Jye Caldwell is officially a Bomber after Essendon and Greater Western Sydney agreed to a trade for the young midfielder in the dying stages of the 2020 AFL trade period.
The 20-year-old returns home to Victoria and joins the Bombers along with picks 44 and 74 in exchange for pick No.29 (received from Port Adelaide for Orazio Fantasia) and a future second-round selection.
The Bombers then on-traded pick No.74, along with pick No.67, to St Kilda in exchange for Nick Hind and pick No.77.
Taken at pick No.11 in the 2018 NAB AFL Draft, Caldwell played 11 matches in two seasons at the Giants, making a name for himself as a strong contested ball-winning midfielder who is also damaging on the outside.
He ranked third for total tackles (33), seventh in total stoppage clearances (10) and eighth in total inside 50s (20) among eligible Rising Star players this season.
The Bendigo Pioneers product was an all-round sportsman in his junior days, becoming Victoria’s state boxing champion as a 13-year-old and also playing cricket and basketball.
General manager of list and recruiting Adrian Dodoro said the acquisition of Caldwell would strengthen the Bombers’ brigade of talented youngsters.
“We are extremely excited to bring in a young player of Jye’s quality,” Dodoro said.
“He’s a contested-ball winner who oozes composure and sure ball-handling whenever he’s in possession. Additionally, we know Jye has a lot of development ahead and is only going to get better with more exposure to senior football.
“Jye really complements our young midfield brigade in Andy McGrath, Darcy Parish and Kyle Langford, and will hone his craft alongside experienced players in Dyson Heppell, Dylan Shiel and Zach Merrett amongst a few.
“We’re thrilled to welcome another dynamic midfielder to our list and look forward to seeing Jye don the red and black for years to come.”
This news is brought to you by Orchard HRO, the club's official recruitment and list management partner.
Essendon's draft selections at end of trade period: 6, 7, 8, 44, 77, 85, 87
