New Essendon star Dylan Shiel says he already feels a personal connection to the rich history of the club.
A member of Greater Western Sydney’s inaugural squad, Shiel said he was immediately struck by the scale and age of his new club as he arrived at The Hangar in October.
“An Essendon player that’s been there from the start of his career probably doesn’t feel that, because he hasn’t experienced anything different,” Shiel told RSN on Wednesday morning.
“For me personally, walking through the club I do feel that atmosphere, that atmosphere that this is an old club.”
Reminders of Essendon’s history and success lie proudly littered throughout the facility and the midfielder has soaked up each new lesson in recent months.
“They have their premiership cups that they’ve won throughout their history displayed as you walk through the club, there’s photos of past players and premiership players.
“It’s just illustrations of the club’s history.
“I certainly have a connection with the club’s history and (I am) learning about it every week – about players and what the club’s done throughout its time.
“It’s actually really special.”
Shiel also spoke to SEN on Wednesday and described his new teammates as “seriously talented”, but he stressed the dangers of relying on talent alone to achieve the ultimate success.
“It’s a great thing to have to play good footy, but it certainly doesn’t guarantee you the end result,” Shiel told SEN.
“There’s a lot more work that needs to be done around talent to get the wins on the board and ultimately win a premiership, because we’ve seen seriously talented teams fall short in recent years.”
The 25-year-old said consistency will be the key for the exciting side this year, but he is confident the squad has jelled well over the off-season.
“I think the club’s in a really good spot in terms of team chemistry and team dynamics. I’ve really been impressed with where the group’s at at the moment.
“I think the fans can expect that the guys are going to play a really good brand of footy this year and be able to perform at a really high level.
“The chemistry is there, the guys are a really close group, it’s just a matter of how consistent we can be with our footy and our system.”
Shiel is expected to take his place in the Bombers’ line-up against Geelong on Thursday after recovering from a corkie suffered in last week’s narrow JLT Community Series loss to Carlton.
Thursday’s clash with the Cats will be Essendon’s last chance to blow off any cobwebs before the season kicks off against Shiel’s former side at Spotless Stadium on Sunday, March 24.
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