It was Hille’s first game of senior football in 245 days – since last season’s second semi-final loss to Geelong. You could have forgiven him for being a little rusty or for tiring late – he was neither and he was a key to the victory. Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy liked what he saw.
""We needed him back in the side – there have been a couple of games we have lost narrowly that we would not have lost if David had been in the side,"" Sheedy said. ""He is a very talented player that a lot of people have missed – unless you are a top 10 draft choice you can get missed a little bit and that has happened to him.""
""I have got no doubt that we are going to see the best of him now over the next three or four years. With him in the side I think we have got one of the best bracket of young talls – David Hille, Jason Laycock and Tristan Cartledge and they are all under 23.""
Hille’s numbers won’t knock you off your feet but his work rate was terrific. He had 11 disposals, took six marks and got eight hitouts. More importantly he engineered two clearances and laid two tackles. But it was more than numbers when it came to assessing Hille’s worth.
The structural change that came over the Essendon side because of his inclusion was critical. Jason Laycock went forward and was very important in the final quarter while Tristan Cartledge came off the bench to give Hille a chop out as required.
""His last quarter was terrific. He has done a fair bit of training but he is such a powerful player he is able to get through. We have only seen what he is capable of in spurts – like in that final against Melbourne last year where he just tore a game apart and changed the course of a game. His best football is ahead of him,"" Sheedy said.
Sheedy was also impressed with Laycock’s efforts late in the game when he marked strongly and kicked two important goals.
""I hate to say it, but if he can be as good as Madden we have got something special. I look at him and I see a player somewhere between Madden and (Paul) Salmon – he has got the athleticism and mobility of both of them,"" Sheedy said. ""In terms of what he has done so early in his career he is probably somewhere between the two again – Salmon was brilliant and Madden was very young.""
""Cartledge is just a baby – right now he is the third cab off the rank. I have got no problem if in three years time we have Hille and Cartledge rucking for us and Laycock perhaps playing centre half forward.""
