Gumbleton, 19, was taken with pick 2 in the 2006 NAB national draft and played five games last year. He is considered a star in the making and has grown 3cm since arriving at the club.
“We believe Scott is a prodigious talent and will be an important part of our future,” Knights said.
“He is happy and developing in the Essendon environment and is forming great relationships with our players and staff.
“This signing sends a very positive message to our supporters because Scott has shown faith in the club and the young players around him that they will come through together as a group.
“Scott came from WA and the first year away from home is always difficult and, like many players, he went through that transition phase but it is clear he has adjusted to the AFL environment in his second year. Apart form the obvious injury setbacks he has faced, he has become a really positive personality around the club.”
Knights said, once fit, Gumbleton would slot very nicely into the Bombers forward set-up.
“When you look at the importance of quality forwards in the competition and you see that he is almost 199cm tall, very agile and with good endurance, he could present problems for opposition teams when he gets himself right,” he said..
“Scott has done the rehabilitation work with his hamstring injuries and our staff have been focusing on building him up to be stronger in the lower back and through the core to be able to cope with the rigors of AFL footy.
“In regards to his current knee injury he sustained at training, he is now doing straight line running with no problems and is progressing well to come back in a 2-3 weeks.
“We understand that there was significant interest in Scott from other clubs so we are proud that he has committed to being part our future.”
Earlier this month, Essendon signed new two-year contracts with Leroy Jetta and Henry Slattery and offered a one-year contract extension to 2007 recruit David Myers.
Those three players are now also contracted until the end of the 2010 season.
“These three young men are emerging players and we expect them to play key roles for a long at time be part of an exciting new era for Essendon.”
Knights said the four most recent contracts are an especially good sign for the club as they are for interstate players from WA (Myers, Jetta, Gumbleton) and SA (Slattery).
