In the current football environment where many young players are considered a has-been at 20-years-of-age, some would question the Bombers’ wisdom. Youth has been the policy of many and it is not negotiable – err on the side of the ""kid"" at all costs. Let’s look at where we want to be in four years time.
But others would argue that you need hard bodies and wise heads to navigate a long football season and still be in good enough shape to make some sort of impact come finals’ time. Depth is critical – you don’t win Premierships with the best 22, you win flags with the best 30 and even then you need luck with injury.
Recent history would provide a compelling case – Port Adelaide was at, or very near, the top of the ladder for the best part of five seasons and they collected a flag along the way. Port is one club that has never shied away from opting for experience. Other recent Premiers, namely the Brisbane Lions and the Kangaroos, have also taken a similar approach.
So where does this leave the Bombers? Behind closed doors Kevin Sheedy and key football personnel would have been weighing up some very important decisions. The bottom line is that they must feel that the finishing skills of Camporeale and the negating and running skills of a Chris Heffernan can round out a list that they believe has plenty of emerging talent.
Both players are midfield / half back and when you throw them alongside Brent Stanton, Ricky Dyson, Angus Monfries, Damien Peverill, Jason Johnson, Mark Johnson, Andrew Lovett, Richard Cole, Adam Ramanauskas, Mark McVeigh, Nathan Lovett-Murray and Henry Slattery among others, you have a nice blend of youth and experience.
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There is also the issue of player development. Does a young player learn more getting belted each week or by playing in a very competitive side alongside the likes of a Camporeale of Heffernan. That would have been a part of Essendon’s thinking.
And then you have the issue of Hird. Wouldn’t Essendon love to complete Hird’s career with the fairytale finish? It would not have been an over-riding consideration but it adds some spice to the decision process. Is Hird’s best chance with two young unknowns or a couple of experienced players that know what it takes?
The bottom line is that the Bombers want to plonk for experience. It just remains to be seen which way things pan out at 10am on Tuesday.
You can be guaranteed to the Bombers will address the youth issue in tomorrow’s rookie draft and they have done so very successfully in recent years. So if you aren’t sold on Essendon’s pre-season draft selections, keep a close eye on the rookies that they want at Windy Hill. Might there be another Mark Johnson or Andrew Lovett among them?
From 10am tomorrow morning we will be reporting on the outcome of both the pre-season draft and rookie draft as it happens.
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