Bradley must surely have known that Essendon was his most likely destination. It was just one week ago that Bombers’ coach Kevin Sheedy organised to have breakfast with the talented youngster at Perth’s Duxton Hotel. “He just spoke about what the club wanted and that it still hadn’t decided whether it would go tall or pick a midfielder,” Bradley said.
Bradley, a ‘former’ Sydney Swans’ supporter, played under 16 football with the Kingsley Junior Football Club in Perth – a club that was also home to Port Adelaide on-baller Jarrad Schofield. He then headed to West Perth where he quickly made the transformation to senior football last season.
“Last season I played nine games in the Under 18s, three in the reserves and six in the seniors,” Bradley said. And his timing was perfect, having established himself in the side just prior to the finals and eventually playing in the West Perth Premiership side. “I played a few different positions but mainly on the wing and half forward,” he said.
Bradley has played the past two seasons in the Western Australian under 18 side, last season being coached by Gerard McNeil. While Bradley is undoubtedly a talent, McNeil says the most exciting thing about him is the amount of improvement he has left in him.
“He has great enthusiasm and a real passion for the game,” McNeil said. “His aerobic capacity is very good and he could play in any number of positions but I think the most important thing is the amount of improvement he can make in all areas of his game. He is still just learning.”
McNeil said a rule in Western Australia that prevents under18s from being elevated to senior ranks prior to the National Under 18 Carnival had worked in Bradley’s favour. “He probably didn’t realise it at the time – he was probably frustrated at not being able to play senior football. But in hindsight it gave him a real chance to develop his confidence against his peers,” McNeil said.
“There was a lot of pressure on him when he came into the (West Perth) senior side – a lot of people expected a lot of him but he handled it well and I think that is what was the best indicator of what might lie ahead. He is smart, knows where to run and gets a lot of the ball – it will be interesting to see how he adapts to real senior footy.”
