Since his move from Adelaide to Essendon, Wellman has been one of the club's great success stories. Hard working and an excellent team-man, he has been one of the keys to the Bombers' excellent defence. He is greatly respected by his teammates and was made a vice-captain of the side in 2002 as a result. The extra responsibility sat well with him and 2001 was arguably his best ever at AFL level.
Wellman's versatility has been the key to his career at the top level. He started as a forward with Adelaide but quickly found his niche in defence when he arrived at Windy Hill. As a dour defender he would stifle opposition tall forwards. But he added another string to his bow last season when Kevin Sheedy made the most of his running ability. Set free across the half-back line, Wellman found plenty of the football and rarely wasted the football when he got it.
In 2001 he had more possession, delivered the ball outside 50m and inside 50m, cleared the ball from stoppages and tackled more than he did in the Bombers' Premiership year. He raised the bar after a flag and it was a fine example for those around him and a product of the different role he played. if he can maintain his level of performance in 2002 he will be a significant contributor to the Bombers' Premiership push.
What will his role be on match day?
Wellman will be used in a similar role to that of last year - if it ain't broke why fix it? He did the job extremely well last year and it is reasonable to expect he will do the same again. If required, Wellman can also take on a purely defensive role and he has also been used as a pinch hitter in front of goal on ocassions.
What will the coaches expect of him on match day?
Wellman has a good football brain and they will expect him to be the general across half-back line - particularly with Damien Hardwick no longer there. They will want him to find a lot of the football and set up many attacking moves.
