And the news got better for Essendon who also secured the services of Chris Heffernan – a Premiership player traded to Melbourne three years ago. Heffernan has been training with Essendon for the past six weeks and he was taken by the Bombers with their second selection at the draft.
But the big news was Camporeale – a Premiership player, All Australian and best and fairest winner with the Blues. Essendon recruiting manager Adrian Dodoro got what he wanted and he and fellow club officials were delighted with the outcome. But Camporeale himself was arguably even more relieved.
""I couldn’t sleep last night and now I am just really excited and can’t wait to get into it,"" Camporeale said. ""I am relieved. It has been a long process and one that I never thought I would go through but I am just so happy to be here now and I am sure it will be worth it.""
""Essendon is a great club and there was always that rivalry with Carlton so there were a lot of enjoyable games. I think the Essendon list is a really good mix of young and old guys and we should definitely play finals and hopefully win a Premiership in the time that I am here.""
Of course Camporeale has been a player that Essendon has had great respect for every time they stepped out against Carlton. Often he was the man Essendon tagged in a bid to gain some ascendancy in the midfield.
""At most clubs the players are pretty much the same and getting into each other a bit on the ground is a part and parcel of it. I have played a lot of football against Mark McVeigh and Damien Peverill and they have always been good stoushes,"" he said.
""But we have always respected each other off the field. I had no qualms about coming here and felt quite comfortable walking into the place.""
""My body still feels good and I am running games out well. In training I am doing everything all the younger players are doing so hopefully I can be around for another four years or so.""
Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy was pleased with the outcome of the pre-season draft saying both players would play an important role in stabilising the club list following the off-season clean out.
""He (Camporeale) averages about 25 kicks a game so if he can do that it will be a real bonus for us. We have had a pretty decent clean out here – I think we have moved on about 10 players – so it is great to be able to bring in a 200-game player and a 150-game player,"" Sheedy said.
Heffernan is hopeful a return to the Club that he joined as a 17-year-old will see him produce the sort of form that both he and all Essendon fans know he is capable of. Heffernan was a key player for the Bombers in their Premiership season of 2000 and injury free and with some confidence he will be a more than handy asset.
""I guess it is a bit of a home coming,"" Heffernan said to the media. ""My biggest challenge coming back will be playing consistently. At Melbourne I played some good games and went missing in others. When I played my best football here it was when I was doing something each week.""
""Looking at what has happened to players like Damian Cupido and Shane Woewodin, it is quite clear to me how quickly it can all come to an end. I won’t be drifting through this year, don’t worry about that.""
To watch the full press conference from today with Scott Camporeale, Chris Heffernan and Kevin Sheedy on Bomber.tv click here.
