Essendon ruckman Sam Draper is close to rejoining full training, while youngsters Zach Reid and Elijah Tsatas impressed, as the Bombers take aim at a season where they hope to break a two decades-long drought and win a final.
The Bombers trained strongly in warm conditions at their home base at the Hangar on Tuesday, although Draper and midfielder-forward Jake Stringer did not take part in match simulation.
Essendon fan-favourite Sam Draper is close to rejoining full training.Credit: Getty Images
Draper has lifted his training loads after dealing with a groin injury. He participated in several drills and ran strongly on Tuesday, while Stringer, who has had foot issues, was busy in other drills and is in a good shape heading into a contract season.
Vice-captain Andrew McGrath said Draper was “super important” to the Bombers’ plans.
“He, unfortunately, hasn’t been out there competing against guys like Nick Bryan and Todd Goldstein. They are training really well as well. But he does add a buzz of excitement to our playing group and our fans, obviously,” McGrath said.
“He has been running around, he is joining in a couple of drills, and it’s only a matter if time before he is back in the full program. We are super excited by that. To have two other rucks flying as well, and healthy too, is a really big positive for our playing group.”
Stringer is off contract this season, and typically plays well when his current deal is about to expire. He played 17 games last season, but managed only 21 goals. He will turn 30 in April, meaning the Bombers may only offer him a one-year contract to ensure his fitness standards remain high.
“He is integrating back really well. He understands where his body is at, and he respects that, but he is also pushing the limits a little bit with our physical staff,” McGrath said.
“It’s great to see him out there. You can see how talented he is when he gets his hand on the footy and does his thing. We just want to see more of him. Hopefully, he will integrate into full training shortly and be ready for games.”
McGrath has maintained a close eye on former No.5 draft pick Tsatas, who played four senior matches in his rookie season of 2023 after recovering from a meniscus tear in the pre-season. The explosive midfielder appears set for a strong season.
Elijah Tsatas has been impressive this pre-season ahead of his second year as an AFL player.Credit: Getty
“He is always in a rush – he wants to play, he wants to play well, really quickly. As an older guy now around the club, you love guys like that. They push you harder,” McGrath said.
“He is one of the first ones in, he is one of the last ones to leave. He just has an appetite to improve and become a really great AFL player. He has had a great pre-season.
“He is big. He, unfortunately, hurt his knee last year, but it gave him a really good opportunity to build his frame, and he has just developed that to another level this off-season. He is open to playing in multiple roles, but he has got the body now to compete at an AFL level.”
Reid did not play a senior game last season, but has also impressed through the summer, working alongside free agent recruit Ben McKay. McGrath said the emerging defender was set for a strong campaign.
“We haven’t seen a lot of him [Reid], unfortunately with injury, with things not going his way, but he has had a really great pre-season. He is connecting really well with guys like ‘Rids’ (Jordan Ridley) and Benny McKay on the last line of defence,” McGrath said.
“He towers over all of us back there. He has got great skills, great game sense, and, hopefully, we see him a lot this year.”
McGrath, having reaffirmed his “process driven” standards after meeting NFL great Tom Brady in Melbourne last weekend, says the Bombers have raised their professionalism, highlighted when more than a dozen players took part in a pre-season camp in Scottsdale, Arizona.
But to make the finals for the first time since 2021, and win a final for the first time since 2004, they cannot again be 13th for points scored, and 16th for points conceded, as was the case last season. Premiership teams typically rank in the top six in both or each category.
“Every team wants to improve their team defence. We are no different. It’s no coincidence the top few teams on the ladder are really good in that area. We were towards the bottom in stopping teams, moving the ball forward, so it’s an area we need to address,” McGrath said.
“It’s a whole-of-field thing. It starts with our forwards, moves into our midfield, and our backs have to complement that. We are doing a lot of work on that at the moment.”
The Bombers will tackle St Kilda in a pre-season match simulation game on February 23 at RSEA Park (Moorabbin Oval), then Geelong in a community series match against in Geelong on March 1.
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