Strengths: One of the main assets of Henneman’s game is his strength. Physically there is little doubt that Henneman has what is required to play in the key defensive post or match it in the ruck. He is big, strong and athletic and has the ability to match up on both a smaller forward and tall forward. His upper body strength will give him the edge on one-on-one contests and his ability to take overhead marks.
Position: Henneman provides the team with another ruck option. At 193cm he is tall enough to hold down the position and an advantage of playing in the ruck is his agility and pace. Henneman is also a handy option at centre-half back. The Bombers have the current luxury of a number of tall defenders – Dustin Fletcher, Sean Wellman, Mark Bolton, Dean Solomon, Danny Jacobs and Scott Lucas. So Henneman could find himself holding down a permanent spot at centre-half back, allowing his teammates to play more of a sweeping game across half back.
2003: This season Henneman needs to cement his spot in the senior line-up, whether it is as an alternating ruckman, or holding down a key defensive role. He has shown he has the physical attributes to match it with the best in the competition, he just needs to capitalise on this potential in 2003. In a season where there will be more opportunities for younger players to take the next step and become permanent senior players, it is up to Henneman to grab that opportunity.
Sheedy says: Aaron was a big loss last year. When fit, we could play him in various positions, centre half back, centre half forward, or mobile ruck, he has an enormous spring. Importantly, he is a quality person, moved from country Corowa his athleticism and personality reminds me a lot of Kevin Walsh. If I dare to say so! Aaron will be an ideal player to carry out game tactics and playing in various positions when required and over time I expect him to have a solid career at Essendon Football Club.
