Dyson was at home with family and friends, following the draft with the live webcast, however the website dropped out at pick 40 and Dyson was informed of his fate by the Northern Knights manager, Peter Kennedy. “Towards the end I was getting a bit worried. When you go later you doubt it a bit more, but I suppose it doesn’t matter what number you get picked at, as long as you get drafted,” Dyson said.
Dyson joins Northern Knight’s teammate Brent Stanton at the Bombers. Essendon selected Stanton with draft pick 13. “I was so rapt to stay in Melbourne and especially come to a great club like Essendon. Also to come here with Brent (Stanton) is really great,” Dyson said.
“We were joking about it a week ago and saying how good would it be if we went to the same club. When I found out I was drafted, I thought how good it was that I was going to Essendon and then a couple of minutes later I thought where did Brent go and then I realised Essendon had picked him up as well, and I was rapt that we were going to the same club.”
Dyson had spoken to Essendon recruiting manager Adrian Dodoro leading up to the draft but was no certainty to come to Windy Hill. “Adrian rang me the night before the AFL cut-off where you can’t speak to players anymore – just before the start of exams. We spoke for about 10 to 15 minutes, but apart from that, that is it.”
In the week leading up to the draft, Dyson was unsure at which club he would end up and was just hoping to get selected by an AFL club. “In the week before the draft, I was just trying to catch up with friends, in case I did have to move interstate. I tried to take it easy and was glad that exams were finished,” Dyson said. “To be drafted by such a great club like Essendon is just a dream come true. They have a young side at the moment and it is probably one of the best clubs to come to.”
Dyson and Stanton commenced pre-season on Monday and will be joined by other draftees Kepler Bradley and Jay Nash later this week. The four draftees will head to Cann River with the rest of the team on Sunday for a five-day camp.
The BomberLand team will keep you posted on how the draftees are progressing through the pre-season.
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