Family Thais: Mother-son captains lead the way for Thailand

By Chris McAsey

One of the great traditions in AFL – and now AFLW – is for clubs to draft ‘Father-Sons’ and ‘Father-Daughters’. In the modern era of the National Draft, it’s a way for players and their families to maintain historical ties to a club.

Current AFL players drafted as Father-Sons include Nick Daicos and Sam Darcy, while Father-Daughters in the AFLW include Sunny Lappin and Issy Grant.

With the women’s competition in only its ninth season, we’re yet to see any ‘Mother-Sons’ or ‘Mother-Daughters’ drafted into the AFL or AFLW. At the recent AFL Asia Cup in Vietnam though, Thailand not only had a Mother-Son duo playing for their country, they were also captains of their teams.

Nongcran ‘Tud’ Saunders and her son Mani Narairt Saunders are members of a very rare group of footballing Mother-Sons. And to make it more ‘All in the family’ – Husband-Father Mark Saunders was coach of the Thailand men’s team.

At Asia Cup 2024, Tud came away with bragging rights in the household, after the Thai women’s team took home the trophy with a Grand Final win over Cambodia.

Tud says that leading the Thai women’s team to win the first AFL Asia Cup was an amazing experience.

‘It’s an amazing part of my life,’ Ted says. ‘I’m very proud of the Thai girls and we have some incredible players.’

The Thais went into the final as underdogs after a 44 – 18 loss to Cambodia in Round 3.

Ted says that while the team didn’t have many chances to train together before the tournament, they came in with a plan to manage players over the three days of competition.

‘We tried to play safe in the first game against Cambodia,’ she says.

‘They are a very strong team and we didn’t want to push ourselves too much and get injured.’

‘Then in the Grand Final we switched some players’ positions and moved the ball more quickly. We were also able to keep players on the ground for longer without having to interchange.’

The strategy clearly worked, with the Thais running over the top of a tired Cambodian team.

Tud only started playing footy at the 2022 Indochina Cup in Phnom Penh – and even then, it was more by accident than design.

‘I was just there supporting my son Mani and my husband Mark and was a water runner,’ Ted recalls.

‘I went on the ground after half-time to make up the numbers after one of our players got an injury. I had never played footy before so I was playing on imagination from watching games on telly.’

‘I was very honoured to receive a ‘Best on Ground’ award for Thailand in that tournament!’

After that dream start to her footy career, Tud realised she wanted to continue playing.

‘I thought, “well I’m still fit enough to run around the ground” so I should continue. Then Mani took me to buy footy boots and Mark taught me how to kick and mark the ball properly.’

Remarkably, Tud is 52 years of age and an inspiration for anyone looking to take up the sport.

‘To be honest, it’s not easy for someone over 50 to play this physical sport.

‘But I’m a lucky one who can and I love it!’

Tud is justifiably proud of son Mani, who captained Thailand’s men’s team at just 18 years of age.

‘He’s a very talented teenager,’ Tud says. ‘He just loves footy and he is very good at it.’

For his part, Mani says it was a ‘truly very special experience’ to share leadership of the Thai squad with his mum.

‘I’m very honoured and grateful to lead the first ever Thai national team at such a young age.’

‘Mum is a remarkable person and sharing the leadership role with her was an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.’

Mani was born in Melbourne and moved to Thailand with his parents when he was three years old. But he says his football journey began even before that.

‘It’s been a dream to play footy since I was two years old,’ Mani says. ‘I didn’t think it would be possible in Thailand but when I was about 15 we found out about the Thailand Tigers.

‘It was like a dream come true.’

Mani had an exceptional tournament in Ho Chi Minh and his talent and leadership was recognised with selection in the All-Asian Team.

Playing a variety of roles in the midfield, half back and even ruck, Mani was a driving force for the Thais with his elite running, ball skills and athleticism.

He kicked one of the goals of the tournament after tapping the ball out of the ruck, gathering at ground level and drilling a brilliant goal from 40 metres. He has all the attributes of an AFL player and if any scouts were at Asia Cup, he would be high on their list of players to watch.

The Thais brought a very young and inexperienced men’s team to Asia Cup, with an average age of just 18. And although they finished with a 1-3 win-loss record, they were competitive in every match.

Mani says he ‘could not be prouder with their performances and determination’.

‘We talked about leaving it all on the ground before we left home and they did not disappoint. Every single one of the boys had their moments and contributed to the team.’

Mark, Tud and Mani are all involved in the innovative Community United By Sports (CUBS) program, which has fast-tracked development of the Thai men’s and women’s teams.

Mark helps to run CUBS in Bangkok’s Khlong Toei district with the Duang Prateep Foundation, a local charity that supports development projects for young people in the area. CUBS introduces young Thais to AFL and provides skill development, training and playing opportunities.

AFL Asia Development Grants also allow the Thailand Tigers to buy equipment, organise games and support players traveling to tournaments.

Mani and Mark work together on ideas for training drills, which Mani, who is bi-lingual, explains to the players. He is now a senior coach at CUBS, which he is ‘stoked about’.

‘I’ve seen the players improve so much, especially with game sense and understanding positional play.’

‘The best part is that they are willing to improve. They find the game much more fun when they’re able to nail aspects of footy.’

Tud says that many of the girls in the CUBS program weren’t eligible for the Asia Cup, so she used her network to recruit players for the team.

‘Some of our female players are professional athletes in different sports who are very interested in AFL and have played for the Thailand Tigers.’

‘Some of them are looking for new sports to join that could be their new pathway.’

While the Thai men’s team had a tough Asia Cup with one win and three losses, Mani is confident the development program will reap rewards in future.

‘Our team is very young,’ he says. ‘Our bodies will mature and if we stick to the program and play with each other more often, the camaraderie will grow stronger and the skills will pick up.’