Essendon national recruiting manager Adrian Dodoro is thrilled with the calibre of young talent the Bombers have secured in tonight’s AFL National Draft at the Convention Centre.

 
Jake Melksham was the first name the Bombers read out and Dodoro is confident the 18-year-old’s strong ball winning ability will bolster the club’s midfield. 

 

The Bombers later used picks 24, 26 and 33 to snare Jake Carlisle, Travis Colyer and Anthony Long.

 

Watch what Adrian Dodoro had to say about our draftees on Bomber.tv by clicking here.

 

Carlisle, a 196cm key position player who can play forward or back, represented Vic Metro and averaged 17 possessions in the TAC Cup this year.

 

With strong hands, quality foot skills and an ability to read the play well, Dodoro said Carlisle will develop into an important player for the Bombers.
 
""We were genuinely thrilled that Carlisle was still available at selection 24 and we believe he has the potential to develop into a really strong player for our club,"" Dodoro said.
 
The Bombers used selection 26 to recruit Colyer - an attacking midfielder with exceptional pace - who played for Claremont and was also named in the All-Australian team this season.
 
“He is not big by any stretch of the imagination, standing at 174cm and weighing 73kg, but he is lightening quick and wins his fair share of the ball,” Dodoro said.

 

“He is a lot like Brent Harvey and Chance Bateman with explosive speed and kicks the ball well.

 

“He tested extremely well and did well over the 20m sprint as well as in the beep test which is a lovely blend.”

 

The nephew of decorated Essendon champion Michael Long, Anthony Long is a skilful running defender who is agile with an excellent vertical leap.

 

Standing at 187cm and weighing in at 74kg, the former Calder Cannon was described by Dodoro as a long-term player has plenty of offer.

 

“Long is an exciting player with a terrific combination of speed and agility,” Dodoro said.

 

“We think he is going to be a terrific AFL player who is very similar to Courtenay Dempsey in the way he is able to run and rebound the ball out of defence.

 

“He was offered a place on the Gold Coast’s list this year and knocked them back to go into the National Draft and we believe he ticks all the boxes in terms of his intelligent use of the ball, speed and ability to win his own ball.”