Under the bright lights of Highgate Recreation Reserve in Craigieburn, members of the Essendon Daniher Squad face off against the Calder Cannons.

The contest, one girls and one boys match, comprises some of the best junior players in the region and is fast becoming a burgeoning talent pathway to the AFL.

The Essendon Daniher Squad, part of it’s Next Generaiton Academy (NGA), was established in 2016 as a joint initiative between the AFL and its clubs and has helped provide a pathway for aspiring footballers to develop their skills in elite environments.

One of the key objectives of the NGA is to increase the talent pool of Indigenous and multi-cultural players.

The Daniher Development Squads is comprised of 14-15year-olds and has helped young footballers gain valuable knowledge on what it takes to play football at an elite standard, while also offering valuable off-field development. Past participants of the program have included; Cody Brand, Josh Eyre and Georgie Prespakis.

Leading the charge on these programs is Essendon’s Metro Pathways Manager Shane Abdilla.

As the programs grow from strength to strength in a post-covid landscape, Abdilla‘s viewpoint is the development squads are an important step into providing a pathway into elite football.

“(These programs) provide kids, both in the male and female footy ranks, an opportunity to develop before they come into the Calder (Cannons) system which is really important” Abdilla said.

“It provides a really good foundation and aims to eliminate those shock elements of coming into a professional environment that you’re not exposed to at local level.”

“These elements could be game/training review, it could be structure, and the expectation of game play and flow and what that looks like. There’s a lot to take in so I’m really excited to see where these kids can go down the track.”   

The squads for these games were selected by Shane and the other members of the Essendon Pathways team after watching junior interleague football.

From there, 45 of the best prospects in Northwest Metro Melbourne were selected.

The results of these games are far overshadowed by the valuable development and nurturing of the young talented individuals involved in the 12-week program.

 “It’s purely about development.” Abdilla said.

“It’s all about trying to see each player have a moment. It’s not about putting together four quarters this time of their career, it's very much about having moments and putting those moments together the best they can.”

Abdilla is no stranger to junior talent pathways, having been a Football Manager at the Calder Cannons in 2017. An extensive career in player development at the EDFL and AFL Victoria soon followed as well as stints coaching community football and working in the recruiting team at Western Bulldogs.

Abdilla eventually found himself at Essendon at the beginning of this year identifying emerging young talent.

The partnership between Essendon and the Calder Cannons was easy to recognise with many coaches fulfilling dual roles on the night.

Anthony Woodcock affectionately known as ‘Woody’ served as the midfield coach for the Essendon NGA girls while also fulfilling his role as a development coach at Calder Cannons.

He was brought across from the Cannons by Abdilla to help coach the young talent in the region.

Woodcock spoke about the most beneficial aspects of the Pathway program and its relationship with the Calder Cannons.

“We are really lucky to have the Essendon and Calder relationship because we have such close ties and we can bring them here on a day like today and play them against each other,” Woodcock said.

“It’s just all support and getting around each other. That also helps make a great environment for the players.”             

One of the players that impressed Shane and other coaches during the night was Charlotte Beattie, a 15-year-old currently playing under 16’s for Oak Park Football Club. 

Charlotte spoke after the game about how much she is enjoying the Daniher Development Squad.

“I’m loving being part of Essendon’s Pathway Programs, it’s such a great experience and a great way to improve myself,” Beattie said.

“I’m hoping to get noticed through these games and gain a pathway to improve my skills and meet new people.”

Both Abdilla and Woodcock shared similar sentiments when asked about the most rewarding aspects of their involvement in the program.

The overwhelming theme was seeing the improvement in the players and what they can get out of the program.

“Seeing the kids smile and how much they enjoy it and their progression,” Abdilla said.

“I almost get more out of the kids that come into the program that might have a lot of areas of improvement and they skyrocket in what they produce through training and games and it starts to become visible.”

Woodcock was also effusive in his praise for the development process.  

“(The best part is) when you see the development happen right in front of your eyes, like there might be a light bulb moment and it just changes overnight,” Woodcock said.

“Those things don’t often happen too much in the higher levels or lower levels, but in this development level between Local Football and NAB leagues, you can see those changes overnight.”