Essendon assistant coach Sean Wellman has praised the attitude of the club’s playing group ahead of the NAB Cup campaign, set to kick off when the Bombers fly west to take on Fremantle and West Coast.
Following weeks of gruelling training under second-year coach James Hird and a new high performance team, Wellman said the players were raring to get out on to the field.
“I think some of the younger players particularly will be really looking forward to getting the opportunity to test themselves when the NAB Cup starts,” Wellman said.
“This time of year is always challenging for the players as they are training extremely hard and they really start to look forward to the games that are coming up.
""We have been pleased with our player’s attitudes and willingness to continue to improve and develop from last year.""
Wellman refused to single out individual efforts throughout the club’s pre-season campaign, rather highlighting the work rate of all the players as a whole.
“We have been really happy with our group. You can’t measure yourself against the opposition yet but you can measure the attitude of the players and their desire to improve,” he said.
“Whether you are a first year player or you have been at the club for thirteen years, each player wants to improve.
“We want to provide the best environment for the players to get the best out of themselves,” Wellman told SEN.
The former Essendon premiership player said the club’s newest recruits - including Elliot Kavanagh, Jackson Merrett and Nick O’Brien – were easing in to the demands of the pre-season campaign.
“For any first year player, it is a shock to the system in terms of their workload,” Wellman said.
“They are used to training hard, but they are not used to training day to day which is the biggest shock to the system.
“They have adapted well, embraced the program and we have been really pleased with their attitudes.”
Following weeks of gruelling training under second-year coach James Hird and a new high performance team, Wellman said the players were raring to get out on to the field.
“I think some of the younger players particularly will be really looking forward to getting the opportunity to test themselves when the NAB Cup starts,” Wellman said.
“This time of year is always challenging for the players as they are training extremely hard and they really start to look forward to the games that are coming up.
""We have been pleased with our player’s attitudes and willingness to continue to improve and develop from last year.""
Wellman refused to single out individual efforts throughout the club’s pre-season campaign, rather highlighting the work rate of all the players as a whole.
“We have been really happy with our group. You can’t measure yourself against the opposition yet but you can measure the attitude of the players and their desire to improve,” he said.
“Whether you are a first year player or you have been at the club for thirteen years, each player wants to improve.
“We want to provide the best environment for the players to get the best out of themselves,” Wellman told SEN.
The former Essendon premiership player said the club’s newest recruits - including Elliot Kavanagh, Jackson Merrett and Nick O’Brien – were easing in to the demands of the pre-season campaign.
“For any first year player, it is a shock to the system in terms of their workload,” Wellman said.
“They are used to training hard, but they are not used to training day to day which is the biggest shock to the system.
“They have adapted well, embraced the program and we have been really pleased with their attitudes.”
