The Essendon Football Club welcomed two new Bombers tonight at the AFLW Draft, with Emily Gough and Chloe Adams joining as draftees.
Gough arrived at the NEC Hangar via pick No.20, while Adams was selected with pick No.38.
At 179cm, Gough is known for her athleticism, and when combined with her strong contested marking and kicking ability, she is a force for any opposition to stop.
A Sandringham Dragons product, Gough's flexibility was displayed throughout the Coates Talent League when she averaged 18 disposals and three marks across her 10 games.
Gough also lined up for Vic Metro throughout the National Championships. She demonstrated adaptability by playing various roles, including against South Australia where she switched from the midfield to a shut-down defence role.
AFLW List and Recruiting Manager Georgia Harvey said the Bombers were thrilled to add Gough to their AFLW list.
"Emily is a key utility who played down back during her Under-18 National Championships. At 179cm, she's versatile, playing down back and along the wing," Harvey said.
"A strength of Emily's is her long-range kicking, and she's going to provide a different aspect to our side, which is really exciting.
"Emily was a key target of this draft so we are thrilled to have secured her."
Joining Gough at the NEC Hangar is Adams, who was drafted from the Geelong Falcons and also represented Vic Country.
A tough midfielder with clean skills, Adams averaged 25.6 disposals, 15.9 kicks, and 8.1 tackles per game across her 14 Coates Talent League matches.
Adams also has strong leadership skills, which was on show as the Co-Captain of the Falcons and Vice-Captain of Vic Country.
Harvey said Adams will be a fantastic addition to the Bombers' lineup.
"Chloe is a great ball user with excellent leadership skills. At 163cm, she's a midfielder who can also play down back, as well as inside and outside midfield.
"She has excellent foot skills and can kick accurately on both feet, which is a fantastic characteristic for a midfielder.
"Bombers fans are going to really enjoy having Chloe and Emily in the red and black."
After acquiring Maddi Gay and Bess Keaney through the 2023 AFLW Trade Week, Harvey said the club was thrilled to select such great talent in tonight's draft.
"We slid back in the national draft to bring in talent through the trade period, but as a result, we still got players who we rated highly," Harvey said.
"Overall, tonight has been a great result for the Essendon Football Club and we are really excited about what we could achieve in 2024."
