Essendon Football Club went into the 2000 National Draft unsure of just exactly what they would walk away with. There was undoubtedly some qulaity players up for grabs but Essendon weren't entering the draft until selection 17. The wash-up was pretty good. Essendon took six players in the draft - a mixture of midfielders and key position players - and were very pleased with the result. But how do they assess the progress of these players with one season under their belt? Are these players shaping as they thought they would and will they provide the Bombers with long-term senior players?

There is no doubt that James Davies, Ted Richards, Sam Hunt, Jordan Bannister, Marc Bullen and Michael Davis are talented. And they will need to make sure that talent is on show early next season. Essendon needs its younger players to put pressure on the senior group and make the most of opportunities when they present themselves.

Essendon recruiting manager Adrian Dodoro is pleased with the progress the six draftess have made during 2001. ""Given natural improvement we would like to think that they would move into senior ranks next season and begin to establish themsleves as permanent fixtures,"" Dodoro said. ""They have basically completed their apprenticeship and the time has come for them to put their hand up.""

Dodoro on James Davies (Bombers 1st selection, 17 overall): ""His very best is very exciting although he does have areas he will need to improve on. He will address those over the pre-season and I think he will play senior football in 2002 if he works hard over the pre-season.""

Dodoro on Ted Richards (Bombers 2nd selection, 27 overall): ""He started the season very well but tapered off towards the end as can happen with 17-year-olds. I expect him to play senior football next year simply because he will be much bigger, stronger and fitter. I think the jump from Xavier College to AFL football was a big one for both Ted and James Davies and they will blossom with 12 months under their belt.""

Dodoro on Sam Hunt (Bombers third selection, 32 overall): ""It was a very hard year for Sam who had to combine studies at Essendon Grammar with playing football at Essendon. We encouraged him to get school out of the way and now he has done that he can basically become a full-time footballer instead of a part-time player. I think he will improve significantly based on that alone.""

Dodoro on Jordan Bannister: (Bombers 4th selection and 47 overall): ""Jordan had an excellent season and exceeded our expectations. He is in the gym already - he knows he has to put on some weight to be a regular senior player. He has a terrific attitude and with natural improvement should play more senior football next season.""

Dodoro on Marc Bullen: (Bombers fifth selection and 63 overall): ""He had a terrific first season and it was a great effort to win the best and fairest. If he can follow in the footsteps of our previous two winners - Adam Ramanauskas and Mark McVeigh - he will have done very well. He gets a lot of the football and is capable of making the transition.""

Dodoro on Michael Davis (Bombers 6th selection and 74 overall): ""Michael really improved late in the season and was averaging about 30 possessions per game. He has great endurnace and knows where to run and he could jump up next season and surprise a few.""

So it seems all draft picks have done enough to show they could be good players for the Bombers in 2002. It will be interesting to see who the match committee push up during the pre-season.