Neagle finished second on the TAC Cup goal kicking list with 60 goals at the completion of the season despite missing three games through injury. He kicked two goals on Grand Final day when Gippsland won the TAC Cup Premiership. Not surprisingly a number of clubs looking for key forward have shown enormous interest in him during the season.
""He is an exciting young talent and he would have gone earlier in the draft than what we have given up for him. He has plenty of size about him and is pretty raw but we think he would be a good key position forward in the years ahead,"" Essendon recruiting manager Adrian Dodoro said.
""He played most of the season at full forward with Gippsland but also spent some time in other key positions. There were games where he took 12 and 13 marks, he is a good strong lead and he kicks well. He kicked a couple of bags of six and seven goals and has spent some time working with Peter Hudson (former champion Hawthorn full forward).""
Merv Neagle was an excellent player for Essendon during the late 70s and early 80s. He played in the 1984 Premiership side and finished second in the 1980 Brownlow Medal behind winner. Post-Essendon, Neagle went to Sydney where he played 56 games between 1986 and 1990.
