In:
James Stewart (GWS)
Picks 29, 68
Out:
Michael Hibberd (Melb)
Pick 59, 77
Draft Selections:
1, 20, 29, 41, 68 and 95
List and Recruiting Manager Adrian Dodoro on:
James Stewart
“I think he’s a young man who has done his apprenticeship, he spent four years up there so he’s ready to go and he’s very determined to put his best foot forward.
“He’s a boy that probably struggled to get a berth with the GWS Giants because of the stocks they’ve got up forward with Cameron, Patton and Lobb.
“With us, there is an opportunity there – he can partner Joey (Daniher) for a number of years hopefully.
“He’s got a lot of potential, we’ve been tracking him for quite a while and we’re very delighted to have him.”
The Hibberd Deal
“Obviously we’re disappointed to lose Michael who has been a quality player for us over a number of seasons.
“We wish him all the best at Melbourne and thank him for the contribution he made to the Club.
“Once Michael declared his intention to leave, we sought to achieve the best possible outcome.
“We’re pleased we were able to secure another pick in this year’s National Draft."
The Dons Draft picks
“We think it’s really strong draft, particularly around the first 30 – we think we’ll get three very good players.
“Even our pick 41 – four players around the top 40 is a good hand to have.
“We’re hoping we’ll find some more exciting talent.”
The number one pick
“A lot of the work has been done but I’ll sit down with Merv (Keane - Senior Recruiting Coordinator) and the guys and really hone in now and become quite specific on what we’re looking for.
“We haven’t made up our mind, we’re very open minded about what we’ll do with pick one but we’ve got a rough idea of the couple we’re looking at and we’re very excited with the talent that will come in the door.”
Key information:
Essendon has indicated it will offer contracts to Matt Dea and James Kelly when the delisted free agency period begins on November 1. Kelly and Dea joined the Club on the eve of the 2016 season, but both finished in the top ten in the Crichton Medal.
James Gwilt, Shaun Edwards, Jason Ashby and Tom Wallis will not be offered new contracts while Adam Cooney and Tayte Pears have retired.
The National Draft will be held on November 25.
