Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti has never had an issue winning over the fans.
As he plied his trade in the VFL, the former Gippsland Power product developed a loyal following among the Bomber faithful.
But it was the recruiting teams across the competition that took a little more convincing.
McDonald-Tipungwuti concedes his fitness was an issue, but through his relentless dedication he was able to build an aerobic base that would win over the people he needed to impress most.
With its second pick in last year’s Rookie Draft Essendon handed McDonald-Tipungwuti the opportunity he craved.
A defender in the VFL, who mixed dash and dare with precision kicking, was initially honed as a forward in his early pre-season sessions in the AFL.
McDonald-Tipungwuti said training in those early days was difficult.
“The first couple of weeks were pretty hard,” McDonald-Tipungwuti said.
“It was obviously summer time then so the running was pretty intense.
“I guess when you train with Jobe Watson, or Dyson Heppell, or [Brent] Stanton… you look up to the boys and that’s where you want to be.
“I try to push myself like those boys did and try to learn off how they train really well to perform week by week.”
The hard work paid off and after an impressive NAB Challenge campaign, McDonald-Tipungwuti was picked to make his AFL debut in round one against Gold Coast.
He collected ten possessions on debut and ended the season with 21 games under his belt.
Most of his time was spent in defence where the dash and dare remained a key part of his game.
There were also forays into attack that proved equally fruitful, including a four-goal haul against Carlton in the Bombers 24 point win in round 23.
He picked up a Brownlow vote for that performance and also scored a vote for his round eight effort against North Melbourne.
McDonald-Tipungwuti was a regular fixture in the line-up but knows there is more work to be done.
“There is heaps of learning for me to progress in my career,” he said.
“You’re never too comfortable at AFL I guess but I’m learning and loving the experience of playing AFL footy.
“Doing it full-time is pretty hard, with the training and pre-season and coming in every day.
“That was pretty hard and a bit challenging but I’ve learnt from that experience and taken it with both hands and asked for feedback from the other boys.
“I’ll continue my running and focus on what I need to do to get it right.
“Obviously fitness was my main goal and I had to work on that during pre-season.
“Having the other boys push me through and learning from Patty Ambrose who just runs and runs… I just challenged myself.”
McDonald-Tipungwuti finished seventh in the Crichton Medal and won the Club’s Rising Star award.
He also picked up the Cheer Squad award.
The fans that were with him on those cold, wintry days in the VFL remain just an enthralled as embarks on his AFL career.
