Already an Essendon star and now a vice-captain, it’s easy to forget that Andrew McGrath is still only 22. Photo: AFL MEDIA
Three years after embarking on a strategy of aggressively recruiting established players from other clubs, it’s fair to say Essendon’s plans for a premiership have taken a significant detour.
In the space of 12 months, the Bombers brought Devon Smith, Adam Saad, Jake Stringer and Dylan Shiel to the club in what amounted to a bold declaration of their intent to capture some silverware.
But Essendon’s continued failure to win a final since that quartet’s arrival, and the emergence of significant cultural issues at the club saw the club fall well short of where it thought it would be by the end of 2020, leading new chairman Paul Brasher to commission a “brutally honest” review of the football department,
Things got so bad that after just three seasons at the club, Saad stunningly decided to leave and join arch-rival Carlton in the off-season. Joe Daniher, Orazio Fantasia and Shaun McKernan have also departed, as have retired duo Conor McKenna and Tom Bellchambers.
So with a big chunk of their best 22 gone, the Bombers are unexpectedly already embarking on their next era, and the following five players look set to play key roles as it begins in 2021.
JYE CALDWELL
The former No.11 draft pick had a tough start to his career at Greater Western Sydney, with groin issues in particular curtailing his first two years at the expansion club.
But despite managing only 11 senior games, the Bombers identified the 20-year-old as a player that could really bolster their midfield which, for a few years now, has crucially been lacking genuinely big bodies that can win their own ball in the contested situation.
“He’s settled in and he’s really happy and he looks strong,” Essendon assistant coach Dan Jordan told Footyology.
“There’s going to be some expectation on him, but we’ve been really excited with his pre-season and the actual physicality he’s been able to bring inside, and also his strength and composure when he’s under pressure with the ball.
“We feel that that’s probably an area that we’ve needed to beef up a bit and we hope Jye can be that player. He’s showing some great signs in the middle there … he likes tackles and has some really nice hands.”
SAM DRAPER
After a delayed start to his career courtesy of an ACL injury in 2019, the man mountain was unleashed on the footy world last year and provided some rare highlights in a gloomy year for Essendon fans.
He’s still very much a raw talent, but Draper showed in his eight senior games in 2020 that he was capable of taking over the mantle of No.1 ruckman, and his ascent to the position couldn’t have been more timely with the retirement of Bellchambers.
At 203 centimetres and weighing in at a whopping 107 kilograms, the 22-year-old is ready to rumble and looks poised to produce more memorable moments for the Bombers in what looks like being another tough year for them.
“He’s had a really strong pre-season and can probably take that next step and become the genuine first ruck option that we need,” Jordan said.
“He certainly looks to be moving across the ground a lot better but also a lot stronger in the contest, and also has dominated at a few points in the air. Hopefully he can become that really big target for us, but also be first hands on the footy around the ball.
“It’s a big year for him in terms of both confidence but also physically in terms of where his body’s at and being able to sustain AFL footy and also have a real impact around the ground.”
The extra time off that Draper was forced to have as a result of his knee injury gave him more time to not only get his body in good condition, but also pile on the kilograms and potentially turn himself into the intimidating enforcer he could prove over the next few years.
“He’s really keen now, having had a taste of it last year, to try and pit himself against the best AFL ruckmen,” Jordan said.
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BRAYDEN HAM
The 21-year-old was thrown into the deep end in many respects as a slightly-built kid in his first two years at the club.
But after gaining valuable experience at the top level, having played 15 games, the former No.72 draft pick is on track to potentially become one of the bargains of the 2018 draft.
The beautifully-skilled midfielder has put on an extra 4-5 kilograms in the gym over the summer, and having produced an excellent pre-season so far, has grown in confidence and looks set to become a regular member of the Bombers’ senior team in 2021.
“He’s got some assets that actually suit our game plan really well. He’s an elite runner who has an ability to cover the ground,” Jordan said.
“By his own admission, he’s probably been a bit light and not quite confident against the big boys, and that can often happen with these younger, lighter guys coming in.
“But he seems to be a much different player at the moment, and I think certainly last week [against Carlton] he showed that as well, he got his hands on the ball probably 9-10 times in the first quarter, and kicked a couple of lovely goals and a couple of nice [forward-50] entries for us.
“He’s got a lovely left foot, and being able to use that coupled with his running ability and also his understanding of the patterns that we need in terms of our game plan, I think it’s a big year for ‘Hammy’ and I think he’s shown some great signs. I think he’ll really cement himself in our side and in the future become an important cog.”
One of Essendon’s biggest weaknesses in recent years has been its connection between midfield and attack, and Ham looms as a key figure in improving that part of the game for his team this year and beyond.
“He’s got two things – one, he’s a ‘metres gained’ player, so he grabs the ball and he’s keen to carry it and kick the ball long and that’s really important in today’s footy,” Jordan said.
“Once he gets his understanding and being able to assess the field around him, and that comes with a little bit more confidence and knowing you’ve got a little bit more time in game as well, and we’ve already seen evidence of that over this pre-season, he’s been able to evolve his field of vision and then having the capability to execute going inside 50.
“He’s one that certainly we’d like to get his hands on the ball going inside 50 because he generally gives us a quality entry.”
HARRISON JONES
With Daniher and McKernan gone, and James Stewart and Jayden Laverde looking like they might spend more time in defence this year, all of a sudden the doors have flung wide open for Jones to take his spot in the Essendon side.
The untried key forward has been on the Bombers’ list for over a year now, and while still very much in the formative stages of his career, especially after being denied game time in the VFL last year due to the pandemic, Essendon’s top pick from the 2019 draft (No.30 overall) is poised to make his debut in 2021, and could quite conceivably provide regular support to new recruit Peter Wright.
“Last year he came into club at sort of 74 kilos and obviously as a tall forward we knew it was going to take some time, and it’s still going to take some time,” Jordan said.
“But he’s put 10 kilos on his frame while still being able to hold his athletic ability, which is a bit of a weapon for him – his ability to be able to cover the ground and be able to get up and get on the move and work over defenders – and he’s had a strong pre-season and hasn’t missed a beat in terms of missing any sessions.
“He played a full game against Carlton last week and showed a few of his assets in terms of his marking when he gets a run at the ball, so his ability to be able to cover the ground, and he kicked a couple of nice goals.
“He really wants to put his hand up and try and cement one of those positions [up forward] early [in the season] and see if he can grab hold of that.”
ANDREW McGRATH
The biggest name of this group of promising youngsters, you sometimes have to remind yourself that McGrath is still only 22.
Having said that, he’s already one of Essendon’s most important players, and the fact that he has been named a joint vice-captain of the club for this season illustrates how highly he is regarded.
The 2017 Rising Star winner and four-time “Under22 team” member has gone from strength to strength since debuting, graduating from the backline to become one of the Bombers’ best midfielders.
Perhaps his value to the side became no more apparent than in the last three games last year, which he missed due to a syndesmosis injury, and which the Bombers lost by an average margin of 45 points.
The sky is the limit for the former No.1 pick, and with 78 games under his belt, he is right in the sweet spot of his career to potentially enter the top bracket of AFL players this season.
“He’s now taken on a leadership role and really keen to work on his game and I think there’s no ceiling on where he can take that game now as a bona fide inside mid and be able to use that ability,” Jordan said.
“I think there’s still significant growth in him. He attacks it really, really hard and I think he is a leader of that group with [Jordan] Ridley, [Kyle] Langford and those guys where we expect our major improvement to come from that are now 50-games-plus.
“He drives really, really high standards not only of his team but of himself, but by the same token, he’s very measured and very calm and a really good influence on the group.”
