Essendon is thrilled to welcome small forward Jade Gresham who officially joined the Bombers today as a restricted free agent.
The 26-year-old confirmed his desire to play for Essendon earlier this week with the AFL approving the deal today. Gresham will join the Bombers on a three-year deal.
Gresham will don the red and black after eight seasons with St Kilda where he played 136 games and kicked 136 goals. He was drafted at pick No.18 in the 2015 NAB AFL Draft.
The forward said he is excited about the new opportunity at Essendon.
“Super excited to be joining a massive club like Essendon.
"I’m really excited to see what this group can achieve in the future," Gresham said.
"I believe we can do something special and I’m happy to be apart of the journey ahead. Can’t wait to meet everyone at the club, get stuck into pre season and get to work for a massive 2024.”
General Manager of List and Recruiting Adrian Dodoro said the acquisition of Gresham strengthens the club’s forward mix.
“We’re excited to bring Jade to Essendon. He’s a quality player who’s a proven goalkicker and will be a great addition to our football club,” Dodoro said.
“He will complement our developing small forwards and provide great leadership and experience as our forward mix continues to evolve.
“We’re confident his best footy is ahead of him and can’t wait to see him run around in the red and black next year.”
Gresham joins Ben McKay and Todd Goldstein as player arrivals at the Bombers this trade period.
“This period presented us with a great opportunity to strengthen our list and we feel we’ve done that,” Dodoro said.
“We have a young and developing list and we need to keep improving. Our focus continues to be on improving our football club so we can deliver success to our members and supporters.”
