Essendon's new group of recruits will add to the feeling of energy and optimism around the club, list manager Adrian Dodoro said after overseeing one of the club's most important drafts in recent history.
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Held back by AFL penalties and affected by the introduction of the expansion clubs in the last five years, the Bombers' seven new players will help bolster all parts of the club's list.
The club used its first two top five selections in 19 years on Geelong Falcons midfielder Darcy Parish and versatile tall Aaron Francis, a South Australian who grew up barracking for Essendon.
Parish is slight but comfortable inside and outside the contest and a natural onballer, while Francis can play as a marking forward, an intercept defender and as a strong-bodied onballer.
Alex Morgan can play off half-back and through the midfield, Mason Redman will join Parish in the midfield mix and second-last pick Yestin Eades will start out as a small, pressure forward.
Essendon's fifth and seventh selections were former Cats defender Mitch Brown and former Collingwood rookie Michael Hartley, who will add to the club's key position stocks.
Brown impressed filling in for Essendon through the pre-season and went on to have an excellent season in the VFL.
The Bombers also contemplated having Hartley fill in, but ruled him out for medical reasons.
Dodoro said the Bombers had wanted to bring some key-position players in to replace the departing Jake Carlisle and the retired Dustin Fletcher.
"We wanted to protect our spine. After losing Jake and Fletch. that was something we really wanted to do," he said.
"We did that, but the rest of our players are all quick, competitive players. We got a good balance, I think.
"It's an exciting night for the club. We got what we wanted. which was getting a bit of speed, toughness and competitiveness into the club."
While a group of players are still awaiting the result of the WADA appeal, with the hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport ending last week, Dodoro said it felt like Essendon "has started to turn the corner a fair bit as a footy club".
"We've got a new coach, a new batch of players - a big new batch of players - and they're going to bring some real energy," he said.
"We feel like we're reinvigorated as an organisation. You feel good about being involved in the draft because you know that if you do the work you're going to get some exciting talent through the door."
