Essendon backs calls for mid-season trade period after drafting four state league players

Essendon has thrown its support behind a mid-season trade period after an injury crisis forced the club to pick an unprecedented four players in the mid-season draft.

Essendon has backed a mid-season trade period next year as it attempts to turn some of its quartet of mid-season acquisitions into key position defenders.

The Dons will start Carlton VFL captain Liam McMahon in defence in the VFL on Friday and believes No.6 mid-season pick Archer May can also play back after taking a quartet of replacements to ease its key tall injury crisis.

Both have played forward in the state league this year and join 26-year-old 203cm WAFL ruckman Lachlan Blakiston and Essendon VFL small forward Oskar Smartt on the list from Wednesday’s mid-season draft.

Liam McMahon

It comes as the Dons continue to investigate the soft-tissue concerns that have curtailed Zach Reid, Jordan Ridley and Kyle Langford with 10 players 190cm or taller on the injury list.

McMahon and 180cm small forward Smartt will play Brisbane in the VFL at noon on Friday at Brighton Homes Arena, while Blakiston and May will fly from Perth and join the club on Monday.

In the end none of the quartet were close to playing for Essendon’s VFL side despite fresh injuries to key talls Reid, Ridley and Ben McKay (foot), which could keep him out for 5-6 weeks.

Ben McKay is the latest Bomber big man to go down. Picture: James Wiltshire/AFL Photos via Getty Images

But Dons football boss Dan McPherson believes the club has drafted a nice mix of established talent which also has upside for the future, with May the only one of the four to have an 18-month contract.

“Archer we were really keen on. He’s a strong marking forward who kicks goals and he hasn’t played a lot in defence but we think he has the capability to do it. Liam McMahon has been in the system at Collingwood and played some terrific footy for Carlton as their VFL captain and played a lot as a key defender as a young fella so he’s got the versatility to play at both ends of the ground.

“Archer put 18 months onto his contract which we were comfortable with but there is a bit of a mix there. Some maturity and we think it adds depth but there are also some opportunities for players to come in pretty quickly.”

McPherson said the Dons were on board with the idea of a mid-season trade period.

“It just gives you a bit more flexibility. I think it’s something worth exploring and it would be good to consider. All the different scenarios and rules around it have to be discussed but particularly in our scenario, there would be players at other clubs who might be struggling to get a game who are really playing footy who would jump at the chance to get a look at it.”

McKay will need at least a fortnight off training with a plantar plate issue to the ball of his foot under his second toe then 3-4 weeks of reloading.

McPherson said the club had not unearthed any specific concerns but would leave no stone unturned to ensure the program was world-class.

“We are continuing to look into everything. Training load, schedule, everything. We are looking at everything. We have had a number of ACLs and a dislocated ankle and an achilles. The soft tissue ones we will continue to look into. You can’t ignore them. There might be a clear explanation but we will keep looking to see what we come up with.”

Originally published as Essendon backs calls for mid-season trade period after drafting four state league players