Essendon’s recruiters were keeping a keen eye on the up and coming talent at this week’s NAB AFL Draft Combine.
Manager of player personnel Adrian Dodoro said the recruiters and coaching panel were exploring their options and looking to invest in midfield talent as the Bombers look to secure their next batch of emerging talent.
“There is a lot of talent out there and both Hirdy and midfield coach Simon Goodwin are happy with the players we have presented so far. We definitely think there are a couple of kids in contention to bolster our midfield next year,” Dodoro said.
Manager of player personnel Adrian Dodoro said the recruiters and coaching panel were exploring their options and looking to invest in midfield talent as the Bombers look to secure their next batch of emerging talent.
“There is a lot of talent out there and both Hirdy and midfield coach Simon Goodwin are happy with the players we have presented so far. We definitely think there are a couple of kids in contention to bolster our midfield next year,” Dodoro said.
Watch Dodoro talk about the up and coming talent on BomberTV ?
Dodoro said this year’s AFL National Draft would be affected by the introduction of the GWS Giants.
“It’s an interesting Combine this year because there are 120 players in the draft and 18 teams– the most there has ever been,” he said.
“As was the case last year with the Gold Coast Suns, the GWS team will get the majority of the first round draft selections and by the virtual fact that we finished in the top eight this year, we end up getting pick 19 for our first selection. We’re hoping we can do some damage with that pick this year.
“The challenge for us is to know these up and coming players as well as we possibly can prior to trade week next week. We’re trying to gain as much knowledge as we can at the Combine,” Dodoro told BomberTV.
Dodoro said there was still a significant amount of recruiting work to do ahead of the AFL National Draft.
“From a recruiting perspective, there is quite a lot of work now leading up to the Draft. The Combine has proven to be a really good indictator and we will now conduct a secondary round of interviews based on the data we have,” he said.
“We will go in to trade week next week with an open mind.”
Dodoro said this year’s AFL National Draft would be affected by the introduction of the GWS Giants.
“It’s an interesting Combine this year because there are 120 players in the draft and 18 teams– the most there has ever been,” he said.
“As was the case last year with the Gold Coast Suns, the GWS team will get the majority of the first round draft selections and by the virtual fact that we finished in the top eight this year, we end up getting pick 19 for our first selection. We’re hoping we can do some damage with that pick this year.
“The challenge for us is to know these up and coming players as well as we possibly can prior to trade week next week. We’re trying to gain as much knowledge as we can at the Combine,” Dodoro told BomberTV.
Dodoro said there was still a significant amount of recruiting work to do ahead of the AFL National Draft.
“From a recruiting perspective, there is quite a lot of work now leading up to the Draft. The Combine has proven to be a really good indictator and we will now conduct a secondary round of interviews based on the data we have,” he said.
“We will go in to trade week next week with an open mind.”
