2003
It is hard to believe that Welsh was only in his second year of senior football in 2003. He played 23 games last season and played with maturity beyond his years. He held down a back pocket position and was one of the keys to the success of the Bombers backline. Similar to Mark McVeigh, he matched it with a number of small forwards in the competition and was also very attacking in his role. He gathered in excess of 22 possessions in three matches this season, which is a fantastic effort from a back pocket player.
STRENGTHS
Welsh isn’t the most polished player going around in the AFL, but you would struggle to find another player with as much heart. He is determined and his work ethic is unquestioned. He worked hard on improving his defensive skills in 2003 and the results spoke volumes to the time he put in on the training track.
POSITION
Welsh is fast making a name for himself as a rugged back pocket player. He combined well with other back pocket player Mark McVeigh in 2003 to hold down the key defensive position. On a number of occasions he notched up more than 20 possessions in a game and in doing so gave the team run out of the backline. He even snuck forward and kicked four goals last season, which isn’t a bad effort from the back pocket.
2004
Despite only heading into his third season at the club, Welsh is already well respected by his teammates. His hard-at-it playing style has helped him become a permanent fixture in the senior team. Welsh has to continue working on his disposal this season and also improve his physical strength so he is competitive in every contested situation. If Welsh continues to impress as he has done in his first two season, he has an exciting future ahead of him with Essendon.
WHAT SHEEDY SAYS
I think young Welsh is a really good player and coming along well. He has probably been one of the picks of the younger players. Most of the fans enjoy watching him play and he stands his own ground and won’t take any crap from anyone. From that point of view he has been welcomed into the team. I think the senior group of players think he is going to be one of the players that will be at our club for sometime. He is a local boy, so it is good to see that at an AFL club where quite often we are drafting kids from interstate.
