Essendon champion turned under 18 TAC Cup Coach, Darren Bewick, is forecasting a bright future for two of the Bombers recent draftees.

Bewick guided Dylan Clarke (pick 63 last year) and Josh Begley (pick 31) through their days at the Eastern Ranges.

Clarke won All-Australian honours last year after averaging 24 possessions throughout the National Championships.

More than half of those possessions were contested.

“He could be a 200 game player for the Club,” Bewick told the Friday Footy Panel.

“He’s got some faults that he works really hard on but his strengths and ‘real’ strengths.

“There is a knock on his kicking but he became better at that in terms of his decision making and not exposing that.

“He’s elite in clearance work, he’s elite in contested ball, he’s clean around the ball, he sees the game really well, [he has] elite endurance.

“There is a player there that once given his opportunity, and hopefully the Club are putting a lot into those areas we mentioned … you’re going to get a really good player.”

Clarke finished third in the 3km time trial at the NAB AFL Draft Combine.

Begley wasn’t a part of the Ranges initial squad at the start of last season, but some strong performances for his local side quickly got their attention.

“He wasn’t in our initial squad last year, we saw him play for Upper Ferntree Gully … he was playing in the seniors as a 17-18 year old, he kicked six or seven in his first game and then another similar bag," Bewick said.

“We sent one of our Assistants down there to have a look at him – not to see him kick goals, but to have a look at what he did off the ball.

“His work rate was really good, he was well overweight but he seemed to see the game really well and we thought we’ll get him in.

“He trained the house down the first night and I said to our boss Len Villani, ‘let’s register him and we’ll play him this week’, because we were missing a few players.

“He was a big, solid boy and he kicked six in his first TAC Cup game.

“Then as he went on there was a little bit of interest in him and we had a really good talk to him … and to his credit, he took it all on board.

“The Bombers are very fortunate to get someone like Josh and I can see a really bright future for him.”

Begley and Clarke have been named to play for Essendon VFL this afternoon against Sandringham.