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Cult hero close to comeback, as baby Bombers capture the eye
Cult hero close to comeback, as baby Bombers capture the eye
Essendon Ruckman Sam Draper is close to returning to full training, while new players Zach Reid and Elijah Tsatas excelled as the Bombers prepare for a season in which they want to end a two-decade drought and win a championship.
On Tuesday, the Bombers trained hard in heated circumstances at their home base, the Hangar, though Draper and midfielder-forward Jake Stringer did not participate in match simulation.
Draper has increased his workout efforts following a groin ailment. He took part in numerous exercises and ran well on Tuesday, while Stringer, who has had foot problems, was active in other drills and is in good form moving into the contract season.
Vice captain Andrew McGrath stated that Draper was “super important” to the Bombers’ objectives.
“Unfortunately, he has not played against guys like Nick Bryan or Todd Goldstein. They are also doing quite well in terms of training. But he obviously provides a spark of energy to our team and supporters,” McGrath said.”He’s been jogging about, participating in a few of exercises, and it’s just a matter of time before he’s back in the regular program. That excites us tremendously. “Having two other rucks flying and healthy is a huge plus for our playing group.”
Stringer is not under contract this season and often performs well when his current contract is set to expire. He played seventeen.
last season, but only scored 21 goals. He will be 30 in April, so the Bombers may only offer him a one-year deal to maintain his high fitness requirements.
“He’s settling back in nicely. He recognizes where his body is at and appreciates it, but he is also pushing the limits with our physical team,” McGrath explained.
“It’s good to have him out there. You can tell how gifted he is when he gets his hands on the ball and does his thing. We simply want to see more of him. Hopefully, he will be integrated into full training soon and 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.
“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 face the Cats in a community series match in Geelong on March 1.