The National Under 18 Championships are in full swing at the moment and every talent scout worth his salt has converged on Melbourne to scrutinise the footballers on show. And well they might - it is these championships that almost invariably unveil the stars of the future. Of the Bombers 22 premiership players in season 2000 only seven didn't play in national junior championshsips. Those players were Steven Alessio, Mark Johnson, Damien Hardwick, Dean wallis, Michael Long, Gary Moorcroft and Paul Barnard. So the pressure is on. We spoke to Essendon recruiting manager Adrian Dodoro about the talent on offer in 2001.

Dodoro said the 2001 draft was fairly promising. ""It looks okay this year. We have been blessed with some good weather which is a bonus. It gives the players more of a chance to play good football and recruiting staff a chance to really see what they can do.""

""The thing that I have noticed at the moment is that there really isn't a lot of tall players going around - there is plenty of good mid-sized and small players but the talls seem a bit thin,"" Dodoro said.

The Bombers have about eight recruiting staff casting their eyes over the National Championships. ""We have most of interstate recruiting staff here and it is a great chance for us to get together and have a chat about what is on offer,"" Dodoro said. ""The other bonus of the championships being here is the fact that our coaching staff can get along to these matches and have a look at what is available. We can tall them what is on offer and show them videos but it isn't the same as being there to watch games.""

There are some famous Essendon names running around in this year's championships - none moreso than Joel Reynolds the grandson of Bomber great Dick Reynolds. ""He actually hasn't played a game yet,"" Dodoro said. ""He has been injured but is expected to play this weekend."" The youngster from Geelong is representing Victorian Country and has been struggling with a back injury.

Another Bomber name belongs to young Justin Crow - the son of former Bomber Max. Justin is playing as a ruckman with Victorian Metropolitan. ""He has been pretty sound to this stage of the championships - we will continue to monitor him as the season unfolds,"" Dodoro said. Young Crow can be picked up under the father-son rule. And then there is Nick Raines - son of former Bomber, Bear and Tiger Geoff Raines. ""He is a small running-type player who runs into the right spots, is quick and finds the football,"" Dodoro said. Raines can't be picked up by the Bombers under the father-son but can be picked up by Brisbane or Richmond under that rule.

The two Victorian sides have dominated the competition to this stage. ""South Australia is struggling and Western Australia is going okay but the two Victorian sides look the dominant teams. I think 80% of the players taken at the next National Draft will come from those two squads,"" Dodoro said.