egg conundrum of whether he was ready to play football of that quality or whether the move brought it out in him. Doug, the forward, would say he was ready.
Loading
“When Luke kicked the winning goal (from the goal square after receiving a 50-metre penalty to help Vic Metro win the national championship) Doug said ‘you should have said you don’t want the 50 and gone back and kicked a 50 torp for the goal’,” Anthony laughed.
Doug is yet to persuade Luke, whose kicking is elite among draftees, to opt for the torpedo, but he is considering it.
“I think I might have to learn the barrel if I am 60 out to get a bit of a taste forward.”