Hurley, Dons ready to soar
ESSENDON will ease Michael Hurley into pre-season training next month, but expects the rest of its list to be fully fit as excitement builds after a bumper trade period.
Hurley, who earnt All-Australian honours at centre halfback this year, has had offseason hip and wrist surgery and will be carefully managed before Christmas.
But the Bombers have few other concerns ahead of their return to the track, with first to fourth-year players back in action on November 13 and the full playing group coming together from November 27.
Essendon football manager Rob Kerr said the club was thrilled with the acquisitions of Jake Stringer, Devon Smith and Adam Saad over the AFL trade period and believed its side was now better balanced with more speed and more players who could rotate through the midfield.
“We feel like our group’s in a good space and so to complement that a little bit further, the idea is obviously to try to challenge [next year],” Kerr said.
“We’ve got a good number of young players on the list as it is so we felt if we could bolster it with some 23, 24-year-olds that was probably the ideal scenario for us.
“We’ve also got the players like Aaron Francis, Josh Begley and Mason Redman.
“We’re looking for those guys to push their claims as well.
“So I think the list is probably better balanced now as a result of that trade period.”
Francis had been keen to return home to South Australia over the trade period but is staying put after a deal could not be brokered.
The Bombers are confident the 2015 No.6 draft pick — who has two years left on his contract — can live up to his potential despite managing just five AFL games in his first two seasons at the club.
“He’s pretty positive about staying and keen to attack the season and prove himself to be a good footballer,” Kerr said.