James Peters was named as Essendon VFL’s Best First Year Player on Wednesday night at the Club’s Best and Fairest.  

The small forward made his debut in round four against Port Melbourne, where he kicked one goal and laid three tackles.

From his five games in the VFL, he kicked three goals.

Peters played his junior years at Aberfeldie Football Club. He played in the Calder Cannons side in 2015 but missed most of the season due to injury.

In 2016 he made a strong return, catching the eye of the Bombers.

After impressing in each of his appearances this season, Peters shapes as an exciting prospect according to Performance Coach, Mark Corrigan.

“He has bought a hard edge to our VFL forward line highlighted by his relentless defensive pressure,” Corrigan said.

“For a first year player, he has shown great ability to adapt to the speed of VFL and impact the scoreboard as a small forward.

“I love his competitiveness and the way he plays with real aggression.

“It was James’ first full season of footy since he was 15 so we see plenty of upside and a bright future ahead.”