There is plenty of family football rivalry in the Browne household but despite having a father who played for both Collingwood and Fitzroy and a mother who follows Carlton, new recruit Alex Browne says he is thrilled to be at Windy Hill.

Taken with pick number 48 in last week’s National Draft, medium-defender Browne is renowned for his ability to read the play and for his versatility.

With the ability to play across the backline or push into the midfield, Browne says his preferred position is across the halfback flank.

“As a junior I played a lot in the midfield, but playing with the Oakleigh Chargers I developed and worked my way up to a half back flank position with both the Chargers and Metro, so I guess that is ultimately my preferred position on the field,” Browne told Bomber.tv.

Having recently completing year 12 at Xavier College, Browne says he is looking forward to getting stuck into the pre-season at Essendon.