New recruit Dylan Shiel says becoming a Bomber is a ‘dream come true’.
Shiel was traded to Essendon from Greater Western Sydney in the final minutes of the 2018 NAB AFL Trade Period.
The midfielder visited his new home at The Hangar on Thursday morning.
“I’m incredibly excited to be part of the Bombers,” Shiel said.
“I dreamt of playing for one of the big Melbourne clubs as a kid and I certainly got my wish last night at the last minute so I couldn’t be happier.
“I spoke to some of the players this morning and those involved at the footy club and I’m excited to build new relationships with them and experience the incredible journey that lies ahead.
“Essendon play in the biggest games in the season, to be able to get the opportunity to play in the big games ANZAC Day and Dreamtime at the ‘G is extremely exciting.”
Shiel had multiple offers from rival clubs but nominated Essendon as his club of choice on day two of the trade period.
“It was a difficult decision to go through and I really took my time and absorbed as much information as I could, going through that process,” he said.
“For Essendon, I was excited by the relationships that I could build at this club.
“There is a great leadership group with Dyson Heppell, Xavier Campbell and Dan Richardson – I was blown away by the people that were leading this football club and I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.”
Shiel spent seven years in Sydney with the Giants, playing 135 games, with majority of those played alongside Devon Smith.
Shiel said the prospect of playing with his former teammate had some influence on his decision to move to Essendon.
“Devon was certainly a factor in my decision. We played our first footy together when we were 12 years old, coming through the junior footy ranks in Victoria,” Shiel said.
“It was sad to see him leave the Giants last year but I am really excited to be joining him at the Bombers.
“We have always been close mates and remained in contact during his first year at Essendon. He always spoke highly of the club and how good they have been to him.”
Throughout the trade process, Shiel reached out to a number of Essendon players for support.
“I got in touch with a few of the guys over the last couple of weeks when I was going through the decision making process,” he said.
“It’s great to see that the guys here are really driven and spending a lot of time at the footy club during their off-season.
“It looks like it’s a playing group that have really high standards and are hungry for success – they are going to be getting a team mate that wants the same things as them.”
The new Bomber said there were a number of players he was looking forward to running out with in 2019.
“I don’t want to ruffle any feathers on my first day at the club by naming one person in particular but it will be exciting to play with guys like Jakey Stringer, Dev and you can’t go past someone like Daniher, Heppell and Merrett,” he said.
“Also, Tommy Bellchambers, hopefully I am going to be roving to him so I need to start with a good relationship with Tommy!”
