Prized draft pick Elijah Tsatas is confident he can make an instant impact with Essendon in 2023.

Taken with the club’s first selection and fifth overall in the NAB AFL National Draft on Monday, Tsatas said he is keen for the challenge of breaking into the Dons midfield unit.

“I absolutely think I’m going to give myself the best chance to see if I can play early next year,” Tsatas told SEN Sportsday.

“Head down, bum up, work my tail off.”

Despite an injury-interrupted draft year, Bombers fans have every right to be excited by the dynamic midfielder landing at the NEC Hangar.

Tsatas made the most of limited opportunities at club and state level – in just six games for NAB League side Oakleigh this past season, he still took out their best & fairest award averaging 34 disposals per game.

In his one appearance for VIC Metro, Tsatas again made his ball-winning talent clear with 29 disposals and five clearances through the middle.

The 187cm Tsatas is also aware of the room for improvement in his game as he prepares to join the team for their pre-Christmas training block.

“I think (I can improve) in the contest, the defensive side of my game,” Tsatas said.

“If I can nail that with my tackling and my defensive pressure, I’ll be a much more rounded player. That’ll benefit my game as a whole.”

After weeks of speculation around how they would use their first pick, Essendon appeared to many as a ‘wildcard’ going into the draft.

Entering the night himself unsure of when his name would be called, Tsatas was relieved when it was announced he’d become a Bomber.

“No, they didn’t give much away,” Tsatas said.

“I think they wanted to keep their cards pretty close to the chest and have a bit of intrigue around the pick, but I’m super grateful that it did fall this way and I couldn’t be happier.”

As Essendon begins its preparation for 2023, Tsatas also joins the club alongside new senior coach Brad Scott.

From their initial conversations, it’s apparent the coach has made a promising impression on his highly touted draftee.

“He was just super confident on what he can do with the club and how everyone’s shaping,” Tsatas said.

“If I just work on my strengths and try to develop that (pressure) side of my game, hopefully I can really be a weapon for the Bombers.”

Tsatas will enjoy his options with ball in hand next season, as fellow recruits Sam Weideman and the Davey twins look to slot into the forward line with Peter Wright in 2023.

Asked whether his first instinct would be to pass or go for goal, the unselfishness of Tsatas was on display.

“I love kicking the ball inside 50 and the Bombers have some big targets down there, so I’m definitely looking for the lead,” Tsatas said.

“I’m going to get after it, I’m going to go hard and train hard. Hopefully those standards that I’m going to try to set coming in early can bleed into the younger boys and have a trickle effect.”