The 18-year-old (who turns 19 on Australia Day) will be one of six rookie listed Bomber players in 2009.
He is from, and played for Killoe in Longford and is the first international player signed by the club after impressing list manager, Adrian Dodoro, during a trial in September.
“He is very athletic and we were impressed with his physical ability and good attitude,” Dodoro said.
“Michael is very keen to learn and hungry to succeed so we think that gives him a good chance to play AFL football for Essendon.
“The big issue for him and all Irish recruits is his skill level, particularly his kicking, so we will need to put plenty of work into that area.
“Also, Gaelic football doesn’t require the tackling skills that are so important in AFL so he will have to learn to lay a strong tackle and break tackles from opponents.”
Dodoro said that over the next few months Quinn will spend plenty of time with Essendon’s coaches, including Alan Richardson who had good success with Irishman Marty Clarke at Collingwood.
“We expect he will join in full training sessions in January and he will be worked hard so we can fast track his development,” Dodoro said.
Quinn says his strengths in Gaelic Football were his speed, ball carrying and ability to read the play but he knows he has plenty to learn to become an AFL player.
“Probably ball skills is the main thing to work on but when you work on that you can’t forget your fitness and you can’t forget that you have to bulk up a bit so you have to keep all three going at the same time to progress,” he said.
“It was a big decision to move but something I always wanted to do was play professional football so I jumped at the chance.
“I heard that Essendon was a big club, one of the top premierships clubs, and I had heard of Collingwood with Marty Clarke and Carlton and Sydney with their Irish fellas. It’s (AFL) pretty big back home.”
Standing around 185cm, Quinn will start his playing career on a half-back flank playing for Bendigo to help him better learn the game.
He says it’s hard to know exactly what his 2009 goals should be.
“Maybe in another month or so I will have a better idea where I am at – I am starting at the beginning so it’s difficult to tell,” he said.
“I need to work up through the steps. First is work on ball use, skills and bulking up and then get into some good training sessions and practice matches. Then I can get into playing for the Bendigo Bombers and try and play consistently for them and work my way up.
“They (AFL players) are a lot bigger and in better shape than the Irish fellas because it is a professional organisation. It’s very different to back home.”
Quinn is living near the club with an Irish family who support the Bombers which is expected to help with his adjustment to life in Melbourne.
He says the heat and being away from his parents, older sister and younger brother have been the hardest part of the move but the efforts of his team-mates – particularly the young players like David Myers and Tayte Pears - have made him feel at home.
