Essendon Football Club’s first year players will join more than 100 new recruits from across Australia at Etihad Stadium from Monday for a two-day induction camp.

The recruits will gather at Etihad Stadium for a two-day camp run by AFL Players Association in conjunction with the AFL.

Zach Merrett, Orazio Fantasia, Johnny Rayner, Fraser Thurlow and Patrick Ambrose will all be in attendance.

Monday’s schedule will cover a wide range of topics ranging from social media, wellbeing, finance and dealing with setback.

Sessions include past and present players presenting on life skills, decision-making, respect and responsibility along with illicit drugs and gambling.

AFL Players’ General Manager of Player Development Brett Johnson said having the sessions delivered by former players definitely helped the messages ‘sink in’ with the young draftees.?

“There’s no doubt hearing the messages from guys like Jude Bolton and Max Bailey carries extra weight with these young men,” said Johnson.??

“They need to understand that footy isn’t forever, the average career is about five years and it’s a cut throat industry so you need to have a balanced life and begin planning for life after footy almost as soon as you enter the system.”

“We have strong support services that continue to grow and we want these men to take advantage of these opportunities as early as possible within their career."

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