“We will still play three or four new faces and there will also be a couple of players that Essendon supporters haven’t seen a lot of in the past season namely Dean Solomon and Aaron Henneman,” Sheedy said. “On top of those players you have the likes of Joel Reynolds and Andrew Welsh who really want to build on what they did last season. Jordan Bannister fits into that category as well.”
Sheedy has been very pleased with the attitude of his players on the training track. He says everyone is aware of both the challenges and the opportunities that have been thrown at the team.
“I think our players have coped with losing three or four good players and have got on with the job and I think that has been a terrific attitude to have. In the end there are now three or four positions there to train for and if there has been a bonus out of trade week that is probably it,” Sheedy said.
“Players have a chance and last year we saw (Mark) Bolton come on after (Dean) Solomon got hurt – all of a sudden he got the opportunity that some people felt he wasn’t getting or the on-ground experience he needed. Hopefully he will keep improving – there are bonuses that can come out of injuries and bonuses that can come out of letting people go.”
Sheedy also said Solomon’s comeback was on track and pending medical advice he could appear in the pre-season competition. “Dean is training very, very well and he hasn’t had a problem which has been good. We could have tried to rush him back for the finals last season but we didn’t do that and someone got some finals’ experience because of that. In the end you have to do the right thing by the boy himself from a long-term point of view,” Sheedy said.
“He is only 21 or 22 years old so he has another 10 years ahead of him – he could be a superstar. He would be very close to playing in the pre-season competition but I will get medical advice on that and find out how he is feeling himself.”
