Essendon has selected Rhett Montgomerie via pick No.Four in the 2022 NAB Rookie Draft, while Anthony Munkara joins the club as a Category B Rookie selection under the AFL Next Generation Academy rules.
The Bombers also elevated dynamic forward Nic Martin to their senior list following his impressive debut season where he averaged more than 19 disposals and 19 goals across his 21 senior games.
The Bombers were delighted to add Next Generation Academy product Anthony Munkara to its list. Recruited from the Tiwi Islands, Munkara is an exciting forward who plays with instinct and flare, using his speed and athleticism to win the ball.
Under AFL rules, any Next Generation Academy players can be automatically listed if not selected in the NAB AFL National Draft.
Essendon's connection with the Northern Territory runs deep. The relationship with the Tiwi Islands spans over a decade and the Bombers have had Tiwi as an NGA zone since 2017. A key objective of Essendon's NGA is to increase the talent pool of Indigenous players and the club is proud to recruit Munkara from the Tiwi region.
Although having limited exposure to top-level junior football, Munkara impressed in his two SANFL under-18 matches with West Adelaide and his one game for the Allies in the NAB Under-18 Championships.
At SANFL Under-18 level, Munkara kicked six goals across his two appearances, including four on debut against Norwood.
The 18-year-old was also selected in the 2022 NAB AFL Academy, where Munkara showed signs of his potential in the academy’s clash with Collingwood’s VFL side, collecting 11 disposals and a goal.
With his height 187cm, and ariel ability, combined with his natural goal sense, Munkara is an exciting prospect for the Bombers.
National Recruiting Manager Rob Forster-Knight officially welcomed Munkara to the Bombers.
“Anthony Munkara is a very exciting talent who came through our Next Generation Academy. Originally based in the Tiwi Islands but relocated to Adelaide for the last couple of years,” Forster-Knight said.
“He played some great football at school level for Westminster and with West Adelaide at the start of the year. He is a forward with excellent natural football ability, who’s just scratching the surface with what we think he can do in the future, so we just need to ensure we get a good program around him to make sure he reaches his potential.”
Rhett Montgomerie showed his reliability across the Central District’s backline this year, averaging 14.7 disposals at 79% efficiency across his 21 SANFL games.
At 190cm, Montgomerie uses his height and ariel ability to take strong intercept marks across the backline while also having the composure to send the ball back into attack successfully.
“Rhett is a wonderful player who had an outstanding year at Central Districts this year. 22-year-old mature age prospect came third in their best and fairest this year,” Forster-Knight said.
“He gives us great confidence that he can come in and potentially play some games for us as soon as he comes in.
“Rhett reads the play really well and an intercept player who can judge the ball in the air. He is a defender who can also play against a range of players.”
Joining Montgomerie is Bombers’ Next Generation Academy product Munkara, who hails from the Tiwi Islands.
Montgomerie and Munkara will join the rest of the Bombers draft selections in the coming days.
